The episode brings together Dave Foy, Shaun Raines, and Charity Dunning for a candid and often humorous conversation about leadership, innovation, and culture in automotive retail.
They explore what authentic leadership looks like in a post-pandemic industry, how women continue to redefine automotive retail, and why emotionally intelligent workplaces outperform those driven purely by numbers.
Charity steers the dialogue toward empowerment and inclusion, while Dave and Shaun draw from decades of dealership experience to challenge stale operating models and celebrate the human side of Fixed Ops.
5 Key Takeaways
- Authenticity outperforms authority — Leaders who admit what they don’t know earn deeper trust.
- Empowerment requires structure — Representation matters, but so do mentorship programs and equitable advancement paths.
- Psychological safety fuels innovation — Teams speak up when they know their ideas won’t be punished.
- AI must serve people, not replace them — Technology amplifies empathy when implemented with intent.
- Listening is leadership’s most underused tool — Transformation begins with consistent, open dialogue.
5 Action Items
- Hold monthly listening sessions where advisors and techs share uncensored feedback directly with leadership.
- Launch cross-department mentorships, pairing women in leadership with new hires to accelerate inclusion.
- Evaluate communication tone across management for transparency and consistency.
- Schedule quarterly “culture checks” — private, judgment-free discussions modeled after this WE ARE conversation.
- Document and publicize small wins that resulted from empathetic leadership decisions.
5 Quotes
- “Better than we deserve—that’s how I’d describe it today.” – Shaun Raines
- “I like what Russell says: I’m living the great American dream.” – Charity Dunning
- “Leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about creating a space where people want to find them with you.” – Dave Foy
- “You can’t scale culture through software; you scale it through people who believe in the mission.” – Shaun Raines
- “Women aren’t changing automotive—they’re reminding it what humanity looks like.” – Charity Dunning
