The Jedburgh Podcast
Fran Racioppi
The Jedburgh Podcast empowers leaders to achieve success on their journey to transform themselves and their organizations. Creator, Host and Special Forces Green Beret Fran Racioppi interviews the world’s most prominent visionaries, drivers of change, and those dedicated to winning.Each episode is an in-depth discussion with trailblazers who’ve 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. In May 1943 the Allied Forces determined a new type of leader was required to win World War II. Operation Jedburgh parachuted three-man teams deep behind enemy lines to win no matter the challenge. Jedburghs lived by the mantra “how you prepare today, determines success tomorrow.” Today's leaders are no different. Fran speaks with leaders in business, athletics, academics, and public service about their personal leadership stories of success, failure, and the road to continuous improvement. Our discussions focus on the character traits of elite performance used by Special Operations Forces to recruit, assess, select and retain elite performers. Through this lens, we show listeners that success in any field must be earned every day.We strive for each listener to take valuable lessons learned and concrete action steps to improve themselves, their teams, and their organizations. Although developed and used by US Special Operations Forces, these characteristics are inherently applicable to building resilient and successful organizations in any sector or industry, as well as in the betterment of our personal and professional lives. The Nine Characteristics of Elite Performance:-Drive: Growth mindset, be better than yesterday, continuous self-improvement-Resiliency: Perseverance in the face of challenges-Adaptability: Adjust one’s behavior to the situation-Humility: Recognize that you do not have all the answers; a willing learner maintains accurate self-awareness-Integrity: Understand what is legal and correct and align actions and words to both-Effective Intelligence: apply one’s experience and knowledge to the situation-Team Ability: Prioritize organizational needs ahead of oneself, work as a cohesive unit-Curiosity: Exploring the unknown, questioning the status quo in pursuit of better-Emotional Strength: Emotional control in stressful situations brings calm to chaos Fran Racioppi is the Founder & CEO of FRsix where he leads operations in critical infrastructure projects. He served 13 years in the US Army Special Forces as a Green Beret. Fran is passionate about building the world's best leaders and the impact our special operators have in service and beyond. He holds a BA from Boston University in Broadcast Journalism and an MBA from NYU Stern, as well as the security industry's highest accreditation as a Certified Protection Professional. The Jedburgh Podcast is an Official Program of The Green Beret Foundation. The Green Beret Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to supporting America's U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers and their families. They provide emergency, immediate, and ongoing support to Special Forces Soldiers and their families. The foundation is committed to growing and sustaining the needs of the Special Forces regiment for decades to come. Since its inception, the foundation has invested over $15 million in support of the Special Forces community, providing aid to more than 13,000 families with 87% of every dollar going directly into their programs and services.Join our Jedburgh Team to reach your dreams!
Episodes
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Jan 13, 2022 • 1h 22min
#042: Wounding Warriors: How Bad Policy Is Making Veterans Sicker And Poorer - Daniel Gade
The Department of Veterans Affairs is one of the most complex organizations in government. At the center of this complexity is VA disability ratings and compensation; a program developed over 200 years ago to compensate service members while they recovered from service. Today, this program is convoluted, lengthy and often the most challenging process a Veteran must endure during transition to civilian life. Daniel Gade, a retired Army Officer, combat-wounded amputee and author of Wounding Warriors: How Bad Policy is Making Veterans Sicker and Poorer joins host Fran Racioppi to challenge the current one-size fits all approach to VA disability compensation calling it outdated and antiquated; as well as providing recommendations for reform. Daniel served in the Bush and Obama administrations and was the Republican nominee in the 2020 election to represent Virginia in the US Senate.Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.Highlights:-Daniel breaks down the VA disability claims process through a personal account of his combat and non-combat related injuries, including a detailed account of being wounded twice in Iraq and the events leading to the loss of his leg.-We explain the numbers behind the VA, the increase in disability claims over the last two decades, the addition of bi-partisian policy and the cost of disability claims as related to other VA education and health programs.-After losing his leg in Iraq, Daniel explains how he took control of his rehabilitation by focusing on the future, what factors would aid in his recovery and what must be done to “self-rescue.”