The True Test of Leadership: What Happens When You're Not There
When I picked up “The Need to Lead” by Dave Berke, I immediately found myself cueing the Top Gun theme song in my head. After all, Berke is a former Top Gun pilot and instructor.
I expected stories about fighter jets, military discipline, and elite performance.
What surprised me was how much of the book focused on the human side of leadership—failure, doubt, anxiety, and the pressures leaders carry behind the scenes.
One story especially stood out.
Berke had to unexpectedly step away from command for nearly a month because of a medical emergency involving his daughter. When he returned, the squadron was still performing at a high level.
Why?
Because he had built leaders, not followers.
Three lessons business leaders can take away from the book:
Great leaders build ownership, not dependence.
Vulnerability doesn't weaken leadership—it strengthens trust.
The real test of leadership is what happens when you're not there.
As business owners, it's easy to become the center of every decision and every problem.
But the strongest organizations aren't built around one leader.
They're built by leaders who develop other leaders.
That's a lesson worth remembering long after the Top Gun music fades.
Rusty Fulling