Complacency and underestimating competition

Dave recounts losing to Top Gun's CO and the danger of underestimating others while diminishing your own performance.

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AJ and Johnny sit down with Dave Berke, retired Marine Corps fighter pilot, Top Gun instructor, and leadership coach with Echelon Front. Dave shares lessons from the cockpit, the battlefield, and the boardroom on how to lead without ego, turn failure into fuel, and build teams that thrive under pressure.

From losing dogfights to learning humility, to redefining perfection and taking ownership, this episode reveals how real leaders balance confidence with curiosity — and why the best ones listen more than they speak.

Chapters:
00:00 – Losing is the best teacher
03:00 – Leadership lessons from the Marine Corps
07:00 – Ego, feedback, and the power of course correction
10:00 – How your ego “loves you to death”
15:00 – What losing to Top Gun taught about complacency
20:00 – Perfection is a lie — the real definition of mastery
25:00 – Building a culture of ownership
30:00 – Turning failure into credibility and leadership capital
40:00 – Learning to listen and communicate with empathy
50:00 – Leading from behind and redefining success

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Episode resources:

⁠EchelonFront.com

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