Notes on Resilience 119: Leading Through Crisis with Joy, with Richard Sheridan
What happens when your company faces a crisis?
For Richard Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations, the answer wasn't found in emergency protocols or contingency plans. It was deeply embedded in the culture of joy his organization had built over decades.
When COVID-19 struck and Menlo lost 60% of its revenue, their collaborative in-person work model seemed impossible to maintain. Yet something remarkable happened. While Sheridan momentarily felt like Houdini shackled and thrown to the bottom of an icy river, his team quickly self-organized, experimenting with solutions that would ultimately lead the company to its strongest years ever.
The secret? A foundation of joy that's fundamentally different from fleeting happiness. "Joy is seeing over the horizon," Sheridan explains, "and realizing there's satisfaction that comes from fighting the hard fight, even when everything feels stacked against you."
In this candid conversation, Rich reveals the five-step framework that guided Menlo's recovery: survive, adapt, sustain, emerge stronger, and thrive again. He shares how vulnerability becomes a leader's greatest strength during crisis, why authenticity can't be faked, and how the question "What do they need as human beings?" transformed difficult situations.
Most powerfully, Rich demonstrates how compassionate leadership creates ripple effects far beyond the workplace: If people have better lives at work, they'll be better parents, better spouses, better neighbors and community members.
For leaders navigating uncertainty, this conversation offers both practical guidance and profound inspiration. The lesson? Don't wait for a crisis to build a culture of joy. Start today, because relationships and resilience are built over time, not overnight.
Richard Sheridan, is the CEO, Chief Storyteller & Tour Guide of Menlo Innovations and author of Joy, Inc. - How We Built a Workplace People Love and Chief Joy Officer – How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear.
Learn more about Menlo Innovations or sign up for a tour on their website and follow Rich on LinkedIn.
Go to https://betterhelp.com/resilience or click Notes on Resilience during sign up for 10% off your first month of therapy with my sponsor BetterHelp.
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Producer / Editor: Neel Panji
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