Why Fighter Pilots Debrief Everything

In this episode, Eric talks with former fighter pilot, entrepreneur, and Afterburner CEO Boo Boucousis about one practice that separates fighter pilots from nearly every other profession: the debrief.

Every mission, whether successful or unsuccessful, ends with an honest examination of what happened, why it happened, and what should change next time. Boo argues that this simple habit explains why fighter pilots improve so quickly and why so many organizations fail to do the same.

The conversation explores how bias shapes decision making, why perception often matters more than data, how John Boyd’s ideas influenced modern leadership, and why structured reflection may be one of the most overlooked competitive advantages in business.

Eric and Boo also discuss curiosity, intentionality, red teaming, AI, strategy, meetings, organizational culture, and why technology is making disciplined thinking more important rather than less.

At its core, this episode is about replacing assumptions with reality and learning how to improve faster by making reflection part of the work itself.

Go deeper

Read the accompanying Inbound & Agile essay: The Debrief Is Where Experience Becomes Intelligence.

Questions Answered

• What is a fighter pilot debrief?
• Why do fighter pilots debrief every mission?
• How does debriefing improve leadership?
• What is the ORCA method?
• Why do organizations keep repeating the same mistakes?
• How do biases affect decision making?
• What is red teaming?
• How can teams make better decisions?
• How should leaders use AI?
• Why are meetings often ineffective?
• What is the difference between goals and destinations?
• Why is curiosity more valuable than certainty?

Episode Links

• Boo’s website: Visit callmeboo.com
• Boo’s business Afterburner: Visit afterburner.com
• The Just Think study: Visit as.virginia.edu

For more episodes: Browse all episodes

Questions or guest ideas: Contact Eric