The Need to Lead is an undeniable truth that Dave Berke experienced as a Marine Corps officer, fighter pilot, TOPGUN instructor, ground combat leader, husband, and father. This book, based on his experiences in combat and TOPGUN training as well as his teachings at Echelon Front, helps readers be better leaders and understand that leadership is a universal requirement for success, no matter the environment.
By adopting the right leadership mindsets and behaviors, we gain the capacity to solve problems, support the people around us, and amend our mistakes. How do we develop these necessary skills? By embracing the principles imparted to Berke from each humbling moment in the cockpit.
Good leaders aren't simply born. Leadership can be learned. Through compelling stories from TOPGUN training and combat to the boardroom and at home, Berke gives readers the necessary tools to lead and succeed.
Author Information
Dave Berke is a retired US Marine Corps officer, fighter pilot, and ground combat leader, and now a leadership instructor with Echelon Front. As an F/A-18 pilot, he deployed twice from the USS John C. Stennis in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He spent three years as an instructor pilot at TOPGUN, where he served as the Training Officer, the senior pilot responsible for conduct of the TOPGUN course.
He then served as an ANGLICO Forward Air Controller, supporting the Army's 1st Armored Division during extensive urban-combat operations on the ground in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006. Dave led his supporting arms liaison team on scores of combat missions into the most dangerous neighborhoods and accompanied SEAL Task Unit Bruiser on virtually every major operation in the Battle of Ramadi. He was the only Marine selected to fly the F-22 Raptor, having served as an exchange officer at the Air Force's 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron as the Division Commander. He became the first operational pilot ever to fly and be qualified in the F-35B, serving as the Commanding Officer of the Marine Corps' first F-35 squadron from 2012 to 2014.
He has a master's in International Public Policy (MIPP) and a master's in business administration (MBA), both from Johns Hopkins University.
Upon his retirement from the Marine Corps, Dave joined Echelon Front, where he serves as its chief development officer, as well as a leadership instructor, speaker, and strategic advisor.
