Leadership Lounge with Jack Tester

Jack answers Julian's questions on leadership lessons he's learned over the years during his tenure as President and CEO of Nexstar Network.

Jack Tester sits down with NYT-bestselling author and motivational speaker John Maxwell at Nexstar’s Super Meeting 2020 in Phoenix. They discuss John’s concept of “Leadershift”- the idea that leaders need to make decisions and pivot quickly when faced with new challenges. “Movement creates action,” he says. “Just because you’ve made a decision doesn’t mean you took action. You’ve got to jump; you’ve got to move.”

Jocko Willink discusses his concept of Extreme Ownership, and speaks to how extreme ownership goes both up and down the chain of command. He goes on to explain how, in his time as a Navy SEAL, he learned that "you have to train and be prepared for things you don't expect," and how that translates well into running a business.

Meet Pat Lencioni! Get a sneak peek of some of the topics Pat will be presenting at Super Meeting. In this quick podcast, find out how he feels about a leader’s motives, the need for communication, and meetings.

Jack talks with Chad Peterman, who explains how he and his managers go about getting the right people, building the culture, and then growing people within the culture. Peterman explains is organization’s employee focus, saying that the speed at which your company grows is in the hands of your people. “When you grow them,” he says, “they grow your company.”

Jack’s guest is Wyatt Tucker, the first male of his family to graduate from college. The two talk about how Wyatt, fresh out of school, jumped in to help his father run the business. The process included being fired from the company before he ultimately returned to transition as the new company owner.

Jack talks with Chris DiCampli, who — together with his brother- and father-in-law — purchased a company and grew it from $300,000 to $10 million in five years. DiCampli attributes their success to a focus on the growth-oriented processes presented by Nexstar’s business coaches. He also talks about the support he gets from other Nexstar members.

John Gennaro started his business in 2003 with just himself and a truck. His wife did the books at night while she worked a full-time job. Today, Gennaro has around 70 trucks in the field and more than 100 employees. He talks about how growing as a leader means finding and scaling efficiencies, whether it’s a business practice or the way your people operate.

Aaron Gaynor tells Jack about his journey from plumber’s apprentice to owner – with a bankruptcy in between. Aaron talks about how being good enough to work in a business doesn’t mean you’ll be good at running a business. Aaron’s biggest lesson was learning to take full responsibility instead of blaming external forces.

David Hammond, the owner of Hammond Services, talks to Jack about the tough lessons he learned when he walked away from a winning business formula.

Jack talks to Canadian Nexstar member Ted Fox, who joined Nexstar in December of 2016, just before a series of missteps crippled his business. He tells Jack how Nexstar’s approach of getting everyone at all levels of the company to return to fundamentals helped him right the ship.

Jack talks with Scott Pearson, Nexstar’s director of coaching. Scott has been with Nexstar longer than anyone else – including Jack. The two talk about servant leadership, as well as the importance of finding balance between taking care of yourself and your family, and taking care of your business and customers.

Ultra-athlete, Retired Navy SEAL, and best-selling author David Goggins talks to Jack about discipline, endurance, and focus. These aspects are crucial for business owners. Goggins talks about overcoming a childhood of abuse and a learning disability by breaking down obstacles into — as he puts it — “the smallest molecule possible, and building them back up one small accomplishment at a time."

This podcast was recorded in San Antonio during Nexstar's 2019 Super Meeting. Jack talks with best-selling author Jim Collins, who is highly sought after to speak about managing businesses to create sustainability and growth. Whether it’s research for a book or building a business, Collins says there’s a common goal: “Do the work right.” He talks about how to create endurance that can be sustained over time.

Lisa White, head of membership sales for Nexstar, offers Jack her observations about how 18 years of meeting and mixing with Nexstar members has allowed her to see that sharing your failures helps others learn and succeed.

Nexstar member Chris Bishop talks to Jack about his journey from just starting out in the industry to owning a company with 28 employees and $5 million in annual revenue as of late 2019. The two discuss how learning what not to do is often as important as understanding the right thing to do.

