Episode 42

full
Published on:

3rd Jun 2025

How Listening Protected Culture During the Remote Work Shift with Wendy Rummler

Join Jason for a powerful conversation with Wendy Rummler, Chief People Officer at Credit Acceptance. Wendy shares the inside story of how their organization transformed from a conventional, in-office workplace to a high-performing, remote-first organization, while earning multiple workplace awards year after year. The secret, she says, is fostering a culture where listening leads to meaningful action, and where transparency and feedback are non-negotiable.

 

Key lessons highlighted in our conversation include:

👉 True “listening cultures” require managers to close the feedback loop every time. Either by implementing suggestions, explaining their reasoning for declining, or seeking more information.

 

👉 Organizational change is a long-term journey. The best results occur when leaders approach engagement as a continuous and rigorous discipline.

 

👉 Transparency about “why” decisions are made, especially about difficult topics, builds trust, even when the answer isn’t what people want to hear.

 

👉 The most valuable employee feedback often points to operational obstacles, not just perks or benefits. Addressing these issues directly enables your people to do their best work.

 

👉 Remote work success hinges on proactive onboarding, strong mechanisms for relationship-building, and frequent, meaningful leader check-ins with every team member.

 

👉 Strong cultures assume positive intent. Leaders who communicate trust and aspire to help everyone succeed redefine performance expectations and team cohesion.

 

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Connect with Wendy:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-rummler-69777611/

 

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JOIN THOUSANDS OF LEADERS WHO ARE HARNESSING THE POWER OF RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK.

Subscribe to our newsletter:

https://jasonlauritsen.ck.page/950d3cff1f

 

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Connect with Jason:

Website: https://jasonlauritsen.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JasonLauritsenVideo

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonlauritsen/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonlauritsen/

 

#Leadership #PeopleFirst #CompanyCulture #FeedbackLoop #WorkplaceExcellence

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About the Podcast

Unlocking High Performance
How leaders unlock performance by creating the conditions for people to do their best work
Unlocking High Performance is a podcast for leaders who want strong results without burning their people out in the process.

Hosted by Jason Lauritsen, the show explores how clarity, alignment, and connection shape performance at work. Jason draws from his work with CEOs, executive teams, and leaders to examine why work so often becomes heavier, slower, and more frustrating than it needs to be and how to fix it.

Some episodes are solo reflections. Others are conversations with leaders and practitioners navigating real constraints and consequences. Each conversation looks beyond tactics to understand the leadership and organizational conditions that make performance possible.

The podcast focuses on the systems that drive performance, not leadership theory or quick fixes. Listeners will walk away with a clearer understanding of how work actually gets done and how to build environments where people perform at their best.

About your host

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Jason Lauritsen