By Jimmy DeGroot, Train Retail | June 11, 2025
Appleton, WI–Think for a moment how much more profitable, more happiness, more sales, more team lifers, and more peace the entire team and you would have if you had a friction free environment. Of course friction free is a panacea and a little friction can be a good thing, but what if you could reduce it by 50%.
In Garry Ridge’s book “Any dumbass can do it,” he talks about the Four Pillars of a Friction Free Culture.
1. Support Each Other with Heart & Help – Go beyond surface-level praise—actively coach, guide, and support team members. As a leader, show up as a mentor, not just a manager. Invest time to help others succeed.
2. Encourage Radical Honesty – Create an environment where people can speak truth without fear—no hiding, deflecting, or “white lies.” This promotes clarity, accountability, and psychological safety, keeping issues visible rather than hidden.
3. Set Clear Expectations and Shared Ownership – There must be no ambiguity around roles, goals, or responsibilities. This reduces misunderstandings and finger-pointing. Culture thrives when everyone knows what “owning it” looks like.
4. Speak Truth, Not Just Power – True leadership focuses on purpose and shared values, not authority or position. The outcome is people follow leaders who lead with values and integrity, not positional strength.
This might take a while, but what if you focused on these four pillars over a year? Wouldn’t that be worth it? I can promise you it would because I’ve done it and can tell you there is nothing like the feeling of a team humming on all cylinders. Results become exponential. For us, we double our business in one single year. You can do it too. Go for it!