David Burkus Presents

You’ve probably worked with someone like this: they hit every deadline, their numbers look great, and leadership sees them as a star performer. But ask the rest of the team, and you’ll hear a...very...different story. In this episode, I tackle a challenge almost every leader faces: how to handle a high performer who creates friction on the team. The truth is, performance isn’t just about individua...

Most leaders are searching for the formula. The right strategy, the right talent, the right incentive structure. And when teams underperform, they add more—more process, more accountability, more pressure. What they almost never do is pause. In his new book Flourish, Daniel Coyle spent five years visiting the highest-performing teams, organizations, and communities on the planet—and he never found...

We tend to picture leaders as bold, charismatic extroverts. The loudest voice in the room. But that stereotype is costing organizations great talent. In this video, I break down the research on introverted leaders and why quiet, thoughtful professionals often make some of the most effective managers and team builders. You’ll also learn practical strategies introverted leaders can use to build high...

Most leaders think high performance is a simple equation: more hours, more hustle, more grit. And in a short-term crisis, that approach can even look like it’s working—war rooms, late nights, and relentless pressure that “proves” productivity. But sustained high performance doesn’t come from staying on all the time. It comes from knowing when to push—and when to recover—so your energy, judgment, a...

Are all your productivity tools actually making you...less productive? The average knowledge worker toggles between platforms 1,200 times a day. That’s four hours lost just reorienting your brain. Email, Slack, project tools, shared docs… they were supposed to help us, not hijack our focus. In this video, I’ll break down why productivity platforms often backfire and how to fix it. We’ll look at ho...

If you're struggling to delegate as a manager, it's time to fix that. Have no fear. In this video, I break down the most common mistakes managers make when delegating and then I’ll give you strategies to delegate in a way that actually builds high-performing, autonomous teams. We’ll talk about task vs. ownership, how to create trust without micromanaging, and why delegation isn’t about off...

We all make the same promise, sometimes more than once: "This time, I’ll be more productive.” But most productivity goals fail, not because we lack motivation, but because we’re managing the wrong thing. Based on powerful research, we’ll uncover how your natural energy rhythms can unlock your peak performance. You’ll learn how to identify your personal energy peaks, timebox your workday, and...

2025 was a noisy year. Quiet quitting, quiet firing, corporate catfishing? Yeah, we heard it all. But as we head into 2026, smart leaders aren’t chasing headlines, they’re looking for the signal in the noise. I break down the workplace trends that actually matter and how to lead your team through them. From hybrid work to generative AI, flexibility to psychological safety, we’ll cover what’s here...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast You’ve got a great idea. A new workflow. A game-changing tool. A better way to run meetings. You bring it to your manager…and get hit with “let’s stick with what we know.” Sound familiar? I'm breaking down why smart people reject great ideas, and more importantly, h...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast AI can boost creativity, but is it killing collaboration? It'a true, tools like ChatGPT can help and also hurt your team's ability to innovate together. I’ll walk you through research-backed insights showing how over-reliance on AI can lead to sameness, less sur...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast Most leaders know goal setting matters, but most are doing it wrong. I’ll break down the common mistakes leaders make when setting goals and how they unknowingly sabotage performance, trust, and motivation on their teams. I’ll show you how to distinguish between perform...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast Ever sit through a meeting where someone says, “Let’s circle back and align our KPIs”—and everyone just nods, while you're silently wondering what on earth that even means? Yeah. Corporate jargon is everywhere. And while some of it can help teams move faster, too of...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast In today’s hybrid world, where the lines between work and life are blurrier than ever, leaders can’t afford to ignore how emotions shape performance for themselves and the people they manage. If you want a team that stays engaged, communicates well, and actually enjoys...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast Every team needs A-Players. But spotting and supporting your high performers isn’t just nice to do, it’s essential leadership. In this episode, I’ll show you how to find the real A-Players on your team (hint: they’re not always the loudest in the room), and more importa...

There's a stack of leadership books I continue to draw from all the time that not only shape how I think, but some that have really changed my mind in the past. They've influenced me in numerous way including when I wrote my book, "Best Team Ever." Chapters: 00:32 The Opposable Mind by Roger Martin 01:33 The Culture Map by Erin Meyer 02:29 The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Sta...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/youtube You’ve just been asked to lead a team…but it’s not really your team. It’s a mix of folks from different departments. Marketing. Sales. Legal. Each bringing their own priorities, habits, and maybe even a hidden agenda or two...Welcome to the world of cross-functional tea...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast Can you keep your work friends now that you're the new boss? Now that you’re leading the same people you used to grab happy hour with…it's awkward, right? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. That shift from friend to boss can get messy if you’re not careful. I'll...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast You poured time, energy, and passion into your new initiative…only to find it quietly fizzling out weeks later. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. The truth is, getting your team excited about a new process is easy—getting that change to stick is the hard part. In this v...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast Leading a multicultural or global team isn’t just about managing projects—it’s about managing people who see the world differently. Most leadership advice is built on Western ideals like autonomy and egalitarianism, but most of the world’s workforce comes from more coll...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast This isn’t just another tech rollout. It’s a mindset shift. I’ll show you how to move beyond seeing AI as a threat or just a productivity tool, and instead see it for what it really is: a teammate. From simplifying the mundane to enhancing your strategic decisions, the...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast Don't let silence speak for you. When a crisis hits, the instinct for most leaders is to project strength—to act like they’ve got it all figured out. But the truth is, certainty can cost you during a crisis. In this video, I unpack why adaptability is a far more pow...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast We need to talk about the B players on your team. No, not the rockstar A players. I'm breaking down why B players matter more than you think, and how to lead them well. We’ll cover why not everyone wants to climb the corporate ladder, how to keep these essential tea...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast So…you don’t trust your boss anymore. Maybe it’s the broken promises. Maybe it’s the constant micromanaging. Maybe it’s just the feeling you’re on different teams, even though you’re technically supposed to be on the same one. Whatever the reason—if trust is broken, you...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast Someone on your team let you down—and now trust is broken. What happens next is critical. In this video, I’ll walk you through how to respond when trust is violated at work, without turning a misstep into a meltdown. Whether it was a dropped deadline, a half-truth, or j...

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast If you're stepping into a new leadership role and wondering, "How do I build trust with a team I just inherited?"—you’re not alone. Most leaders know trust is essential, but few know how to truly create it with a team they didn’t choose themselves. In this...