-Daniel used extreme sports like triathlons and cross-fit to prove he could recover and raise his expectations of himself and his ability to thrive as an amputee.-The concept of “Stolen Valor” demonstrates how too many people misrepresent their service, the level of their injuries and their disabilities to increase their payments from the VA leading to increased policy complexity and bureaucracy.-Daniel defines the term “permanent and total” and shows how it allows veterans to avoid treatment to ensure continued compensation.-The path to reform requires three initiatives: focus on employment, link compensation to treatment, separation of military-related injuries vs those incurred while in the military.Quotes:-”It causes veterans to see themselves as sick, or as disabled, or as useless and worthless.”-”We should be much more careful about how we use the word disability. The current process uses disability for anything wrong with a veteran.”-”The VA spends more on veterans staying sick than veterans getting better.”-”The VA’s priority is on paying people disability benefits. Not on rehabilitating them, educating them, housing them, or helping them in other ways.”-“It ripped a chunk out of my thigh and I woke up in a ditch.”-”I was in a surgeon's care in 37 minutes and my blood pressure was 60 over 0.”-”My philosophy has always been find a solution and engage in whatever the solution might be.”-“I realized right then that I wanted to be a person who can do anything.”-”The veterans’ Iron Triangle is the most difficult Iron Triangle in all of politics.” Daniel’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:-Hug my kids-Connect to something greater than yourself-Find a way to serve othersThis episode is brought to you by Jersey Mike’s, 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.
Jan 6, 2022 • 1h 11min
#041: The Attributes - Navy SEAL Rich Diviney
How do we define the term "best performance?" Is it elite? Is it peak? Is it simply human? For our first episode of 2022, host Fran Racioppi starts 2022 with a conversation on first defining “optimal performance” and second on understanding the core fundamentals that make up our character and our personality...The Attributes.Fran is joined by Rich Diviney; a former Navy SEAL who revolutionized the way Navy SEALS are assessed and selected for our nation's premier counter-terrorism forces. He has taught leadership and the concept of optimal performance to thousands of businesses, and recently launched his new book called The Attributes.2020 and 2021 tested many of our attributes. We may not have even realized it. We don't know what 2022 will bring, but we know that any success starts with our ability to understand ourselves. Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.Highlights:-Rich distinguishes between traits and attributes, defines optimal performance vs peak performance, separates skills from attributes, and shows the importance of selecting those who “could” do the job vs those who know “how” to do the job.-How the lessons of the US Navy SEAL assessment & selection process can be used in any organization and how to apply it today. Plus a short history of the SEALS and the evolution of training through today’s Hell Week.-Fran and Rich cover 22 of The Attributes through a discussion on the five categories: Grit, Mental Acuity, Leadership, Drive, and Team Ability.-A detailed breakdown of discipline vs self-discipline, sympathy vs empathy, decisiveness vs decision-making; and how they each affect our roles as leaders.-Rich provides the “how-to” assessment to understand our core values to determine which attributes are most important to our organizations. -START is the five-step process to improve ourselves and the quality of our attributes.-Fran gets Rich to pick the attribute that best defines him; and what he is looking to improve in 2022.Quotes:-”If you want to understand human performance—yours and others’—the first step is to understand attributes.”-”Personality traits are who we are on any given day.”-”Optimal performance is about doing the best you can in the moment.”-“Skills are not inherent to our nature…skills direct our behavior in known situations.”-”Attributes…inform our behavior. They don’t direct our behavior.”-”Talent is a dynamic dance between skills and attributes.”-”Grit can be described as the ability to push through and achieve those acute challenges and goals.”-“Mental Acuity is the one that all of these are actually inter-related.”-“When someone leaves the group of a narcissist, that person is immediately enemy #1.”-“Self-Discipline involves those things that the external world has no say in. Discipline involves those things that the external world does have a say in.”-“The confusing thing about leadership is that we often think of leadership as a noun…in fact is a verb. It’s a behavior”-”A decisive person understands that a decision can be final, but not permanent.”Rich’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:-Hug my wife and kids-Tell them I love them multiple times -Keep moving forward; even if just a small stepThis episode is brought to you by Jersey Mike’s, 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.
