# #177 - Dave Berke: "The Need to Lead" - Former Top Gun Instructor & F-35 Commander on Why Every Problem is a Leadership Problem ✈️

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/built-not-born-2943029/177-dave-berke-the-need-to-lead-former-top-gun-instructor-f-35-commander-on-why-every-problem-is-a-leadership-problem
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/built-not-born-2943029/177-dave-berke-the-need-to-lead-former-top-gun-instructor-f-35-commander-on-why-every-problem-is-a-leadership-problem.md
Podcast: [Built Not Born](https://stenobird.com/podcast/built-not-born-2943029)
Published: 2025-10-17T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://builtnotbornpodcast.com/episode/built-not-born-podcast-dave-berke-the-need-to-lead-former-top-gun-instructor-f-35-commander-on-why-every-problem-is-a-leadership-problem-
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/9648bf8c-a95d-4400-a457-df0e16e7dce3.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/built-not-born-2943029/episodes/177-dave-berke-the-need-to-lead-former-top-gun-instructor-f-35-commander-on-why-every-problem-is-a-leadership-problem
Duration seconds: 3833

## Resource

Dave Berke: "The Need to Lead" - Former Top Gun Instructor & F-35 Commander on Why Every Problem is a Leadership Problem ✈️ Former Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Dave Berke shares his journey from Top Gun instructor to F-35 squadron commander to combat veteran fighting alongside Navy SEALs in Ramadi. Now a leadership instructor at Echelon Front with Jocko Willink and Leif Babin , Dave reveals lessons from his new book "The Need to Lead" - the third in the Extreme Ownership series. What You'll Learn: • Why every problem is a leadership problem (and how that empowers you to solve it) • The difference between extreme ownership and preemptive ownership • Why "someone's gonna do it, it might as well be you" changes everything • How to lead when you're leading your equals and peers • Why good leadership must outlast the leader • The power of being a leader who listens first Key Quote: "Someone's going to do it, it might as well be you. Every person needs to lead in order to succeed, no matter the environment." - Dave Berke Timestamps: 🛩️ 00:00 - The Star Wars moment that sparked a fighter pilot dream 🛩️ 08:15 - Mom's powerful advice: "Someone's gonna do it, might as well be you" 🛩️ 15:30 - Growing up in Marine Corps town: El Toro flight path childhood 🛩️ 22:45 - First time behind the controls and the road to Top Gun 🛩️ 28:20 - Only Marine to fly both F-22 Raptor and F-35B Lightning 🛩️ 35:40 - Mom watching his first F-35B vertical landing - full circle moment 🛩️ 42:15 - Becoming a Top Gun instructor: Leading your peers 🛩️ 48:30 - Humble, credible, approachable: The ultimate teaching framework 🛩️ 55:20 - Leaving the cockpit for combat on the ground in Ramadi 🛩️ 62:45 - Fighting alongside Jocko and Leif's SEAL Team in 2006 🛩️ 68:30 - The dichotomy: Coming home to San Diego…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/built-not-born-2943029/episodes/177-dave-berke-the-need-to-lead-former-top-gun-instructor-f-35-commander-on-why-every-problem-is-a-leadership-problem/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/built-not-born-2943029/177-dave-berke-the-need-to-lead-former-top-gun-instructor-f-35-commander-on-why-every-problem-is-a-leadership-problem.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.