David Burkus Presents: Recent Episodes

David Burkus

Helping leaders and teams do their best work ever. David Burkus is one of the world’s leading business thinkers and the author of four best-selling books about business and leadership. Episodes of the show include insights, strategies, tips and takeaways from David as well as in-depth conversations with other world renown experts to contribute ideas, opinions, and insights to help you level of your own leadership.

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Conflict within a team is an inevitable part of any work environment. The diverse perspectives, ideas, and solutions that team members bring to the table can often lead to disagreements and conflicts. However, it's important to remember that team conflict isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can be beneficial in many ways. It can help identify blind spots, explore different solutions, and find innovative ways to deliver on objectives. The key lies in managing these conflicts effectively.

Effective conflict management can lead to a more engaged team, improved performance, and overall growth. In this video, we will outline how to manage team conflict

0:00 Introduction

1:44 Find The Root Cause

3:02 Define Acceptable Criteria

4:15 Question Assumptions

5:55 Examine The Impact

7:09 Switch Your Perspective

8:44 Conclusion

Managing conflict effectively is crucial for the growth and success of a team. It helps teams to grow, improve performance, and create a more engaging work experience. Managed well, conflict is what helps every member of the team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

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It may seem like leaders need to have all the answers. Presumably, they became leaders by being smart, hardworking individual contributors who had the answers most of the time. But while knowing what to do is important, great leaders believe that knowing what questions to ask is even more vital. Especially when it comes to leading the team. Asking them the right questions instead of barking out the answers will lead to a higher performing team.

In this article, we’ll outline 5 questions great leaders ask to promote growth, collaboration, and trust within their teams. These questions are not just about directing the team, but also about understanding the team's strengths, identifying areas for improvement, providing necessary support, and seeking feedback for personal growth. These questions align the team towards common goals, focus on strengths, encourage feedback and improvement, and promote a servant leadership mentality.

0:00 Introduction

1:02 Where are we going?

2:13 What is going well?

3:22 Where can we improve?

4:35 How can I help?

5:42 Where do I need help?

6:47 Conclusion

These five questions – Where are we going? What is going well? Where can we improve? How can I help? And where do I need help? – are essential tools for great leaders. They promote growth, collaboration, and trust within the team, fostering a positive and productive work environment. By asking these questions regularly, leaders can ensure that their teams are aligned, motivated, and doing their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Teamwork is a constant in organizational life. You will work on teams for the majority of your career. Some of those teams will be an uplifting, engaging experience—but most will be an average or even a draining experience. Because most teams aren’t high-performing ones. Most teams fail to achieve a level of performance above the average of each individual’s capabilities. Most teams lack what Stephen Covey would call “synergy” but what organizational psychologists call “collective intelligence.”

Collective intelligence happens when a team’s performance on tasks exceeds what would be predicted by averaging the capabilities of each member. Collectively intelligence teams find a way to bring out more from each other than they even expected of themselves. And the inverse is true as well. When teams fail, it’s often because they fail to achieve collective intelligence.

In this episode, we’ll outline three different reasons teamwork fails—or at least fails to achieve collective intelligence.

0:00 Introduction

1:41 Social Loafing

3:30 Unequal Sharing

5:48 Lack of Social Sensitivity

7:40 Conclusion

Building collective intelligence within a team is not always straightforward. It requires careful management and a commitment to fostering a positive team culture. By addressing issues such as social loafing, unequal sharing, and lack of social sensitivity, teams can become smarter and less likely to fail. The strategies outlined in this article provide a starting point for teams looking to improve their effectiveness and achieve their goals.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Teamwork is the secret that makes common people achieve uncommon results. However, effective teamwork doesn't just happen; it requires careful planning and implementation. This episode provides six tips for effective teamwork that will help you build a high-performing team. These tips are not just theoretical concepts, but practical strategies that have been proven to work in real-world settings. They are designed to address the common challenges that teams face, such as lack of clarity, poor communication, personality clashes, fear of taking risks, lack of diversity, and lack of motivation. By addressing these issues, you can create a team that is not only effective but also enjoyable to be a part of.

0:00 Introduction

0:55 Set Clear Goals

2:30 Communicate Activity

3:43 Understand Differences

5:15 Create Safety

6:35 Disagree Respectfully

8:01 Celebrate Regularly

9:10 Conclusion

Effective teamwork is not a destination, but a journey. It requires continuous effort, commitment, and learning. However, with these six tips, you can make this journey smoother and more enjoyable. So, start implementing these tips today, and watch as your team transforms into a high-performing, cohesive unit that is capable of doing their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Great leaders aren’t born, they’re made. While it’s tempting to look at stories of great leaders and just assume they’re received some divine or genetic gift that turned them into exemplars, the truth is much more nuanced. Leadership is a skill that can be honed and improved with practice and the right guidance. This episode will explore three key habits that can significantly enhance your leadership skills: creating clarity, establishing safety, and speaking purpose. These habits are not just theoretical concepts but are based on well-researched findings on what constitutes an outstanding team culture.

Creating clarity involves setting clear goals, milestones, and expectations for the team. This is crucial in a world where teams often operate in an unclear and volatile environment. Establishing safety, on the other hand, means creating a climate where team members feel comfortable taking interpersonal risks, such as disagreeing or sharing ideas. Finally, speaking purpose involves regularly communicating the importance of the team's work and how it benefits others. This is not just about performance objectives or bonuses but about connecting the team's work to a greater good.

0:00 Introduction

1:07 Create Clarity

3:05 Establish Safety

4:58 Speak Purpose

6:19 Conclusion

None of these skills come from genetics, they’re learned. Leaders can significantly improve their leadership skills by focusing on creating clarity, establishing safety, and speaking purpose. These habits are not just theoretical concepts but are based on well-researched findings on what constitutes an outstanding team culture. By focusing on these three areas, leaders can create an environment where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Psychological safety is the bedrock of a high-performing team. It's more than just trust; it's about fostering a climate of mutual trust and respect. Building psychological safety at work is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that requires conscious effort and commitment. It's about creating an environment where everyone feels safe to take risks, voice their opinions, and be themselves without fear of judgment or punishment. It's about creating a culture of openness, transparency, and inclusivity.

In this episode, we'll explore four key strategies to employ when building psychological safety at work. These strategies include admitting weaknesses as a leader, asking for feedback regularly, celebrating failures, and amplifying unheard voices. By implementing these strategies, you can contribute to a cycle of psychological safety that leads to higher performance.

0:00 Introduction

1:50 Admit Weaknesses

2:58 Ask for Feedback

4:31 Celebrate Failures

5:44 Amplify Unheard Voices

7:37 Conclusion

Building psychological safety at work is crucial for high performance. It's about building trust and respect, which contribute to a climate of safety. By admitting weaknesses as a leader, asking for feedback regularly, celebrating failures, and amplifying unheard voices, you can foster that climate on your team. This will lead to higher performance, better team dynamics, and a more positive and inclusive work environment—one that helps everyone do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Every team leader knows the importance of keeping their team motivated. The more motivated your team, the more productive they are, and the better results they deliver. Research suggests that the more powerful form of motivation is intrinsic, flowing from an individual’s desire to do the work or achieve the outcome for their own reasons—not bonuses, awards, or other extrinsic motivators leaders often use. But that doesn’t mean leaders are out of options.

While your team will still be best motivated through reasons that are individual, there are still a few tactics you can use to motivate your team by creating a culture and climate where intrinsic motivation is most likely to develop.

In this episode, we’ll explore five effective ways to motivate your team, ensuring they remain focused, engaged, and driven to achieve their goals.

0:00 Introduction

1:07 Describe The End Goal

2:15 Decide On Milestones

3:16 Celebrate Small Wins

4:25 Learn From Failures

5:39 Turn Why Into Who

7:04 Conclusion

By implementing these five strategies, leaders can create an environment where team members feel intrinsically motivated and can do their best work. Remember, motivation is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that requires ongoing effort and attention—a process that leads everyone to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Trust is the bedrock upon which successful teams are built. High-performing teams are characterized by an elevated level of trust. This trust in high performing teams manifests in four distinct ways: teams trust each other to deliver, they trust that they can share new ideas, they trust that they can disagree, and they trust that they can make mistakes. Each of these aspects of trust contributes to the overall success and productivity of the team.

As a leader, it is your responsibility to set the tone and model trust within your team. This involves creating an environment where team members feel safe to share their ideas, voice their disagreements, and admit their mistakes. By doing so, you can foster a culture of trust that drives your team towards high performance.

In this episode, we’ll review each type of trust in high performing teams and offer ways leaders can build each.

0:00 Introduction

1:16 Teams Trust Each Other To Deliver

3:37 Teams Trust They Can Share New Ideas

5:25 Teams Trust They Can Disagree

7:30 Teams Trust They Can Admit Mistakes

9:30 Conclusion

Trust is the cornerstone of high-performing teams. It manifests in the team's ability to deliver, share new ideas, disagree constructively, and admit mistakes. As a leader, it is your responsibility to foster this trust within your team. By setting the tone and modeling trust, you can create an environment where your team can thrive and do its best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Conflict on a team is inevitable. On diverse teams, where individuals come from varying backgrounds and possess differing opinions, those opinions will clash often in the form of disagreements and conflicts. Understanding the types of team conflict that can arise in a team setting is crucial for effective management and resolution.

In this episode, we will delve into the four types of team conflict: relationship conflict, task conflict, status conflict, and process conflict.

Each type of conflict has its unique characteristics, causes, and potential solutions. By understanding these conflicts, leaders can respond appropriately in the moment, setting the team up to harness the benefits of conflict rather than letting it become a destructive force.

0:00 Introduction

1:17 Relationship Conflict

4:33 Task Conflict

6:56 Status Conflict

9:45 Process Conflict

11:47 Conclusion

As a leader, understanding the different types of team conflict is crucial for effective conflict management. By responding to each type of conflict in the moment and setting the team up to harness the benefits of conflict, leaders can foster a positive and productive work environment. Remember, conflict isn't necessarily a bad thing. When managed properly, it can lead to team’s having their best ideas and individuals doing their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

High-performing teams are often perceived as having extraordinary talents and capabilities, but they are not that different from regular teams—at least in terms of composition. Research indicates that high-performing teams are not just about having exceptionally talented individuals. Instead, they excel in understanding how to collaborate effectively and harness the diverse talents within the team.

In other words, talent doesn’t make the team. The team makes the talent.

The foundational quality that turns everyday people into members of a high-performing team is common understanding, sometimes called shared understanding or collective intelligence. Common understanding encompasses a shared grasp of the team's collective expertise, assigned tasks, personality differences, work preferences, strengths, and weaknesses. This understanding can be broken down into two crucial aspects for leaders: clarity and empathy.

In this video, we’ll outline the importance of common understanding and provide practical ways to build clarity and empathy on any team.

0:00 Introduction

1:41 Clarity

5:16 Empathy

9:01 Conclusion

Building common understanding through clarity and empathy is the foundation of high-performing teams. It fosters a sense of unity and shared purpose, helping team members leverage each other's unique skills and talents to achieve common goals. By fostering clarity and empathy in your team, you can build a strong common understanding that drives collaboration, reduces conflict, and helps everyone do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Icebreakers are not just games or frivolous activities. Many people have memories of cringeworthy and awkward games played under the pretense of “team building.” I was one of them. But the research on icebreakers is pretty clear. Icebreakers are powerful tools that can help teams find uncommon commonalities and build strong connections.

Icebreakers can be the key to unlocking a more collaborative, understanding, and high-performing team. However, the effectiveness of an icebreaker hinges on its relevance and comfort level. They should be personally meaningful and not make team members uncomfortable.

In this video, we’ll cover four such icebreakers for team meetings. They’re quick, and not cringe. Each of these icebreakers is designed to help teams connect, understand each other better, and perform at a higher level.

0:00 Introduction

2:07 Energy Check

3:50 Triple H

5:33 Defining Moment

6:42 Three Snaps

7:39 Conclusion

These icebreakers, when used effectively, can be powerful tools for building a more connected, understanding, and high-performing team. They can help teams find uncommon commonalities, build strong connections, and understand each other better. In other words, these short, non-cringe icebreakers can help any team do its best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

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Team building and understanding each other's behavior are crucial elements in creating a strong team culture and creating a high-performing teams. But many leaders struggle to find and deliver effective team building exercises. There are many too choose from, and many fall short. Because so many exercises focus on getting teammates to understand each other’s differences—often expresses as personality, identity, or experiences.

But for team building exercises to work, teams can’t just understand each other. They need to understand each other’s behavior.

And that’s what makes the “manual of me” activity the single best team building exercise. Instead of assigning different letters or numbers to different team members based on personality. It focuses on having teammates share their different work preferences. This tool allows team members to gain a deeper understanding of each other's strengths, weaknesses, preferred environments, and working preferences.

In this episode, we will delve into the concept of a Manual of Me, how to construct one, and the benefits of sharing and collecting these manuals within the team.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Managers make the difference. Middle managers especially play a crucial role in employee engagement and performance. However, many managers lack proper preparation for their role, and companies often fail to invest in robust leadership training. Great managers understand that their actions have a direct impact on their team's success. In particular, great managers improve their team through four daily actions.

In this episode, we will explore four things that great managers do daily to separate themselves from poor bosses. By implementing these daily practices, they not only improve team performance and development but also create a positive and trusting work environment.

0:00 Introduction

1:58 Run Smooth Meetings

4:35 Give Fair Feedback

6:18 Check Capacity

8:53 Build Trust

10:47 Conclusion

Great managers play a vital role in driving employee engagement and performance. By running smooth meetings, giving fair feedback, checking capacity, and building trust, they create an environment where employees can thrive and contribute their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

One-on-one meetings with employees are a crucial aspect of effective leadership. Organizations spent countless hours, money, and other resources trying to find the most qualified talent on board, and then spent more money to keep that talent motivated and engaged. And yet, the single most time time-efficient and effective way to invest in the growth and development of employees is a simple feedback session with their direct supervisor.

In this episode, we will delve into the three main sections that make up a successful one-on-one meeting: expectations, feedback, and growth and development. By following this structure, you can ensure that your meetings are productive and meaningful, leading to improved performance and employee satisfaction.

0:00 Introduction

1:57 Expectations

4:27 Feedback

6:06 Growth

9:00 Conclusion

One-on-one meetings with employees are a valuable investment of time and effort. By following the threefold structure of expectations, feedback, and growth and development, you can create a supportive and engaging work environment. Candid and honest conversations in these meetings can lead to faster growth and better results than formal annual reviews or performance improvement plans.

Remember, the order of the three sections is important, as ending on growth and development helps make the conversation forward-looking and motivating. By setting clear expectations, providing constructive feedback, and supporting your employees' growth, you can foster a culture of continuous improvement and help everyone on your team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

It’s often said by teams that “diversity is our strength.” We take for granted the idea that diverse teams bring more lived experiences, ideas, and solutions to the table. When asked, “How does diversity affect teamwork?” most leaders assume that teams composed of individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives are more likely to approach problems from various angles and come up with innovative solutions. And hence most leaders assume that diversity is a source of greater performance.

And while that’s true—it’s not as clear cut as we assume.

When you look at the research, the relationship between diversity and high-performing teams isn’t always a positive correlation. For diversity to truly enhance teamwork, teams need to establish psychological safety and build shared understanding. Otherwise, diverse ideas, perspectives, and experiences can cause more friction than innovation.

In this article, we will explore the importance of psychological safety and shared understanding in diverse teams. By understanding the impact of diversity on teamwork and implementing these practices, teams can harness the full potential of their diverse members and achieve better problem-solving and value creation.

0:00 Introduction

2:33 Psychological Safety

7:01 Shared Understanding

11:25 Conclusion

Diversity, when combined with psychological safety and shared understanding, enhances teamwork, and leads to improved performance. By creating an environment where team members feel safe to express themselves and fostering shared understanding, teams can tap into the full potential of their diverse members. Embracing diversity as a strength allows teams to approach problems from various perspectives, leading to better problem-solving and value creation. And that helps everyone on the team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Are you a good listener?

You may think you’re a good listener—maybe someone even told you were a good listener. Or maybe not. As a leader, this is a very important question. So much of your ability to solve the problems your team is bringing to you depends upon your ability to understand them. And in order to help your team feel heard and listened to when their pitching possible solutions depends on being a good listener.

No matter what you answered to the opening question, there’s good news for all. Listening well is a skill—the skill of active listening. And while that skill is crucial for communication, collaboration, and problem-solving, it’s also learnable.

In this episode, we will explore the skill of active listening and how it can benefit both leaders and their teams. To do that, we will delve into the four specific skills involved in active listening using an acronym first developed by communication expert Julian Treasure: RASA—Receive, Appreciate, Summarize, and Ask

0:00 Introduction

2:25 Receive

3:32 Appreciate

4:40 Summarize

6:03 Ask

8:22 Conclusion

Practicing and improving these four skills will improve your active listening. But more importantly, it will improve listening and communication on the whole team. Leaders set the example for their team members to follow. And as team members emulate the example and improve their own skills, that fosters an environment of trust and respect during discussions. And a team demonstrating trust and respect is a team that helps everyone do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Margaret Thatcher once famously quipped that “Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't.” As a leader, the same could be said about respect. If you wonder if you’re team respects you, they probably don’t.

Being a leader is not just about having authority and power; it's about earning the respect and trust of your team. Your title may have made you the boss. But your team’s respect makes you the leader.

In this episode, we will explore how to earn respect as a leader through five essential actions that earn respect and create a positive work environment. By following these strategies, leaders can not only gain the respect they deserve but also motivate and inspire their team members to perform at their best.

0:00 Introduction

1:27 Set The Example

3:03 Ask For Input

4:07 Explain Your Decision

5:31 Protect Your People

6:45 Respect Them First

7:40 Conclusion

Earning respect as a leader is not an easy task—it doesn’t come with the new title or the corner office (assuming you’re not just working from a spare bedroom in our house). But it is essential for creating a positive and productive work environment. By setting the example, asking for their team's input, explaining decisions, protecting their people, and respecting them first, leaders can establish trust, loyalty, and mutual respect. These strategies not only enhance the leader's reputation but also inspire and motivate team members to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

In a world of growing complexity and seemingly constant crisis, we need great leaders more than ever. But when you look at the stories in the press or check the staggering numbers of burnout and disengagement in surveys, it seems like fewer and fewer leaders are rising to the challenge. It starts to seem like becoming a great leader is too complicated and nearly impossible.

But when you survey people on what makes them appreciate and follow leaders, it turns out there are just a few simple habits that set great leaders apart. Simple, but not necessarily easy.

In this article, we will explore what great leaders do across six key habits that make them influential and their teams successful.

0:00 Introduction

1:21 Promote Purpose

2:53 Clarify Vision

4:18 Create Accountability

5:27 Provide Fair Feedback

6:42 Build Safety

8:00 Develop Oneself

9:07 Conclusion

The habits discussed in this article are what make great leaders worth following. They’re simple, but not necessarily easy. And they need to be done on a regular basis. But great leaders understand the importance of these habits and strive to incorporate them into their leadership style. By promoting purpose, clarifying vision, creating accountability, providing fair feedback, building safety, and developing oneself, leaders can inspire their teams to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Leadership is about relationships. And the cornerstone of just about every relationship is respect.

When employees feel respected, they are more engaged, motivated, and productive. But many managers struggle to convey their respect to team members. Consequently, colleagues often experience a sense of being undervalued, disconnected, or even inferior. It is difficult to envision individuals who harbor such sentiments being able to their best work ever.

In this article, we will outline how to make employees feel respected through five actions leaders can take to build a respectful work environment.

0:00 Introduction

1:05 Check-In Often

2:52 Ask For Input

4:32 Demonstrate Trust

6:03 Referee Conflicts

7:58 Give Fair Feedback

9:28 Conclusion

Creating a respectful work environment requires consistent effort and commitment from leaders. By regularly checking in with team members, involving them in decision-making processes, demonstrating trust, refereeing conflicts, and giving fair feedback, you can make employees feel respected and valued. Remember, a respectful work environment leads to higher employee satisfaction, engagement, and productivity—in other words, employees who feel respected are employees able to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Employee resistance to change is one of the most perplexing and challenging issues that business executives encounter. Senior leaders have mapped out a change initiative and, in the process, gotten themselves excited about the future only to find the rest of the organization doesn’t share their enthusiasm.

What’s often overlooked is that employee resistance to change is most likely due to the emotions behind the change, not the change itself. And in examining those emotions, the late Carl Frost offered four key questions that people ask themselves when they’re being asked to change. The answers to these questions determine their excitement, or resistance, to change.

In this episode, we will explore how to overcome resistance to change by addressing the emotions behind it and we’ll offer advice on how leaders can answer those four questions.

0:00 Introduction

2:16 Question 1: Do we know where we're going?

3:53 Question 2: Do we know why we're going there?

5:25 Question 3: Do we know we can get there?

6:53 Question 4: Do we know that there is better than here?

8:00 Conclusion

Overcoming resistance to change is crucial for successful change initiatives. By addressing the emotions behind the change and answering the four questions, leaders can increase excitement, self-efficacy, and confidence in the change. That helps the organizational change itself find success and (hopefully) that success empowers every employee to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

With work and life becoming more intertwined than ever, people increasingly seek purpose through work. So, leaders are being called upon to create a sense of purpose on a team. When team members feel that their work is connected to a larger company-wide purpose, they are more motivated and perform better. This gives managers and leaders an opportunity to facilitate work environments that provide the sense of purpose people need to thrive.

In this article, we will explore five effective ways to create a sense of purpose on a team, ensuring that everyone is aligned and driven towards a common goal.

0:00 Introduction

1:19 Give The “It’s A Wonderful Life” Test

3:14 Draft A Ralling Cry

5:37 Create Team Symbols

6:42 Collect Impact Stories

7:47 Outsource Inspiration

9:07 Conclusion

Creating a sense of purpose on a team is crucial for its success. By using the "It's a Wonderful Life" test, drafting a rallying cry, creating team symbols, collecting impact stories, and outsourcing inspiration, teams can foster a strong sense of purpose and motivation. These activities should be ongoing to maintain a sense of purpose and drive within the team, motivating them to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


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Creating shared identity on a team is crucial to building a high-performing one. Shared identity refers to the extent to which team members feel the same sense of who they are as a designated group. It indicates whether or not individual members truly feel like this is the team they’re a part of and most loyal to.

Decades of social science research have shown that individuals make sense of their world by applying categories and labels to their environment—including themselves and the people around them. “Team” is one such label, and it carries great importance, because when we identify with a particular group, that group shapes our own identity and behavior.

A strong shared identity on a team reduces conflict, standardizes norms of behavior, increases cohesion and collaboration, and ultimately enhances team performance. In this episode, we will explore four key actions that leaders can take to foster a shared identity within their teams.

0:00 Introduction

1:19 Start With Purpose

3:09 Build On Values

5:00 Focus On Goals

6:30 Define Habits

7:32 Conclusion

Creating shared identity on a team is crucial for achieving success. By starting with purpose, building on values, focusing on goals, and defining habits, leaders can foster a sense of belonging and connection among team members. This leads to a more focused, cohesive, and productive team. By implementing these four actions, leaders can create an environment where team members work together towards common goals and in pursuing those goals, do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

A sense of belonging on a team is crucial for its success and productivity. Belonging is that sense of acceptance and inclusion when people feel they can bring their authentic self to work. When team members feel included and valued, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and contribute their best work. And on a diverse team, belonging determines how much the team taps into diverse perspectives, opinions, and ideas. As a leader, you encourage that sense of belonging through the habits, norms, and behaviors that you model and that get mimicked by the rest of the team.

In this article, we’ll outline how to create a sense of belonging at work through five actions leaders take that get emulated on the team and make everyone feel included.

0:00 Introduction

1:40 Share Information Openly

3:18 Share Credit Widely

5:15 Create Rituals

7:01 Ask for Advice

8:26 Model Active Listening

10:08 Conclusion

Creating a sense of belonging within a team is essential for its success and productivity. By taking the actions discussed in this article, such as sharing information openly, sharing credit widely, creating rituals, asking for advice, and modeling active listening, you can foster a positive work environment where team members feel included, valued, and motivated. Remember, creating a sense of belonging takes time and effort, but the benefits are worth it. When team members feel a strong sense of belonging, they are more likely to be engaged, committed, and willing to go the extra mile. In other words, they’ll be better able to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

One of the most common complaints among disengaged employees is about not feeling heard, not being seen or recognized for what they do, who they are and what they are experiencing. As a leader, a lot of this frustration may stem from you. When people approach you with their problems and you jump right to give advice, you may feel you’re helping their problem…but you’re not helping them feel heard. And if they don’t feel heard, they’re not really hearing your advice anyway. Other times people speak up to share a new idea and get met with a quick retort about lack of budget or previous, similar ideas that didn’t work. You may think you’re helping move the conversation along, but you’re more likely causing team members to want to move along to find a new leader.

In this episode, we’ll outline how to make people feel heard through five actions leaders can take to send the message that they are listening and respecting the contribution every member of their team is making.

0:00 Introduction

1:52 Model Active Listening

3:58 Praise The Contribution

5:14 Challenge Assumptions, Not Ideas

7:06 Questions Before Advice

9:07 Addition Before Subtraction

10:41 Conclusion

Making people feel heard is a fundamental aspect of effective leadership. By modeling active listening, praising contributions, questioning assumptions, asking questions before offering advice, and focusing on addition before subtraction, leaders can create an inclusive and empowering environment. When individuals feel valued and understood, they are more motivated to contribute their ideas, leading to better outcomes and improved team culture. By implementing these tactics, leaders can foster a culture where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

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Demands at work have been piling on in recent years. Including the demand on employees to continue to do more with less. And those demands come with a lot of potential burnout at work. Burnout at work is a series problem for most organizations. Burnout can lead to decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, and even physical and mental health issues.

It’s incumbent on every leader to be aware of and attempt to avoid burnout on their teams. But burnout isn’t always caused by asking too much of employees. Being overcapacity can be one element that triggers a burned-out team. But there are other triggers leaders need to be aware of.

In this episode, we will explore the five triggers of burnout at work and discuss how leaders can mitigate them to create a more engaged and productive team.

0:00 Introduction

2:03 Lack of Margin

3:30 Lack of Control

5:06 Lack of Clarity

6:47 Lack of Civility

8:26 Lack of Social Support

10:02 Conclusion

By addressing these triggers of burnout, leaders can create a work environment that promotes employee well-being, engagement, and productivity. Redistributing tasks, providing autonomy, ensuring clarity, promoting civility, and fostering social support are all essential steps in preventing burnout and creating a more positive and fulfilling work experience. And a positive work experience helps everyone do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

So much of the struggle of working on teams comes down to one key task: getting a team aligned. Aligned teams lead to better engagement, performance, and retention. Getting and keeping a team aligned is a key task for leaders at all levels. But recognizing the importance of alignment is a lot easier than actually getting everyone on the same page.

Team alignment means everyone contributes toward a shared goal, understands their assigned tasks, and sees how their work fits into the team's work. But teams are composed of people and people bring their own individual goals, desired tasks, and sense of contribution that may or may not fit well with others.

In this article, we will explore how to get a team aligned across five steps of creating, and then keeping alignment.

0:00 Introduction

2:19 Start From Purpose

3:40 Establish Priorities

5:31 Set Team Goals

6:59 Hold Huddles

9:15 Check-In Often

11:18 Conclusion

Team alignment is crucial for the success of any team. By starting from purpose, establishing priorities, setting team goals, holding regular huddles, and checking in often at the individual level, leaders can keep their team aligned and performing at their best. An aligned team is a team that helps everyone do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Trust is the foundation of any successful team. Without trust, team members will not feel comfortable sharing their ideas, taking risks, or admitting their mistakes. Building a culture of trust on a team is crucial for achieving better results, higher levels of engagement, and less stress.

But first, we need to confront a brutal truth up front: trust alone is not enough. What teams need is a culture of psychological safety. When team members feel safe to express their opinions and ideas without fear of judgment or retribution, they are more likely to take risks and share their failures.

And the process of building psychological safety on a team has three stages: trust, risk, and respect. In this article, we will explore the three stages of and offer some advice on how leaders can guide their team through each one.

0:00 Introduction

2:48 Trust

4:54 Risk

6:36 Respect

8:27 Conclusion

The cycle of trust, risk, and respect operates like a flywheel and needs to be consistently maintained to keep the culture of trust high. By finding uncommon commonalities that build trust, encouraging interpersonal risk-taking, and responding to risk-taking with respect, teams can continue to increase their level of psychological safety—and provide a climate where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Conflict in the workplace is often seen as negative, but it can be productive if managed well. In fact, lack of conflict on a team is the real negative. When teams lack conflict, it means that either everyone on the team thinks alike or those who think differently are too afraid to speak their mind. Healthy conflict increases communication, trust, teamwork, and innovation.

In this episode, we will explore four surprising benefits of conflict in the workplace. And we’ll discuss how leaders can create a safe space for sharing diverse perspectives and model respectful debate to leverage the benefits of conflict.

0:00 Introduction

1:41 Understanding Different Perspectives

3:27 Making Better Decisions

6:01 Increasing Trust

8:22 Building Commitment

10:12 Conclusion

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

One of the most fascinating concepts in the study of teamwork and collaboration is the concept of collective intelligence—the idea that when teams collaborate exceptionally well, they tap into a reservoir of knowledge and abilities that exceed the sum of each individual’s capability. Research led by Anita Williams Wooley helped solidified this theory with evidence that some teams truly did perform better than merely the average of the individual team member’s abilities.

Perhaps more surprisingly, teams who managed to achieve collective intelligence did so on a variety of tasks—even tasks for which some teams had individual members whose knowledge and abilities were uniquely suited. In other words, talent didn’t make the team. The team made the talent.

But taking a team from individually talented to collectively intelligent can be tricky. In this episode, we’ll outline what makes a team smarter through five evidence-based actions.

0:00 Introduction

2:01 Leverage Diversity

3:36 Build Empathy

5:12 Take Turns Sharing

6:29 Listen Actively

7:50 Equalize Status

9:40 Conclusion

And as a team leader, the actions taken to equalize status are likely the best place to start. Equal teams are better able to leverage diversity and build empathy. Equal teams are more likely to take turns sharing and demonstrate active listening. Focusing on equalizing status first makes it more likely the team is able to tap into collective knowledge—to truly be smarter. And when teams get smarter they make it more likely everyone on the team can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com


Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Keeping a team motivated is the one of the most important aspects of a leader’s job. It’s also one of the most misunderstood aspects of a leader’s job. Many organizations still equate “motivating your team” with “designing the right incentives.” But more than four decades of research into self-determination theory have revealed the limits of these types of extrinsic motivators and offers a wealth of insight into intrinsic motivation and how leaders can leverage it.

But even when expanding their perspective on motivation, many leaders still suffer from the misunderstanding of a binary choice between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In reality, self-determination theory research suggests that motivation is better thought of as a spectrum with four points along the way: extrinsic, introjected, identified, and intrinsic.

In this article, we’ll outline these four forms of motivation and offer a glimpse at how to leverage the most overlooked form when motivating your team.

0:00 Introduction

2:08 Four Forms of Motivation

8:48 Motivating Your Team

12:01 Conclusion

Motivating your team can be tricky—much of the common practice in organizations seeks to leverage less powerful, more difficult forms of motivation. But by focusing on intrinsic and identified motivation, you can give your team a renewed zeal and help them do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

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As long as people remain the center of organizations, attracting, retaining, and motivating those people—keeping them happy at work—will be one of the most important elements of a leader’s job. Work is central to our lives. For most adults, work occupies the majority of waking hours. And being happy at work can make a big difference in whether those hours are a drain or not. And, by extension, whether those hours are productive or not.

But that job as become more and more difficult over time.

In recent years some of the circumstances around job satisfaction and happiness at work have been outside of leaders’ control—global pandemics and being always on the verge of a recession come to mind. But there are a few adjustments inside of leaders’ control that can dramatically effect happiness. In particular, research from Mark Mortensen and Amy Edmondson suggests four specific components effect the “employee value proposition” and hence their happiness at work.

In this episode, we’ll review those four elements of employee happiness and offer suggestions on how to leverage each to make employees happy at work.

0:00 Introduction

1:58 Material Offerings

4:19 Opportunity to Grow

6:45 Connection and Community

8:25 Meaning and Purpose

10:40 Conclusion

It’s important to look at these elements both individually and collaboratively. Individually, you may have noticed a specific element which your team lacks. But these elements work together to create an overall experience. Material offerings are great, but there is a diminishing return on their increase in happiness. It takes all four to create an environment where employees feel happy at work and hence feel like they can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

The world runs on teams. Jobs that could have been solitary at one time or another happen more efficiently and at higher quality because we work in teams. The number of teams we form, and the size of those teams has increased exponentially since our ancestors formed teams to chase down prey.

And so has the importance of building teams that perform well together.

You’ve probably felt what it’s like to be on a high-performing team. You feel energized. Your brain is on fire with great ideas, and conversations with the team spur on even more. You finish work each day with more energy than when you started. And you’ve probably felt what it’s like to be on a low-performing team with a broken culture. You end each day drained. You feel let down after every meeting and wonder it it’s worth it to continue.

We know we need to build the best team we can, but many of us still wonder how we can do it. In this episode, we’ll examine 5 habits of high-performing teams and offer some guidance for how to adopt these habits on your own team.

0:00 Introduction

1:57 Clear, Quick Communication

3:22 Conversational Turn-taking

4:56 Respectful Debate

7:08 Nonwork Conversations

8:22 Consistent Appreciation

10:04 Conclusion

Choosing where to get started building these five habits can be difficult. But unless a team is already engaged in consistent appreciation, that is probably the best place to start. Because none of the other habits are going to stick unless the team actually does respect and like each other. And if they do, they’ll build these other habits faster and become a team where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

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"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

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Failure is feedback. And that maxim is nowhere more true than on teams. When individual team members or the whole team experiences a failure, how they respond can be the difference between a team that continuously improves and enhances performance, and a team that falls apart.

And research backs this up. One of the first studies of psychological safety focused on how teams responded to failure. Amy Edmondson examined the teams of nurses on various wards of a hospital and found that the teams with the highest rated leaders had a higher than average rate of reported medical errors. It wasn’t until looking further that she found the medical error rates were actually the same as other wards…but lower rated leaders who punished failures scared nurses away from reporting them. In other words, the great teams with great leaders embraced failure. And in doing so, they made it easier for everyone on the team to learn from mistakes and get better.

In this episode, we’ll review three ways many teams embrace failure on individual, team, and systemwide levels in order to learn, grow, and better perform.

0:00 Introduction

3:51 Learning Moments

5:22 Post-Mortems

7:15 Failure Funerals

9:37 Conclusion

In fact, each of these three rituals represent a deliberate choice toward learning. Great teams embrace failure because doing so embraces learning. Those extra lessons help them improve over time—and trust each other more over time—and eventually become a team where everyone feels they can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

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Managers make the difference. Senior leaders set strategy. But middle managers and front-line managers make the difference in whether that strategy gets executed…and in whether or not people are engaged and motivated in an organization. According to Gallup, 70% of an individual employee’s engagement is determined by the manager of her team. In turn, this means that managers have a significant impact on an organization’s success or failure.

In this episode, we will discuss the four common mistakes managers make and how to avoid them.

0:00 Introduction

1:23 Talking First

3:30 Avoiding Conflict

5:47 Reacting Urgently

7:07 Assuming Availability

9:00 Conclusion

In fact, being deliberately available helps to avoid the other common manager mistakes as well. By being available and listening intently, managers talk less. They become more aware of conflicts that need to be instigated. And they’re able to access more information and react less urgently. By being deliberately available, managers help build a team where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

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When you start out your career, you’re most often an individual contributor. And in that role your knowledge and skills are most important. But if you do that role well, you’ll likely be asked to consider becoming a leader. And in leadership, the methods you relied on to be a great employee don’t often help you become a great leader. Those skills will rarely help encourage and coach others to be great employees. Being a great leader requires a new toolkit.

As Marshall Goldsmith often says “What got you here, won’t get you there.”

In this episode, we’ll discuss what will actually get you there. We’ll outline 5 ways to become a great leader—whether it’s your first leadership role or your fiftieth.

0:00 Introduction

1:17 Give Clear Expectations

3:12 Ask For Input

4:45 Share Your Reasoning

6:26 Stay Purpose Focused

7:58 Care

9:02 Conclusion

And even though it’s the fifth way, caring might be the most important one. You have to care for the people in your charge in order to put them first and serve them as a truly great leader. All the other ways will become easier if you start with caring. You’ll find you give clear expectation, ask for input, share your reasoning, and stay purpose focused. And over time you’ll find that caring, and employing all these methods, will help everyone on your team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Our world requires collaboration. Just about every job now requires collaborating on teams and every employee’s calendar is full of evidence of collaboration. In one study, up to 85% of participants’ work weeks were spent working in direct collaboration or a result of collaboration with a team.

But it can be difficult to collaborate with people whose perspectives, preferences, and personalities are different from our own. Still, getting what you want from your work and career requires being a great team player. And if you want to be a leader, you’ll need to be a great team player first. (And really…that will never stop…even leaders often lead in teams.)

In this episode, we’ll outline the 5 essential qualities needed to become a great team player—and offer a few ways to develop those qualities and get them noticed.

0:00 Introduction

1:28 Capable

4:07 Humble

6:09 Helpful

7:42 Flexible

8:54 Purposeful

10:24 Conclusion

As you review this list, one or two qualities probably stood out as ones you already embodied—but one or two probably stood out as ones you need to work on. That’s true for nearly everyone, and it creates a great plan of action. Get started improving where you need to—and get started getting noticed where you already shine. That will help you not only raise your own performance, but help support everyone else on the team as they do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Teams are how work gets done most of the time. In a knowledge work economy, up to 85% of an average employee’s time is spent in collaboration with other people—on one team or on multiple teams. And that makes effective collaboration and good teamwork a top tier skill. Whether you’re currently a leader or looking to become a leader, focusing on developing your teamwork skills—and the level of teamwork on your team—is one of the highest returns on effort you can experience.

In this episode, we’ll outline 3 keys to good teamwork and offer a few practical ways to improve on each one.

0:00 Introduction

1:23 Clarity

4:23 Empathy

7:30 Safety

9:37 Conclusion

And once psychological safety on the team grows, it will be easier to grow empathy as well. And when safety and empathy are high, teammates give more honest status updates in their huddles and clarity grows as well. As all three of these keys to good teamwork grow, the team’s performance will grow, because the team will become a place where everyone feels like they can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

Teams are a central part of our work experience. Jobs that could have been solitary at one time or another happen more efficiently and at higher quality because we work in teams. The number of teams we form, along with the size of those teams, has increased dramatically in recent decades.

And much of a team’s performance comes down to its culture. Yes, the talents and skills of individuals matter. But without a positive team culture, those same individuals will fail to achieve the level of performance they’re capable of. The common set of norms and behaviors on a team are what guide their collaboration and determine their performance.

In this episode, we'll outline 5 practical ways to build a positive team culture that will help your team thrive and succeed.

0:00 Introduction

1:09 Clarify Objectives

2:05 Outline Expectations

3:55 Include All

5:49 Recognize Good

7:00 Reinforce Purpose

8:17 Conclusion

If you’re starting from a negative team culture, it may take some time before these actions start turning around the culture of your team. That’s okay. Stay deliberate and stay consistent on each one of them and overtime as expectations get clearer and purpose gets reinforced, teammates behaviors will change for the better. Culture is a habit, and habit aren’t built overnight. But habits (and hence culture) are the difference between teams that drain us and teams that allow us to do our best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message

View Details

At the core of teamwork is the need to solve problems. And when generating solutions, the more diverse a team you have, the more ideas you can generate. Sort of. The rationale behind diversity being a strength on teams is solid. When you’ve built a team of various perspectives, experiences, skills, and abilities, each person brings that variety into discussions and more diverse ideas get generated. More ideas mean a better chance of finding the perfect solution.

But that’s not always what happens.

It turns out that diversity alone is not enough to turn a team of very different individuals into a very effective one. In fact, research suggests diversity alone on a team can actually diminish performance. It’s diversity, paired with a feeling of that diversity being valued that matters. In other words, its diversity plus inclusion.

In this, episode, we’ll outline 4 ways to build inclusive teams to turn diversity into the strength we know it can be.

0:00 Introduction

1:56 Share Information

3:23 Build Trust

4:45 Train Respect

6:08 Create Safety

7:55 Conclusion

Speaking of failures, there will be some failures along the way toward building a more inclusive team. It’s going to take time. But as these four methods become habits, the team will rise in trust and respect and so will the feeling of inclusion. And when they’re feeling included, the whole team will be able to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/david-burkus/message

View Details

Communication is what makes a team a team. Otherwise, it’s just a group of individuals working away at their desks, handing work up to some unnamed boss. In reality, people don’t work in a vacuum. And much of one individual’s work requires coordinating with one or more teams. Effective team communication makes individuals and teams dramatically more productive.

But unfortunately, a majority of employees say poor communication is the reason they’re falling behind and missing deadlines. That means, as a leader, one of your primary responsibilities is helping the team communicate and collaborate effectively.

In this article, we’ll outline 4 keys to effective team communication.

0:00 Introduction
1:11 Match the Tool to the Goal
3:06 Amplify Unheard Voices
4:55 Create A Safe Environment
6:12 Don’t Be Always On
8:06 Conclusion

When you take these four together, and communicate in bursts in a safe environment, amplifying unheard voices and using the appropriate tools, you’ll find that your team’s communication improves. You’ll find the quality of their work improves. And you might just feel like your team is doing its best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/david-burkus/message

View Details

Progress is a powerful human motivator. But unfortunately, many teams mark progress only when projects are complete or big milestones are crossed. They don’t often celebrate small wins that build up to those big completions.

But recent research suggests that small wins celebrated regularly are a more potent way to keep teams engaged and motivated. In a landmark study from Teresa Amabile, participants were most energized and motivated not in the aftermath of a big celebration, but when they had little breakthroughs—when they found small wins to celebrate.

In this episode, we’ll outline four keys to celebrate small wins on teams more powerfully, so that small wins can have a BIG effect on your team’s motivation.

0:00 Introduction
1:20 Celebrate Daily
2:40 Celebrate Progress
3:55 Celebrate Contributions
5:01 Celebrate Impact
5:52 Conclusion

In the end, that’s what most individuals and teams need to be motivated by their work. They need to know their work matters. And a daily ritual of celebrating small wins (and the contributions, progress, and impact of those wins) becomes a daily reminder of what matters. And that should motivate everyone on the team to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/david-burkus/message

View Details

One of the most consistent findings in organizational behavior over the last decade has been just how significantly team performance is affected by psychological safety. A psychologically safe team is one where team members feel comfortable being themselves, expressing their ideas and opinions, and taking risks without fear of being punished or ostracized. Teams with high psychological safety learn faster, communicate better, and hence collaborate more effectively.

At its core, psychological safety is marked by a sense of mutual trust and respect. And these are two different things. Trust is how much teammates feel they can share their authentic selves with others. Respect is how much teammates feel the team will accept that self. If I trust you, then I will share honestly with you. If you respect me, then you will value what I’ve shared.

In this article, we’ll cover four ways to create a more psychologically safe team—with the first two focusing on trust and the second two on respect.

0:00 Introduction
2:10 Be vulnerable first
3:27 Accept (but learn from) failures
6:11 Model active listening
6:57 Treat conflict as collaboration
8:30 Conclusion

Looking at these actions collectively, it’s easier to notice the interplay between trust and respect that leads to a psychologically safe team. Trusting moments need to be met with respect, otherwise they might trigger distrust. But when teams develop both simultaneously, they start to share diverse perspectives and generate better ideas—and they gradually become a team where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/david-burkus/message

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Work is teamwork. And it’s no secret that some teams truly are greater than others.

A recent meta-analysis combined research conducted on over 200,000 teams in a variety of industries in order to answer that question. Across 274 dimensions of performance and over half a million individual team members, the researchers found that, in most fields, performance differences of teams followed a power-law—with a small number of high-performing teams achieving most of the results. In other others, high performing teams didn’t just perform a little better, they performed up to ten times better than normal teams.

With results like that, it’s worth looking at what makes a team great. Fortunately, there are a few elements of team culture that are found consistently in consistently great teams.

In this episode, we’ll outline 6 building blocks that make a great team.

0:00 Introduction
1:43 Clarity
2:34 Communication
4:14 Diversity
5:36 Empathy
6:38 Trust
8:14 Purpose
9:20 Conclusion

For that reason, purpose is often the best place to start when trying to take a normal team and make it great. Purpose provides the motivation for the team to work on the other building blocks and it reinforces the importance of continuing to work on them. Purpose is the foundation to build the team into one where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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As the world grows increasingly more complex, so will its challenges—both globally and for any given organization. To solve bigger and more complex problems, you need a bigger and more complex team. And to do that, you will need to foster collaboration in the workplace. But the enhanced need for collaboration brings a paradox.

According to a recent study summarized in Harvard Business Review, team success requires teams to be larger, more diverse, more virtual and more specialized. But those same four characteristics make it hard for teams to get anything done. Increased diversity, in and of itself, can bring more and better ideas—but it can also bring more friction as people fight for their own ideas or more stagnation as people decide to work in their own way and not collaborate with people who work differently.

Larger teams need more collaboration, but their very size and composition makes it harder. In this article, we’ll outline 5 ways to foster collaboration on teams—no matter how large or diverse those teams are.

0:00 Introduction
1:14 Make Priorities Clear
2:18 Hold Huddles
3:53 Set If-Then Plans
5:55 Write Teammate Manuals
7:28 Find Free Times
9:09 Conclusion

Looking at this complete list, the first three actions seem much more tactical and the last two seem much more cordial. That may make it tempting to start with the “hard” skills practices to foster collaboration. But it turns out the softer, more empathetic activities actually increase collaboration more. Because the “soft” skills practices help teammates better understand how each other works—and that helps everyone know how to support each other to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Learning how to build trust at work is critical if you’re going to be successful as an employee, a manager, or an effective leader. If you don’t have trust, it’ll be more difficult to communicate and coordinate with your peers or colleagues. If teams lack trust, it’s difficult to achieve true collaboration and create performance greater than the sum of each individual’s talent.

A team isn’t a team without trust. Without trust, it’s just a group of people who share the same boss—who they probably don’t trust either.

But with high levels of trust, teams can do amazing work. People who work at high-trust companies experience 50% greater performance and 74% less stress. The opposite is also true. A low-trust team underperforms and unnecessarily stresses out for everyone involved.

In this episode, we’ll outline four ways to build trusting teams—and hence unlock that greater performance.

0:00 Introduction
1:25 Signal Vulnerability
3:28 Welcome Task-Focused Conflict
5:20 Celebrate Failures
7:16 Establish Help Times
9:16 Conclusion

While these four methods may seem equal at first, one is much more important to start with than the others. If you’re in a leadership role, you must start building trust by signaling vulnerability. You cannot pretend to be perfect and convince your team to trust you at the same time. But when you admit your flaws, you make it safe for the team to let down their own guard and make it more likely the other three methods will work. And when they do, they’ll create a climate of trust that helps everyone on the team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

We all arrive at leadership with certain preconceptions about what makes a successful leader.

Sometimes we form an idea of what great leaders do based on historical leaders or modern-day leaders who are always getting media attention. Other times we form a picture of great leadership based on our own past experiences—both leaders we’ve worked under and even what attributes got us promoted into leadership. But those are often anecdotes.

And the plural of anecdote is not data. When you look at the data on effective leaders, pretty quickly you notice that some of these notions are misconceptions or outright leadership myths.

In this episode, we’ll outline six leadership myths that are holding you back as a leader and may even be ruining your team—if you believe them of course.

0:00 Introduction
1:06 Your Title Is Your Power
2:52 You Need To Have The Answers
4:10 Your Style Works For Everyone
5:26 Disagreement = Disrespect
6:42 Silence Signals Consent
7:36 Performance Is Personal
9:13 Conclusion

As you review this list, one myth in particular probably stood out to you—depending on your style and your leadership journey. That reaction is a good signal that the particular myth is one to focus your attention on and work on improving. But keep a lookout for the other myths as well. You may not believe them, but you may need to defend your team from other leaders who do. And as you move from myth to reality, your team will move toward greater performance until eventually they, and you, are doing their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Teams face a lot of different challenges. Leading a team involves leading through many challenges. You’re given performance objectives. You map out a plan of execution with your team. But pretty quickly, you will run into challenges—both seen and unseen. And while most of these challenges are unique to the work being done and the team doing that work, some challenges are universal for teams.

These challenges all teams face are less about the work and more about teamwork and collaboration. That’s what makes them so common. But because they’re so common, they can be anticipated—and overcome.

In this article, we’ll outline five challenges all teams face and offer some insight on how to overcome them.

0:00 Introduction
1:02 Finding Direction
2:54 Improving Communication
4:13 Building Trust
5:48 Keeping Diversity
7:01 Maintaining Motivation

These five challenges are ones every team faces eventually. But they aren’t the only challenges teams face. However, teams that proactively work to overcome these challenges work together better—and are better able to overcome those new, specific challenges. All teams face these challenges, but the answers to these challenges are how any team can start to do its best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

We’ve known about the importance of developing emotional intelligence as a leader for some time now, but there are still some misconceptions about exactly what emotional intelligence is (or is not) and how to increase it. Emotional intelligence isn’t just about having “soft skills.” And it’s not a set of mindfulness practices.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and control your own emotions and recognize and empathize with the emotions of others. Leaders with high emotional intelligence find their teams have better discussions and make better decisions. Emotionally intelligent leaders give better feedback and are better able to communicate and be understood.

