Up next on Pass the Secret Sauce, we have Richard Sheridan ─ the CEO, co-founder and Chief Storyteller at Menlo Innovations - a custom software design and development company in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His unique approach to custom software creation is so surprisingly different, that 3,000 people a year travel from around the world just to see how they do it.

He has a passion for creating joyful work environments which led to his bestselling and widely celebrated book, Joy, Inc. - How We Built a Workplace People Love.  His highly anticipated second book, Chief Joy Officer will continue to prove that a positive and engaging leadership style is actually good for business.

In this episode we discuss:

• Richard’s favorite books that gave him hope in his career  [4:40]
• How his upbringing influences his way of communicating with people  [6:20]
• Writing his first two-line program that won an international programming contest  [8:30]
• The catalyst that made Richard leap into starting his own company  [13:00]
• The major problem in the software industry ─  the tower of knowledge problem  [19:00]
• Teaching cultural norms to their workforce; where the concept came from  [21:00]
• The productivity level of people working together [24:55]
• How much they spent on the unique process of their workforce [28:30]
• Making demonstrable software for clients every five days  [30:45]
• Types of clients they worked with  [32:10]
• Challenges they typically face in their workforce [36:30]
• How does the remote process look like [40:20]

Quotable Quotes

• A high-performing team creates lasting value on a software project.
• It’s isn’t the efficiency of the programmers; it’s about the effectiveness of the results that those programmers create  

Links to sources and tools

• Get to know Rich: richardsheridan.com
• Virtually' visit the Menlo Software Factory - we offer free virtual tours weekly
  • Learn more at menloinnovations.com
• Get his books on Amazon
  • Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear
  • Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love

Stream other PTSS episodes: TECH

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