The characteristics that set high-performers apart fascinate Drew Newkirk, a New York City psychotherapist who uses the Enneagram Theory of personality assessment to help people unlock the secret to achieving their goals. Drew focuses on elite performers’ ability to remain proactive and out front. Rather than being on the defense,  he coaches on strategies to push forward while never letting others bring them down. 

In this episode, Drew joins host Fran Racioppi to share his transition from client to the therapist and how he helps others find joy, happiness, freedom, and fulfillment through a quest to understand life’s purpose. An avid music lover, Drew uses music as a language to connect with his clients, as well as to inspire himself and others. He shares his new docuseries called “The Songs That Saved Your Life” where he explores music as inspiration to those who find solace in specific songs. He also debuts his new YouTube channel where he blends lessons from music and literature.  

Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.

Highlights:

-Drew describes how he was bullied as a child resulting in insecurity, which he shielded by developing a “fighter” spirit.

-Drew provides his theory of life as a table with four legs, each representing a different passion but each needing to remain in balance with each other to find completeness and fulfillment.

-Fran & Drew break down the Enneagram, it’s nine core personality types, and the primary and secondary wings.

-Fran describes himself as an “8,” while Drew is classified as a “sexual 4” bringing into the conversation the three centers of “instinct, feeling, and thinking.”

-The Enneagram “Instinctual Stack” is used to identify what character traits people display in times of safety and comfort vs times of stress and confusion.

-Fran questions Drew on the drivers behind his passion for music and the rationale behind the development of “Songs That Saved Your Life” in partnership with recording artist Darrell McDaniels from RunDMC.

-Envy is an emotion that Drew describes as his ‘dark passenger’ through which he professes his jealousy for Hugh Jackman.

Quotes:

-”Your ‘why’ is the root system. If the tree doesn’t come out of the root system, it is not authentic. If a company is doing it well, they’re putting the ‘why’ first.”

-”As a man...I resist the idea that I am a scrapper because I think that was about being defensive, feeling insecure, feeling small and weak.”

-”Your ‘why’ is different than the ‘how’ or ‘what’ you do.”

-”It’s not if, it’s when. And I have wrestled with that for six years.”

-”My way of dealing with envy is to get competitive...but envy also drives me.”

-”The idea behind the Enneagram is that you develop both sides of yourself.”

-”Most of life's problems are because man cannot sit in a room by themself.”

-”The purpose is the core, and the ‘what’ is going to follow that purpose if you are doing it right.”

-“You have this opportunity. Who cares what he says? You have to put this into the universe.”

Drew’s Three Daily Foundations of Success:

-Communicate with compassion

-Target your efforts

-Move and take action

In loving memory of our friend, mentor and member of our Jedburgh Team - Jerry Remy (1952-2021). We will miss you.

In Major League Baseball the glory you see on the field is a very small part of the whole story. As a player, there must exist a dedication to greatness and a commitment to excellence that transcends the field; even at the end of a baseball career. Second Baseman Jerry Remy became a legend in the game and in the broadcasting booth having been inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, elected President of Red Sox Nation, and his 32 years as the NESN color analyst for the Red Sox. 

In one of his last full length interviews, Jerry shows us how to overcome inexperience and lack of skill by focusing on our core strengths and dedicating ourselves to perfecting the fundamentals. He shares the mentality required to perform in the moment and under extreme pressure, and how we can overcome devastating injury, depression and anxiety. Jerry also explains why the 2004 Red Sox team is the best team in history, how managers have been forced to evolve to coach a younger generation of athletes, and the importance of mentors in our professional and personal lives.  

Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.

Highlights: 

-Jerry shares how nearly being released in his first spring training after being drafted in 1971 forced him to realize how much work was required to be competitive at an elite level and how a dedication to preparation is required to improving his personal skills on the field and in the broadcasting booth.

