JP Dinnell Podcast EP 127: “No Discipline Without Honesty”

Date: February 27, 2026
Hosts: JP Dinnell, Lucas Pinckard

Episode Overview

In this episode, JP Dinnell and co-host Lucas Pinckard dive deep into the theme of honest self-assessment, debunking leadership myths, and the relationship between discipline, ownership, and personal development. Through listener questions, they unpack hard truths about leadership and discipline, providing real-life insights, practical tools, and memorable moments from their careers and work at Echelon Front. The conversation is authentic, direct, and laced with the relentless pursuit of self-improvement that characterizes JP’s philosophy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Leadership Myths: Are Leaders Born or Made?

[00:42–07:52]

• Main Idea: The biggest myth in leadership is the belief that leaders are "born," not made.
• JP’s Take: “Leadership is a skill set, and in order for us to develop and grow ourselves as leaders, it means that we have to be intentional with our education of different skill sets... Knowledge is not power. The application of knowledge is what allows us to do powerful things.” – JP [06:17]
• Leadership is a learned, practiced, and continually assessed skill—mirroring the OODA loop process (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act).
• Great leaders like Jocko Willink and Leif Babin weren’t born great; they learned through mentorship, making mistakes, and making continuous adjustments.
• Key Quote: “If I was to meet somebody [who claims to be a natural-born leader], it would tell me everything I needed to know about them because they’re lacking what? Humility.” – JP [07:37]

2. Hard Truths: What People Need To Hear

[07:54–13:06]

• Uncomfortable Truths:
  • If your team is failing, it’s on you as the leader ("No bad teams, only bad leaders").
  • We often overestimate our past ability and neglect our past struggles.
  • True self-awareness requires humility and forgiveness for both ourselves and others.
• Memorable Anecdote: JP reminisces about wanting to apologize to his first OIC for early-career mistakes, recognizing how much grace is tied to humble leadership [09:00].
• Importance of honest self-assessment—recognize "we have a lot of work to do."

3. Tools for Consistent Self-Assessment

[13:07–19:50]

• Question: What are actionable tools for realistic self-assessment in leadership?
• JP describes Echelon Front’s proprietary Individual Leadership Balance Assessment (available via workshops, events like the Muster, or through the Extreme Ownership workbook).
• DIY Approach: Read leadership books (Extreme Ownership, Dichotomy of Leadership), and after each chapter honestly assess:
  • What are you doing well?
  • What do you need to improve?
• JP: “Set some goals for yourself or set some KPIs for yourself and your team... And then implement those things.” [16:10]
• Lucas: Recommends the free online Extreme Ownership Leadership Assessment as a useful resource.

4. Common Leadership Excuses

[19:51–24:42]

• Excuse #1: "It's not my fault because I wasn't there."
  • JP: “Whether you’re there or not, that is on you. Your people are your responsibility.” [21:16]
• Excuse #2: “I don’t have time.”
  • JP reframes: It’s not that you lack time—it’s about priority. “You’re not allowed to say, ‘I don’t have time.’ It’s just not a priority.” [22:10]
• JP admits to struggling with overcommitting and shares the importance of disciplined prioritization—including the discipline to say "no."

5. Saying No Tactfully & Avoiding Unkeepable Promises

[24:43–36:00]

• Tactful Responses: Offer alternatives, honestly cite priorities, suggest specific future times ("Can I follow up with you next month? Can I connect you with someone who has more bandwidth right now?").
• On Avoiding False Promises:
  • Lucas: “How do you prevent the unkeepable promise?” [26:45]
  • JP: Share the responsibility for follow-up, set calendar reminders, or clearly explain your own limitations.
• The “If-Then” Technique: Share responsibility for future contact (“If you haven’t heard from me by Monday, then call me Tuesday…”).
• Healthy Boundaries: Advocated for separation between work and home life—a necessity for balanced leadership.

6. The Hard Truth About Discipline

[36:43–38:53]

• Discipline is a Skill:
  • JP: “It is a skill that you have to be intentional with developing, and you have to impose it upon yourself.” [37:16]
  • Discipline is not innate; like leadership, it is built through consistent effort and self-imposed habits.
• Ownership & Discipline:
  • Lucas: “Is a lack of discipline at its root really a lack of ownership?”
  • JP agrees: When we lack discipline, we’re usually lying to ourselves and avoiding responsibility [38:53].
• Memorable Quote: “Discipline equals freedom. And that’s a biblical principle.” – JP [37:59]

7. Honest Self-Evaluation: Tools and Pitfalls

[40:08–50:33]

• Self-Assessment Practices: Daily journaling and tools like the EQH app/"Def Reset" app (based on Jocko’s protocols) help track performance across multiple domains: fitness, nutrition, rest, personal/professional development, and preparedness.
• Humility Check:
  • Lucas: “It’s easier to write down a 5 than it is a 3... because if I write down the 3, then that means I’m really going to have to think about it and evaluate what I was doing and figure out what I was doing wrong in order to try to improve it.” [40:16]
  • JP shares startlingly honest scores—rarely breaking above a 2.1 average, even when performing at a high level, illustrating the importance (and difficulty) of real self-honesty.

8. What Separates Leaders People Follow from Those They Just Tolerate

[51:08–52:51]

• Relationships & Influence:
  • “People will tolerate a leader because of their position…People will follow somebody that they have a relationship with that has influence over them.” – JP [51:13]
  • Leadership isn’t about titles, but about trust, care, respect, humility, and mutual influence.
  • Leaders who evoke genuine followership are those who invest in relationships, own their mistakes, and accept hard truths about themselves.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Leadership Myth:
  “Humility is the number one characteristic of a great leader.” — JP, [07:41]

• Radical (But Humbling) Ownership:
  “If you’re so smart, why aren’t you winning?” — Jocko (as relayed by JP), [39:18]

• The Root of Discipline:
  “If we’re lacking discipline, then we have to be more intentional with imposing discipline into our lives…” — JP, [38:34]

• Self-Evaluation Pain:
  “Bro, my average scores were like, into one, one point something to twos… I would see people that would take a screenshot of their score and they’re like 4.7 for their overall score. And I’m like, dude, you’re just lying to yourself.” — JP, [45:00]

• Difference Maker:
  “People will follow somebody that they have a relationship with that has influence over them…If they’re giving you all those things, guess what? You’re giving them all those things…People lead people through relationships and influence.” — JP, [51:13]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:42 – Debunking Leadership Myths: Leaders aren’t just born
• 07:54 – Hard truths we need to hear about ourselves and leadership
• 13:07 – Tools for honest self-assessment and growth
• 19:51 – Most common leadership excuses and how to overcome them
• 24:43 – How to say “no” as a leader and avoid false promises
• 36:43 – The hard truth about discipline as a self-imposed skill
• 40:08 – Honest (and painful) self-evaluation techniques
• 51:08 – The difference between leaders people follow vs. tolerate

Closing Thoughts

JP emphasizes that intentionality and intensity are always a choice and urges listeners to take honest stock of where they are versus where they want to be:

“We all have work to do and usually it’s a lot more work than we think. So take the time to do an honest self assessment. Where you at, where you want to be, and what do you need to do?” – JP [61:17]