Dec 30, 2021 • 1h 6min
#040: Sharpen The Edge - 18A Fitness Founder Kevin Edgerton
The New Year is the time we all commit to eating less and working out more. We commit to improving our fitness and health. For some, it lasts all year. For many a few months, maybe a few weeks, and for others - just a few days. To talk about fitness and goals in 2022, host Fran Racioppi asked Founder of 18A Fitness, and fellow Green Beret, Kevin Edgerton to join him on this New Year's episode to reminisce about their glory days as Green Berets, discuss a renewed commitment to fitness as the clock strikes January, and to share what it takes to try out for, and become, one of nation's most precious assets - a Special Operations Warrior. Kevin served 26 years in the US Army as both enlisted and as an officer. He developed the human performance training programs for Army Special Forces Groups and the Air Force Special Operations Air Wings. He has since retired and founded 18A Fitness, an app-based, customized training platform to prepare any warrior for the grueling selection courses of the Green Berets, Army Rangers, Navy SEALS, Marine Raiders or Air Force Special Operations Air Wings. It's like we always say...How You Prepare Today, Determines Success Tomorrow. Happy New Year! Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.Highlights:-Kevin & Fran reminisce about their days in the United States Army Officer Candidate School and how prior enlisted soldiers like Kevin set the example for college entry officer candidates like Fran.-18A was born out of Kevin’s experience in Special Operations selection courses, physical training certifications and I desire to help the next generation succeed in both fitness and the military.-Kevin’s career in fitness started when his father suffered a heart attack in the gym and required a triple bypass surgery.-Fran and Kevin break down the importance of physical vs mental training and preparation; and how higher levels of physical fitness allow for enhanced mental clarity when solving mental challenges.-Kevin explains the importance of character in Special Operations and the differences in missions between Green Berets, Navy SEALS, Marine Special Operations, and Air Force Special Warfare. -Fran asks Kevin what we learn from the best and worst leaders.Quotes:-”You have to know what their desired end state is, then put a program together that fits that need…that fits that scope…so they can pass that with ease.”-”You have to come up with your why. Why you want to do this.”-”When you see that second plane hit…it just got real…it changed the whole dynamics of what I was going to do.”-”When you are a team leader your integrity has to be the utmost in anything that you do.”-”The best leader I ever had was Darsie Rogers…he challenged you to do things that were outside the norm.”-”Just worry about what’s down and in. I will worry about up and out.”-”War brings out the worst, the ugliest in you. Now that it’s post-war, now this should bring out the best of Americans; and I only want the best that’s going to be in Special Operations to lead that charge.”Kevin’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:-Structured mobility and breathing exercises every morning to wake the body.-Eat healthy; not perfect, but well.-Put the phone down and move!This episode is brought to you by 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.
Dec 23, 2021 • 1h 20min
#039: The United States Army - Vice Chief of Staff - General (Ret.) Peter Chiarelli
Some organizations are so vast, so large, and so dynamic that it is often almost impossible to comprehend the scale and complexity; making leadership the most important factor in performance.General(R) Peter Chiarelli served as the Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army, an organization of over 1.1 million employees and a budget of $240 billion dollars. General Chiarelli is one of our nation's most innovative leaders; always challenging the way the Army operated. He transitioned the Army from Vietnam, through the Cold War and into the modern Army of today.General Chiarelli and Host Fran Racioppi discuss the General’s career, his days as a professor at West Point, how he led the medical industry in changing the way we view post traumatic stress, how COVID has set the example for collaboration and teamwork, the importance of wearables in tracking our health, the lessons of the war in Iraq, and what type of leaders we need in our nation today. Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.Highlights:-GEN Chiarelli recounts his early days in the Army in the post-Vietnam era and how not getting into law school changed his life.-GEN Chiarelli explains how the West Point Department of Social Sciences forces leaders to think differently about challenges which leads to innovation. -Traumatic brain injury was relatively unstudied prior to the war in Iraq; GEN Chiarelli questioned the doctors and forced them to think differently about how the Army treated these cases.