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Guest Bio
Joshua Remerowski is the Vice President of Learning and Development at SRS Distribution Inc. With over 15 years of experience spanning companies like Verizon, Walmart, and Fortive, Joshua is known for building transformative programs and shaping the future of workplace learning. Starting his career as a truck driver, his journey from frontline grit to executive leadership is marked by passion, humour, and a relentless drive to make learning fun and impactful.
Embracing Humility and Humour
Joshua’s career began behind the wheel of a delivery truck, and he brings that grounded perspective into every room he enters. One of his most memorable early career moments involved ripping his pants in the middle of a Christian bookstore, turning a moment of deep embarrassment into a story of humility and humour that’s stayed with him. For Joshua, these experiences are more than anecdotes. They’re reminders to stay humble, relatable, and never take oneself too seriously.
Designing Learning That Resonates
During his time at Verizon, Joshua helped lead the creation of the Wireless Leadership Academy, a pioneering program that used immersive learning, gamification, and creative simulations to drive engagement and behavioral change. Two standouts included an Amazing Race-inspired customer journey game and a Change Intelligence Agency simulation that fully immersed participants in real-world problem solving. These experiences weren’t just fun, they were highly effective, achieving over 300 percent ROI.
Joshua believes that training should be simple, fun, and job-relevant. But he’s quick to stress that fun doesn’t mean frivolous. Training must be challenging enough to drive change but engaging enough that it doesn’t feel like another task. Learning, he argues, should honor the difficulty of frontline work without becoming another burden.
The Power of Frontline Perspective
Joshua’s ability to create relevant programs stems from his own frontline experience. Having worked in the field, crawling through attics, handling deliveries, and facing harsh physical conditions, he brings empathy and insight into what employees truly need. He believes that most learning professionals don’t fully grasp the realities of frontline work and encourages immersion beyond observation. To design impactful programs, you need to do the work or at least walk alongside those who do.
Understanding the mindset of frontline workers allows Joshua to spot the real roadblocks to learning, whether it’s time, mindset, or distrust. This deep connection with the field gives him an edge in designing training that earns buy-in and results in real growth. His approach is based on feedback loops, mutual respect, and an unwavering belief that frontline employees deserve meaningful, career-shaping development.
Lessons from Missed Marks
Not every program Joshua launched was a home run. One early attempt to redesign Verizon’s technical university flopped due to rushed timelines and a lack of stakeholder input. Despite flashy features like a digital escape room, the learning objectives were unclear, the narrative disconnected, and the experience misaligned with business needs.
This humbling experience taught Joshua the importance of cross-functional collaboration, realistic planning, and clarity of purpose. He now champions iterative design, allowing time for stakeholder alignment, user testing, and continuous improvement. Above all, he prioritises simplicity and relevance over flash.
Skills for Leadership Growth
Reflecting on his journey, Joshua highlights three key skills that transformed his career:
- Emotional Intelligence: Coming from a direct, blue-collar background, Joshua had to consciously develop empathy, patience, and interpersonal sensitivity to thrive in leadership.
- Critical Thinking: Becoming a lifelong learner helped him sharpen his problem-solving and strategic thinking skills.
- Collaboration: As a natural doer, he had to learn how to step back, involve others, and lead through influence rather than just action.
Ready to Make Learning Matter?
Joshua Remerowski’s story proves that impactful learning stems from empathy, experience, and experimentation. His rise from truck driver to executive leader underscores the transformative power of relevant, engaging, and purpose-driven learning. Tune in to hear how grit, humility, and a touch of humor can reshape the way we build cultures of growth. Listen here.
Episode Summary
In this engaging episode, Joshua Remerowski, Vice President of Learning and Development at SRS Distribution, shares his unique journey from truck driving to becoming a strategic HR executive. With over 15 years of experience, Joshua offers humorous anecdotes, profound insights, and practical wisdom that resonate with professionals at all career stages. From ripping pants in a bookstore to creating award-winning learning programs, Joshua’s story is one of resilience, innovation, and passion for making learning fun and impactful.
Resources
- Connect with Joshua on LinkedIn
Key Takeaways
- Embracing Humble Beginnings: Joshua’s career started as a truck driver, teaching him the value of hard work and the importance of understanding frontline workers’ perspectives.
- Innovative Learning Programs: At Verizon, Joshua developed the Wireless Leadership Academy, incorporating gamification and immersive learning experiences that set a new standard in the industry.
- Making Learning Fun and Relevant: Joshua emphasizes the need to create engaging and job-relevant learning experiences, challenging the status quo of traditional training methods.
- Understanding Frontline Workers: His hands-on experience in the field allows Joshua to design programs that truly resonate with employees, fostering a culture of growth and development.
- Lessons from Early Career Challenges: Joshua shares how early missteps taught him the importance of collaboration, emotional intelligence, and realistic planning in program development.
Chapters
00:00 The Ultimate Walk of Shame: Joshua recounts his most embarrassing work story, setting the stage for a candid and humorous conversation.
10:15 Building the Wireless Leadership Academy: Joshua discusses the innovative learning programs he developed at Verizon, highlighting the importance of fun and engagement.
18:45 Connecting with Frontline Workers: Insights into how Joshua’s background as a truck driver informs his approach to learning and development.
25:30 Lessons Learned from Early Career Challenges: Joshua reflects on the importance of collaboration and emotional intelligence in overcoming early career hurdles.
30:50 Creating a Culture of Growth: Joshua shares his vision for fostering a culture that promotes from within and supports employees’ career trajectories.
For a deeper dive into the conversation, listen to the full episode:
