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 make space for real rest, not as a reward, but as a requirement for high performance.

Let’s fix how you work so you can do your best work ever.

00:00 I want to be more productive!

0:13 Meet Dr. David Burkus

01:48 Chronotypes

02:55 Timebox Your Day

04:35 Strategize Your Breaks

05:52 Focus on the Most Important Task

//ABOUT DAVID

One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever.

He is the best-selling author of five books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.

A former business school professor, Burkus holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.

//NEWSLETTER

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/youtube

//SPEAKING

Like what you heard? Find more on David's speaking page (and find out about bringing him to your company or event) at https://davidburkus.com/keynote-speaker/

//CONNECT

+ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkus/

+ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/davidburkus

+ Facebook: http://www.FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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 to stay and what’s just buzz. If you’re ready to future-proof your leadership and build your best team ever, you’re in the right place.

00:00 The Buzzwords of 2025

00:35 Meet Dr. David Burkus

01:00 The Return to Office Push

03:56 AI as the New Coworker

07:15 The Fractional Workforce

10:08 The Generational Shift

//NEWSLETTER

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast

//ABOUT DAVID

One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever.

He is the best-selling author of four books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.

A former business school professor, Burkus holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.

//SPEAKING

Like what you heard? Find more on David's speaking page (and find out about bringing him to your company or event) at https://davidburkus.com/keynote-speaker/

//CONNECT

+ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkus/

+ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/davidburkus

+ Facebook: http://www.FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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, how to sell your best ideas to your boss, your team, or your entire organization.

Chapters:

00:00 "We tried something like that before...and it didn't work."

00:55 Meet Dr. David Burkus

01:18 Why Your Idea Isn’t Landing

01:50 Reason 1: The Success Trap

02:40 Reason 2: The Sunk Cost Fallacy

04:18 Reason 3: Risk Asymmetry

05:20 Reason 4: The Status Quo Bias

07:05 Solution 1: Frame the problem before the idea.

07:42 Try these phrases!

08:12 Solution 2: Make it easy to imagine.

09:23 Solution 3: Don’t defend, explore.

10:41 Solution 4: Build the culture.

//ABOUT DAVID

One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever.

He is the best-selling author of four books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.

A former business school professor, Burkus holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.

//SPEAKING

Like what you heard? Find more on David's speaking page (and find out about bringing him to your company or event) at https://davidburkus.com/keynote-speaker/

//CONNECT

+ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkus/

+ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/davidburkus

+ Facebook: http://www.FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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 surprising ideas, and fewer true breakthroughs. Creativity isn’t a solo sport, it’s a team sport, and great teams thrive on psychological safety, cognitive diversity, and yes, a little friction.

If you lead a team and want more innovation, better brainstorming, and stronger collaboration, watch this before your next meeting. And no, copying this video into ChatGPT for a summary isn’t going to cut it.

Chapters:

00:00 Can AI Make Your Team More Creative?

01:40 Meet Dr. David Burkus

01:59 Creativity Is a Team Sport

04:06 Get More People Involved

05:27 Encourage Productive Friction

//ABOUT DAVID

One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever.

He is the best-selling author of four books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.

A former business school professor, Burkus holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.

//NEWSLETTER

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/youtube

//SPEAKING

Like what you heard? Find more on David's speaking page (and find out about bringing him to your company or event) at https://davidburkus.com/keynote-speaker/

//CONNECT

+ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkus/

+ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/davidburkus

+ Facebook: http://www.FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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 performance and learning goals, why your team needs both (but not at the same time), and how to clarify the purpose behind every metric. Because metrics aren’t meaning, but the right goals, set the right way, can turn a group of individuals into a high-performing team.