-GEN Chiarelli breaks down the stigma behind post traumatic stress, and how he has led the medical industry in dropping the word “disorder” from the diagnosis. -Fran and GEN Chiarelli discuss the importance of wearables in the reduction of Veteran suicide; including Nightware, a product replacing the use of prescription drugs. -The COVID vaccine development is used as an example of how teamwork in medical research can advance medical innovation and save lives.-GEN Chiarelli explains how he prepared the 1st Cavalry Division, the US Army’s heaviest division, to fight in Baghdad and how his leaders adapted to learn about basic services and providing essential training to the Iraqi defense forces.-Fran and GEN Chiarelli examine the lessons of the war in Iraq, the importance of a whole-of-government approach to conflict and the impact of General Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf.Quotes:-”I came in for four and it ended up being 40.”-“That’s the essence of team building, to not be in the transmit mode all the time. You never learn anything when you’re talking.”-”How can you go up to a woman who has been violently sexually assaulted…and say she has a disorder because of that.”-“I’m a big fan of wearables. I think they are going to be particularly useful in the military population who is tired of being given a bag of pills.” -“Leadership is about listening.”-”I always tell young leaders, remember what really upset you.”-”We did not fight these wars with a whole-of-government approach.”-“We need to break some of the molds that have guided us in the past.”GEN Chiarelli’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:-Make my bed to complete one task-Dedicate 60 minutes to read something outside of my comfort zone-Determine what my team needs from me to achieve their missionThis episode is brought to you by 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.
Dec 16, 2021 • 60min
#038: Midnight Express Powerboats - President Harris Glaser
Midnight Express sets the standard as the leader in luxury center console powerboats. In this episode, Host Fran Racioppi travels to Miami to combine his passion for boats, journalism, and the beach as he sits down with Harris Glaser, President and Owner of Midnight Express. Harris, along with his brother Eric, bought Midnight Express in 2006 and have since redefined the boating industry bringing unparalleled design and construction, elaborate color schemes, flawless precision and unmatched performance. Fran and Harris discuss entrepreneurism, building an iconic brand, precision engineering, high-level customer experience, the importance of human capital, and the keys to building a successful family business. We also discuss the impact the loss of his father had on the company and his family; and how COVID has propelled the boating industry into uncharted seas. Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.Highlights:-Harris explains the history of Midnight Express, the rebranding efforts after the company was acquired by his family, and how their design and color patterns have changed the boating industry.-As a family business, Harris and his brother Eric jumped into building a boat manufacturing company and have complementary skill sets as an entrepreneur and an engineer. Harris credits his father, Bert, in mentoring and leading them in the early days of the company and describes the details of how he and Eric split responsibilities and resolve brotherly disputes.-Fran and Harris break down the proprietary construction methods used to build each custom boat, as well as some of the wildest requests the team has been asked to build. -Harris gives The Jedburgh Podcast the exclusive first look, never publicly released details on the brand new Midnight Express 52’ coming this winter.-Government and law enforcement have different requirements for their boats; Harris explains how Midnight Express worked with Customs and Border Patrol to customize the boats to their needs. -Harris shows the importance of access as the owner of a premium brand, how he empowers his team to take ownership, and his thoughts on making mistakes. -Despite supply chain disruption, Harris describes how boating has skyrocketed since the start of COVID, but also how Midnight Express has weathered multiple industry setbacks throughout the years. Quotes:-”You see it and you know it’s a Midnight Express.”-”We can adapt the boat to be able to get what they want out of it.”-“We don’t throw many marketing dollars out there, but social media has been very impactful.”-“Content, content, content...create new content. Create better content.”-”I don’t think there is any one master plan for family businesses...communication is key to even having a hint of hope to making it successful.”-”It took me time to learn humility. Certainly when I was 22, humility was not oozing out of my veins.”-”Even when you are right, sometimes you give anyways.”-”I’m ok if you make a mistake...you lie to me...that’s when we have problems.”-”We found our way around without having to sacrifice quality.”Harris’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:-Communicate effectively and openly-Show gratitude to all people, regardless of role and level-Think macro but get micro quickly when neededThis episode is brought to you by 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.