Nexstar member Connor Williams offers his perspective on a subject his father Brian Williams talked about in an earlier interview with Jack. The two discuss how family dynamics impact business decision-making, and the importance of knowing how and when to separate business from family.

Nexstar member Kevin Wolf walks Jack through his journey to owner and leader, and the importance of being in an industry that offers such an opportunity.

Nexstar member Jamie Gerdsen talks to Jack about the importance of creating actionable values and how they help both employees and management understand their impact on a company.

Nexstar member Brian Williams, owner of Vancouver-based Ashton Service Group, talks to Jack about how family dynamics can shape business. The two discuss how Brian and his son Connor have navigated the ups and downs of sharing leadership.

Nexstar business coach John Conway joins Jack to discuss how he took his family business from insolvency to salability by learning to grow the right parts and charging the right rates.

Nexstar trainer Thad David talks to Jack about lessons in leadership learned from the Marines and serving directly after 9/11. The two discuss the importance of cooperation and support. You have to know who's got your back whether you're part of a business or part of a recon team in battle.

Nexstar VP of operations Julian Scadden talks to Jack about the dynamics involved in leadership transitions. He explains that as you move up in the ranks, there are people who've supported you that you'll want to elevate as well. The two discuss the importance of alignment and shared goals to achieve traction and company growth.

Jack interviews Nexstar member Len Koglin, the owner of LenAir Air Conditioning & Heating. The two talk about how Koglin transitioned his business after losing a single commercial account. Koglin shares some key lessons; for example, how he and his management team learned to implement new ideas and then stick with them.

Service Professor owner Brad Krause has held leadership positions in the company since 2004. The Service Professor's annual revenue recently grew 31% in 2017. He talks to Jack about the importance for leaders to find a balance between internal and external focus.

Dr. Robert Cialdini's books on influence and persuasion have sold over 3 million copies. He shares his insights on influence and persuasion, and talks about one of his six principles, Authority. Dr. Ciandini shares how to effectively communicate your authority as a leader.

Jack interviews Wyatt Hepworth, owner of Any Hour Electric, Plumbing, Heating and Air. Any Hour's revenue increased from $1.5 million to $40 million over 10 years. The company employs over 225 technicians. The two discuss Hepworth's career arc, and how he realized that if he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, he needed to find a better business model – one that included a team leadership approach.

Ed Cerier was Nexstar's first marketing coach. He tells Jack about his journey from a career in advertising in the mid 1980s to his present position as Nexstar's Marketing Manager. Marketing is all about having a plan, Cerier says, and making sure you've got the right people to put that plan into action.

Jack talks with former FBI agent, body language expert, and best-selling author Joe Navarro. Joe tells the story of arriving in the United States as a refugee during the Cuban missile crisis, and not knowing English. It formed his fascination with understanding people by reading body language. The two talk about the importance of body language for home service technicians, who are constantly meeting and greeting strangers.

Jack interviews Nexstar member Rob Carr, owner of Mel Carr Electric. Rob talks about how building camaraderie with everyone on your team creates a foundation of support that fosters the cooperation you need to achieve business goals.

Explore the Trades executive director Kate Cinnamo talks about the work the foundation is doing to change how students and parents view careers in the trades.

Jack chats with Nexstar board of directors member Mary Jean Anderson. Her company, Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air, does more than $30 million in revenue and employs 109 people. Her face is on the company's trucks, but she'll be the first to say it's her people who make the business successful. Anderson tells the story of how she went from being a nurse to helping her husband right-size his struggling business.

Nexstar's head of operations Julian Scadden talks about his experience as an underprivileged young man who worked his way through plumbing jobs by learning as he went. Ethnicity, Julian explains, should never be a barrier to finding a good job that turns into a career. He tells the story of how he found his path.

Jack interviews Brian Cranney, owner of Cranney Home Services and a Nexstar member for over 12 years. Cranney shares how he grew his business by transitioning from commercial to residential and adding services. He talks about the difference between the two sets of customers.

Jack talks with Perfect Plumbing, Heating & Air owner Marty Cullen, who purchased the company knowing pretty much nothing about plumbing, just before the start of The Great Recession. Cullen talks about how he pushed through to success.