-Analysis of playing in an environment like Boston where winning and perfection is an expectation; how do we as leaders consistently rise to the challenge and not be overcome by the moment. 

-As a five-time cancer survivor, Jerry shows us how to take life’s challenges one day at a time and apply focus to small victories that compound to achieve a goal and overcome extreme adversity. 

-Hire for character, train for skill is a fundamental aspect of building elite teams; a challenge NESN accepted when it hired Jerry as the color analyst. -Despite a rough start and inexperience, Jerry explains how we apply our previous knowledge to new tasks and demonstrate effective intelligence.  

-Depression affects even the most elite performers. Jerry provides his lessons on overcoming depression and anxiety when your life is on camera and in the spotlight every day.

-Based on 50 years of MLB experience, Jerry gives us the inside baseball on the best Red Sox leaders like Jason Varitek and David Ortiz, the best teams, mentors, and the advice he has for the recently retired Dustin Pedroia.

Quotes:

-”I had so far to go. My talent was so far below all these other guys.”

-”If these guys can play there, I can play there. I just have to work harder. I have to do more work. It will all pay off in the end.”

-”You had to have a short memory because you could really dislike a lot of these guys who wrote some bad stuff about you. You win them over by playing better.”

-“I was terrible. I was awful. And I wanted to drop it. But I never quit anything in my life.”

-“They felt like they had nothing to lose and they go on to win this thing.”

Jerry’s Three Daily Foundations of Success:

-Preparation

-A love for the game

-Be yourself and don’t be afraid to be wrong

Peter Cancro is the Founder and CEO of Jersey Mike's Subs. In 1971 at the age of only 17, Peter raised $125,000 to purchase the single store sandwich shop called Mike's Subs. Today, Jersey Mike's has over 2000 stores across the globe, and is closing in on over $2 billion in annual sales. Entrepreneur Magazine has ranked Jersey Mike's #7 in the 2021 Franchise 500 Ranking. 

In this episode, Peter joins host Fran Racioppi to share his recipe for building a franchise empire, and his foundation on a “SubAbove” culture of giving and a commitment to its people - investing over $150 million back into its store owners to update and modernize. Peter was named to the 2021 Power List by Nation's Restaurant News. 

Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.

Highlights:

-Peter explains the importance of equity in a business and a founder’s role in identifying funding sources, partners and those able to provide capital while allowing the founders to pursue their vision.

-Growing a business from a single store to multiple stores, then a franchise requires founders to understand how their people, process and technology must operate at different points in the business cycle. 

-The normal franchise model puts the responsibility for adherence to standards on the franchisee; Peter speaks about his selection criteria for successful franchisees, his dedication to their training, and how the reinvestment by Jersey Mike’s corporate office in the modernization of the individual stores has empowered owners to work harder.

-Peter places focus on location when selecting markets and individual stores for inclusion into the growth phase of Jersey Mikes. He explains that simple and replicable designs reduce the time and cost barriers to entry for new franchisees.

-Fran & Peter provide the keys to overcoming business shock as Peter discusses how he pulled Jersey Mike’s out of near bankruptcy twice and how he has responded to COVID-19. 

-The development of a strong team culture is the most important aspect of leadership to Peter. He provides his thoughts on leading by example and from the front, pulling others along towards your goals. 

-Community is built through engagement like the Annual Day Giving and the Month of Giving during March. 

Quotes: 

-”Show up every day. Go to work and go after it aggressively. Make great products and great service. Get involved in the community and care. That’s the motto.”

-”Does it make common sense? This is how we go forward.”

-”Don’t walk when you can run.”

-”You enjoy it when you are doing your best. Putting it out there. Trying to serve your community. Trying to serve others in the store.”

-”It was a good long time I was flatlined. ‘91, ‘92, ‘93. We just didn’t grow.”

-“That’s what people love. When they can just be real and genuine. Not some script by the company.”

-”We go after it very aggressively. Get the right people...we work hard. Try and get involved in the community. Make great products and great service.” 

-”Cause-related marketing is what the experts will tell you you should be doing.”

Peter’s Three Daily Foundations of Success:

-Be ready

-Be prepared

-Focus on the small details

What can business organizations learn from the military when it comes to talent management and leadership development? Those who have been in the trenches, leading people through some of the most difficult and risky missions in the world know that people are everything. Mike Sarraille and George Randle are two of the authors of The Talent War, an incredibly insightful work that examines the parallels between the talent management practices of special operations forces and the most successful organizations in the world. 

Aiming to empower small and medium businesses to achieve excellence every day, Mike and George founded the Talent War Group, a cadre of highly-experienced SOF leaders and business executives who understand the critical importance of human capital management. Listen in as they share some of the principles they talked about in their book as they join Fran Racioppi on this first episode of The Jedburgh Podcast.

Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.

Highlights:

-Why Special Operations uses nine characteristics of elite performance to recruit, assess, select and train its people and how the nine are required to build elite performers in any organization. 

-What it means and why organizations must “hire for character, train for skill.”

-Entrepreneurs exist at all levels of an organization; Mike & George explain how encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit drives productivity and innovation.

-Assessing people’s response after failure is an important indicator of their character and potential for future success; George describes the most common results of failure given by candidates in the interview process. 

-Mike provides the tools leaders need to determine and accept risk in order to see risk as opportunities to improve the organization. 

-The keys to introspective leadership and self evaluation on a continuous basis.

-Mike candidly describes the importance of a “tribe” and how the strongest people and organizations rely on a strong sense of community, camaraderie and team.

-How the "whole-man" concept requires leaders to evaluate talent on the totality of what they bring to the organization and how they enhance all aspects of the team in addition to their personal skill set or subject-matter expertise.

Quotes:

-”A transformational leader builds genuine relationships with their people. They are willing to pay the rent.”

-”What are we doing? What should we be doing.”

-”What makes Special Operations so special is that they have to be experts in potential-based hiring.”

-”I want everyone to be a disruptive thinker. I want everyone to have a sense of autonomy over their lives and their jobs. Ownership to make decisions at their respective level.”

-“99% of people see risk and it automatically triggers fear.”

-“Everyone has failed at something they tried.”

“Iron sharpens iron.”

Mike’s Three Daily Foundations of Success:

-Develop a growth mindset

-Demonstrate humility

-Maintain your tribe

George’s Three Daily Foundations of Success:

-Persistence in personal growth

-Have faith in self, tribe and your team

-Love and appreciate those around you

Organizations will fail without transformative leaders. The Jedburgh Podcast is a conversation with prominent visionaries, drivers of change and those dedicated to winning. 

In May 1943 the Allied Forces determined a new type of leader was required to win World War II as an Axis victory seemed certain. These leaders would be assessed using a specific set of character traits, but selected using the “whole-man” concept; a combination of traits needed to simply get things done and win no matter the challenge. Code-named Jedburghs, three-man teams parachuted behind enemy lines onto the shores of occupied France during the nighttime hours before D-Day. Their only directive...Win the war at all costs. With little guidance and scarce resources, 200 specially selected, highly trained, innovative leaders helped turn the tide of the war.

Hosted by former Special Forces Green Beret, Fran Racioppi, each episode is an in-depth discussion with trailblazers who have earned success through a dedication to talent development, preparation, introspection and the drive to get things done. Our conversation will empower listeners to define success and operate at an elite level, regardless of the task at hand. Jedburghs lived by the mantra that how you prepare today, determines success tomorrow. 

The Jedburgh Podcast is sponsored by Talent War Group, an executive search firm and talent advisory. We work with your organization to attract, retain, and develop top talent. We’ll drive you to attract, retain, and develop top talent. With services like talent acquisition, leadership development, training, and seminars we work with you to create talent solutions to business problems. To get started, visit www.talentwargroup.com