Dec 9, 2021 • 1h 22min
#037: Championship Formula – Jack Stark
Winning teams and companies aren’t built overnight. Leadership and a championship formula are needed for an organization to win. Dynasties are created when leaders apply this formula year in and year out without compromise. In this episode, Fran Racioppi discusses how championship dynasties are built with renowned performance psychologist Dr. Jack Stark. Jack has been a part of 22 national championships, eight NASCAR championships with Hendrick Motorsports, as well as multiple Olympic and professional teams. He has authored or co-authored 12 books, treated over 10,000 patients as a psychologist, and worked with over 100 companies, many in the Fortune 500. This episode is filled with lists that any leader, in any organization, in any industry can bring to their teams today to make an impact.Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.Highlights:-Jack defines a dynasty and explains how DYNASTY=P4 (People, Personality, Process, Purpose) -Dynasties require four specific roles within the organization: Thinker, Promoter, Coordinator, and a Corps of Action Oriented Staff.-Fran and Jack compare Jack’s nine C.H.A.R.A.C.T.E.R attributes to the nine characteristics of elite performance used by Special Operations to evaluate talent.-Jack breaks down the importance of analytical thinking using induction vs deduction in our problem solving process in an effort to develop breakthrough ideas. -Jack builds dynasties through the SPEED process (Select, Plan, Execute, Educate, Document).-Assessment is an integral part of building teams and talent. Fran and Jack describe different methods to assess talent and performance including Jack’s Behavioral Assessment and Selection Survey (BASS).-Purpose guides us and consists of a dream, a love, and a mentor.-Jack describes his diamond-shaped mental process to approaching competition.-Fran coins the term Jack’s “Factors of Failure” to identify how the stages of moral development can determine a leader’s likelihood of failure. Quotes:-”Culture is how we behave as a group. Our values. Our attitudes.”-“One player, one play, one game, can determine a season.”-”Leadership is a word used by many but truly understood by few.”-”If you don’t have character, you can’t lead.”-“You get up every day and decide your attitude.”-“The greatest leaders are great teachers.”-“It’s not just hard work; it’s the focus you have.”-“People fail not because they are not smart...they fail because of some sort of moral flaw.”“Make sure you do one thing with your kids...teach them how to love and be loved.”“40% of college athletes actually suffer from some form of a psychological disorder or mental health issue.”Jack’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:-Evaluate my dream and pursue it daily-Look to my mentors for guidance-Share my life with someone who loves meThis episode is brought to you by 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.
Dec 2, 2021 • 1h 13min
#036: Sana Health - CEO Richard Hanbury
Richard Hanbury is the CEO and founder of Sana Health, the company behind the Sana device. It's an innovative audiovisual device that trains brain pathways to reduce pain. Richard founded the company to save his own life after he was forced to drive his car off a bridge in Yemen. He was 19 and he lost the use of his legs. Richard developed Sana as a long-term solution to the root causes of pain and as an alternative to prescription drugs; which often only mask the pain and cause untold adverse effects on patients.Find out how Bruce Willis saved his life and how he dove into wearable technology. Learn more about his clinical trials on fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain. Richard also shares three of the most profound daily foundations of success we have heard to date on the podcast. Sana has won numerous medical industry awards including the MedTech Innovator Award and the Under Armour Innovation Award. Richard joins host Fran Racioppi to tell his entrepreneurial story of resilience, adaptability, innovation, and his mission to save not only his life, but the lives of all those suffering from chronic pain and opioid addiction. Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.Highlights:-Richard describes the life-changing car accident in Yemen which left him paralyzed, in a coma, clinically dead and diagnosed with less than five years to live.-Richard explains how he took his medical future into his own hands studying the extent of his injuries and associated nerve damage to develop a non-invasive and non-narcotic solution to reduce the pain and improve sleep.-Fran and Richard walk through the entrepreneurial story of Sana Health as they discuss the first versions of the hardware and software, as well as the iteration of the technology required to support the around-the-world flights of Sir Richard Branson and Bertand Piccard; including sitting in a lobby to cold approach engineers!-Sana is described in detail providing a first hand, founder look at how it was designed, how it helps to clear a busy mind, support enhanced relaxation, improve sleep management, reduce stress and enhance recovery from fatigue.-Richard discusses receiving FDA breakthrough status legitimizing the need for a device like Sana. Quotes:-“It stayed laptops, wires and boxes until Bertrand Piccard.”-“I used that as an excuse to harass everyone coming into the building.”-“Wearables were just not a thing...next year I will finally have what I wanted to build.”-“The more pain you are in the more you are going to damage your sleep...and once you damage your sleep, you are damaging everything.”-“Where is the pill that I can pop that is going to solve my problem. The human body and human brain don’t work like that.”-“However bad a day is, I can guarantee you anybody can find one thing or one person that did something to help them that day.”Richard’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:-Journal to express gratitude to determine what brings you happiness-Make your bed-Spend time doing the things that make you happy (and not work!)This episode is brought to you by 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.