00:00 Goals Are Important, But Are You Using Them Right

00:45 Meet Dr. David Burkus

01:05 What Leaders Get Wrong About Goal Setting

01:15 Mistake #1 Setting Too Many Goals

01:46 Mistake #2 Confusing Stretch with Stress

02:19 Mistake #3 Mixing Up Learning and Performance Goals

03:09 How To Set Goals That Work

03:20 Solution #1 Choose a Focus

04:05 Solution #2 Set Goals that Clarify Purpose

05:13 Solution #3 Co-create and Take Feedback

06:22 Solution #4 Watch for Signs of Goal Fatigue

//ABOUT DAVID

One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever.

He is the best-selling author of four books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.

A former business school professor, Burkus holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.

//NEWSLETTER

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/youtube

//SPEAKING

Like what you heard? Find more on David's speaking page (and find out about bringing him to your company or event) at https://davidburkus.com/keynote-speaker/

//CONNECT

+ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkus/

+ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/davidburkus

+ Facebook: http://www.FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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 often it just muddies the waters and slows everyone down.

We’re breaking down the real impact of workplace jargon, when it helps, when it hurts, and how it might be damaging your leadership credibility more than you think. Clarity isn’t just a communication tactic. It’s a leadership strategy. It builds trust. And trust fuels performance. When people understand each other clearly, they move faster, work smarter, and build something meaningful together.

Chapters:

00:00 Jargon...you know it when you hear it.

00:32 Meet Dr. David Burkus

00:55 “Let’s Holistically Evaluate the Pain Points Driving Our Misalignment”

03:10 Know Your Audience

04:53 Default to Clarity

06:18 Challenge Fake Complexity

//ABOUT DAVID

One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever.

He is the best-selling author of four books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.

A former business school professor, Burkus holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.

//NEWSLETTER

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/youtube

//SPEAKING

Like what you heard? Find more on David's speaking page (and find out about bringing him to your company or event) at https://davidburkus.com/keynote-speaker/

//CONNECT

+ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkus/

+ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/davidburkus

+ Facebook: http://www.FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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 working together, you need to sharpen your emotional intelligence. This is a concept that's been around for decades, and yet, leaders still misunderstand it.

In this episode, I break down what emotional intelligence really means (hint: it’s not about group hugs), and walk through the four key competencies every manager needs to master: self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, and relationship management. No fluff, just real-world, actionable insights to help you lead better, especially when tensions run high. Whether you’re leading in-person, remote, or somewhere in between, this video is your playbook for becoming the kind of leader your team actually wants to follow.

00:00 Emotional Intelligence is still misunderstood

01:01 Meet Dr. David Burkus

01:20 What Emotional Intelligence Is Not

03:03 Self-Awareness

04:43 Self-Regulation

05:47 Social Awareness

06:58 Relationship Management

//ABOUT DAVID

One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever.

He is the best-selling author of four books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.

A former business school professor, Burkus holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.

//NEWSLETTER

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/youtube

//SPEAKING

Like what you heard? Find more on David's speaking page (and find out about bringing him to your company or event) at https://davidburkus.com/keynote-speaker/

//CONNECT

+ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkus/

+ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/davidburkus

+ Facebook: http://www.FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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 importantly, how to lead them so they stay motivated, energized, and on your team. Because if you don’t know how to manage A-Players, someone else will, and they’ll gladly recruit yours. This isn’t about micromanaging or piling on more work. It’s about creating clarity, challenge, and support.

Chapters:

00:00 The A-Players

00:44 Meet Dr. David Burkus

01:11 How to Actually Spot Your High Performers

04:07 How to Support Them and Keep Them from Leaving

04:25 Don't just pile on more work.

05:19 Do set clear, ambitious expectations.

06:09 Don’t micromanage.

06:54 Do help them find meaning.

07:30 Don't try to keep them to yourself.

//ABOUT DAVID

One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever.

He is the best-selling author of four books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.

A former business school professor, Burkus holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.

//NEWSLETTER

Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/youtube//SPEAKING

Like what you heard? Find more on David's speaking page (and find out about bringing him to your company or event) at https://davidburkus.com/keynote-speaker/

//CONNECT

+ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkus/

+ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/davidburkus

+ Facebook: http://www.FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DavidBurkus