Nov 18, 2021 • 1h 20min
#035: Velontra Hypersonics - Major General Craig Whelden & Rob Keane III
The rapidly growing industry of hypersonic propulsion requires both sage experience and youthful vigor. The team at Velontra Hypersonics has both. Host Fran Racioppi is joined in this episode by their President, retired Major General Craig Whelden, and their founder and CEO, Rob Keane.General Whelden brings 40 years of leadership and experience in the defense industry. Rob brings engineering and innovation. Together they are propelling objects at five times the speed of sound and disrupting an industry that has long been dominated by major defense contractors. Pushing the sound barrier has not been done since the 1950's. It was an area the United States once dominated, but today we are losing ground to China. Rob shares the technology needed to move faster than we ever have, how he has implemented the FAST model to problem solving, and why bringing in Craig was so integral to compete. Craig provides his command philosophy, the importance of character in choosing your team, and his top leadership quirks that bring organizations, and people, all the wrong attention.Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.Highlights:-Fran presses Craig and Rob on the importance of senior leadership in young companies and the value young leaders get from bringing in seasoned leadership to their executive teams.-Craig defines inspired leadership and provides examples of both right and wrong when taking over organizations and instilling your work ethic. -Rob explains the FAST model of innovation (Fast, Attritable, Scalable, Tangible)-Craig delivers his leadership quirks to building organizations built on transparency and standards.-A deep conversation about hypersonic propulsion, America’s race against China in the development of hypersonic technology, and a history of the innovation of propulsion systems in the defense sector.Quotes:-“We are vertically aligned so we design both the aircraft and the propulsion system.”-“We are currently flat out behind the Chinese in the field of hypersonics and hypersonic propulsion.”-“I’ve got lots and lots of rocks in my rucksack that I have picked up over decades… you use the experiences of your life to shape what you might do in the future.”-“I trust you until you demonstrate that you are not worthy of that trust. That puts a healthy pressure on people.”-“Character is a foundation, without which, just about everything else fails”-“You really see the strength of a person’s character when they are under pressure. It holds or you see it fall apart.”-“If they don’t have character it almost doesn’t matter what technical skills they bring to the table.”-“When Craig came on the team the very first feedback he gave us was that Rob is doing too much.”-“The team is the number one reason startups fail. That is the number one risk.”-“You have to put yourself in the shoes of the other person...how is your message going to be received?”Craig’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:-Make a List-Work the List-Be thankfulRob’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:-Never quit-Do something-Have funThis episode is brought to you by 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.
Nov 11, 2021 • 1h 26min
#034: Risk: A User's Guide - General Stan McChrystal
Risk exists in every corner of our professional and personal lives. Risk is something we as leaders cannot - and should not - shy from. How we choose to detect, assess, respond and learn determines if our organizations (and we as leaders) succeed or fail. In this episode General Stan McChrystal joins Host Fran Racioppi and special guest host Lisa Jaster, to break down Stan's new book "Risk: A User's guide." They define the Risk Immune System and explain how the 10 Factors of Control guide us in understanding and mitigating risk by taking action. They tie-in Afghanistan as Stan provides his assessment of the 20-year Global War on Terror. Stan explains the decisions behind the withdrawal. And he shares his insight on the next battlefield. This is our Veteran's Day episode. In honor of all those who have served our nation Fran, Stan and Lisa share their thoughts on America today, our position as the bastion of hope and freedom, and how we all come together as Americans to build a resilient future. Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.Highlights:-Stan defines risk as a simple mathematical equation and how buying into risk analysis breeds responsibility, accountability and ownership in organizations. -The Risk Immune System is made up of our ability to Detect, Assess, Respond and Learn from the threats that come to us.-The 10 Factors of Control are the levers leaders use to respond to and mitigate risks. -Stan challenges traditional thought on recruiting mid to senior level military leaders from the civilian workforce, in addition to growing talent from the junior levels. -Stan discusses the priorities of the war in Afghanistan providing his assessment of the risk checklist President Biden faced when determining strategic policy and its effect on diplomacy, military action and people.-Fran asks Stan to provide an After Action Review of the Global War on Terror, the 9/11 response and the invasion of Iraq resulting in the toppling of Saddam Huseein and the effect on the entire Middle East. -Fran, Stan and Lisa provide their assessment of the state of America, the next battlefield of cyber & hybrid warfare, and the role of politics and disunity today. Quotes:-”If we can do away with all our threats, good on us. Because anything times zero is zero. But we can’t do that.”-“We put leaders in positions to take very difficult, sometimes hazy situations and make bold but probability-based rational decisions.”-”Each of these 10 Factors forms into a system...you don’t have to max all of them perfectly in your plan, but any you violate...you’ve got a gaping hole of vulnerability.”-”Whether it’s the right decision, or the wrong one, I think President biden’s decision was courageous because he was going to get attacked no matter what he did.”-“We are viewed as less reliable partners, less consistent, less resolute than we would like to be considered...but we have to navigate from where we are; not from where we wish we were.” -”I would describe America as a promise...a promise that we can be stronger, more prosperous, safer...if we unite.”Stan’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:-Work out to remain centered -Take care of the family-Fulfill promises made to othersThis episode is brought to you by 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.
Nov 4, 2021 • 1h 10min
#033: SOAA - Daniel Elkins, Founder
Special Operations Forces volunteer to answer the call to protect our nation and its people in every corner of the world. They look out for us so we can live our lives in freedom and liberty. Daniel Elkins founded Special Operations Association of America to give a voice to our Special Operators in policy and legislative affairs.This episode is our lead up to the first Veterans Day in two decades in which our nation is not in a declared war. However, brave men and women stand ready to serve - and take action - each and every day. Daniel joins host Fran Racioppi to discuss the founding of SOAA and their work supporting Special Operators, displaced Afghan refugees, those affected by burnout and Operator Syndrome, as well as to share his personal story of service as a Green Beret. Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website.Highlights:-The history of SOAA and its goal to provide policy advocacy as the voice of Special Operations Forces on legislative affairs. -Daniel shares how his early career in anti-human and sex trafficking shaped his views on injustice in the world instilling in him the Special Forces motto of “De Oppresso Liber” - free the oppressed.-Fran and Daniel have an in-depth conversation about violence in the world, how it affects our Special Operators, how different cultures in the world view violence as a part of life, and why military action is the final step of diplomacy.-A breakdown of current SOAA initiatives to include advocating for changes in policy that currently restrict Special Operators from decision-making on the ground, the rise of Operator Syndrome among high-level performers, and the application of VA benefits.-SOAA’s efforts to relocate and resettle Afghan refugees displaced by the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, as well as their assistance to continue to assist and evacuate many still there.-Daniel shares his emotional personal story of supporting friends with Operator Syndrome and how quickly it has debilitated high performers around him. Quotes:-”The idea was formed around being a voice for the SOF community.” -”The goal is to get operators who have recently transitioned and people with the ground truth that have dirt under their fingernails into the highest levels of policy makers and decision makers to help them make informed decisions.”-”I was confronted with the reality of the world we live in.”-”If you engage in violence in war should you be happy about that, or should you be ashamed?” -”I realized that...there was a vast disconnect between the ground truth and what policy-makers and decision-makers were considering and why.”-”Many people who we have resettled are from the Afghan National Army or the Commando Force.”-”Walking someone through that process galvanized me...if no one does this, who will?”-“Suicide is 30% higher in the SOF community than it is in the rest of the military...these people are not coming into this program and these pipelines broken.”Daniel’s Three Daily Foundations to Success:-Wake up before the sun and conduct physical activity-Do the most important task of the day first-Learn continuously (And do all this before breakfast!)This episode is brought to you by 18A Fitness and Analytix Solutions.