In this episode, we’ll outline ways to develop emotional intelligence as a leader based on the four elements in Daniel Goleman’s original research: Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Empathy, and Social Skills. (Goleman’s model is sometimes presented with a fifth element, motivation, but we’ve covered motivation a lot in the past.)

0:00 Introduction
1:42 Self-Awareness
3:29 Self-Regulation
5:41 Empathy
7:47 Social Skills
9:24 Conclusion

As you think through these four elements, one element may have stood out as one you could work on. If so, get started working on it. If not, ask your team. But as they answer, practice the active listening that will grow your social skills. Then make your emotional intelligence development plan based on their feedback. As you do, you’ll find you’ve grown as a leader. And you’ll find your team has grown as well—into a team that can do its best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Leaders don’t need to have all the answers.

That sounds counterintuitive. There is a lot of pressure on leaders to have the right answers and to solve problems that team members can’t solve on their own. In fact, most leaders were promoted into a leadership role because they had many more of the right answers than others in the organization. And the further up the hierarchy you go, the bigger the problems and bigger the expectations for answers.

But the more complex work gets, and the more complex problems get, the harder it is to know all the answers. So, it’s okay if you don’t know all the answers. But leaders should always be seeking out answers. To lead well, there’s a few answers leaders should always be working to find.

Which means there’s a few questions leaders should always be asking. In this article, we’ll outline the top five of those questions.

0:00 Introduction
0:58 What are our real priorities?
2:18 Where are our potential roadblocks?
3:17 What am I not hearing?
4:34 Who isn’t being challenged?
5:39 How is our motivation?
7:28 Conclusion

In the end, people want to do work that matters and that challenges them to grow. And that’s what makes these five questions so important. Because the answers to these questions, even though they change over time, provide leaders with the knowledge they need to help their team know their work matters and help their team find new challenges. And that helps their team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Motivation can vary wildly on a team. At any given time, a few people might be highly motivated, while others are totally unmotivated. Ideally, there are times where everyone is motivated at once, but sadly there may be times when everyone is demotivated or burnt out. All this means that an inescapable part of a leader’s job is to motivate the unmotivated.

The good news is that leaders don’t have to rely on raw charisma or the inspirational words of a halftime speech from insert-your-favorite-sports-movie-here. Instead, motivation is less about the qualities of the leader and more about understanding the needs of the team and of each individual on the team.

In this article, we’ll outline five ways to motivate the unmotivated.

0:00 Introduction
1:03 Change Up Tasks
2:27 Build New Bonds
3:45 Reframe The Work
5:04 Provide More Feedback
6:17 Watch The Stress
7:55 Conclusion

Monitoring and making adjustments is really the ideal for each of these methods to motivate the unmotivated. Because motivation is individual. It’s felt on an individual level. Which means increasing motivation requires knowing each person individually and continuing to monitor their motivation levels for individual adjustments that need to be made. But when you do, it will raise the overall motivation on your team, and raise the level of performance until everyone on the team can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

One of the core tasks of team leaders is keeping motivation and inspiration high. This doesn’t mean all great leaders are charismatic and inspiring. In fact, the opposite is often true. Motivating employees isn’t about what you say to them, it’s about understanding what they’re seeking from work.

And while understanding the unique desires of each team member might take a while, there’s a proven model for understanding human motivation that just might help you uncover your team’s motivation mysteries faster. In the mid-1980s, researchers Edward Deci and Richard Ryan outlined a model of motivation called “self-determination theory.” Their theory posited that intrinsic motivation comes in three forms: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

In this article, we’ll outline each pillar of motivation and offer some practical ideas for leveraging it to motivate your employees as a leader.

0:00 Introduction
1:51 Autonomy
4:21 Competence
5:47 Relatedness
7:42 Conclusion

Often just looking at this list of three pillars of motivation, one becomes apparent as lacking on your team. If so, start focusing there first. But don’t neglect the others. Individuals need all three to feel optimally motivated, and a team needs all three in order to do its best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Teams today are asked to do more and more with less and less. The demands on their time have only increased. And so has their uncertainty. That leads to a lot of stress, potential setbacks, and failures. Overcoming these obstacles requires building a resilient team.

And that starts with understanding what a makes a resilient team. Resilience isn’t toughness. Resilience isn’t about continuing to take punches. It’s not about bouncing back. It’s about the ability to bounce forward. Resilience is the ability to assess, adapt, recover, and grow from challenges.

In this episode, we’ll outline the four building blocks of resilient teams.

0:00 Introduction
1:28 Awareness
3:21 Framing
4:39 Exposure
6:46 Recovery
9:18 Conclusion

While it may at first seem like a linear process, growing a team’s resilience through these four building blocks is actually more simultaneous. Resilient leaders monitor how a team is doing on all four dimensions at once and make adjustments accordingly. But those little adjustments compound and grow, and the team’s resilience grows alongside it—which sets the team up to do its best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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One of the great mysteries of the modern workplace is that we still assess performance on an individual level, when so much of one’s ability to produce results depends on their team. Work is teamwork. Which means that how well a team communicates and collaborates has a significant impact on how well individuals perform.

As a team leader, that makes coordinating collaboration a key part of your role. And the tool most team leaders use for coordination is the team’s weekly meeting. This is where teammates “work out loud” and communicate not just their status update, but where they need help and any project pivots they’ve had to undertake. Some teams use a more or less frequent rhythm than weekly, but all high-performing teams use some regular meeting to synchronize their work.

In this episode, we’ll cover the five key items to cover in a team’s weekly meeting.

0:00 Introduction
1:23 Wins
2:23 Status Update
3:37 Priorities
5:46 Roadblocks
8:23 Purpose
9:55 Conclusion

Following a template like this ensures that the weekly team meeting keeps everyone synced together, keeps them focused on what matters, and reminds them why their work matters. And that’s enough to help any team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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High-performing teams didn’t just perform a little better, they performed up to ten times better than normal teams.

And the explanations for it hint at more secrets. High-performing teams don’t get these results because they act a little different. They do several key things totally differently. In this episode, we’ll outline four secrets that high-performing teams know that normal teams tend to lack.

0:00 Introduction

1:28 Work Out Loud

2:37 Understand Differences

4:02 Build Trust

5:13 Reinforce Purpose

6:54 Conclusion

And while purpose gets reinforced on a regular basis, all of these secrets are self-reinforcing. They’re not single actions conducted once and expected to last. Instead, they’re habits performed on a regular basis. As teams continue to act, they continue to improve and even when it seems they’re doing their best work ever—it just gets better.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Anyone can be placed in a leadership role. In most organizations, the reward for being an outstanding individual contributor is to be promoted into leading a team of other individual contributors. But those leaders often find that the skills that made them great employees aren’t as helpful when leading great employees (or even mediocre ones). As Marshall Goldsmith famously says, "what got you here, won’t get you there."

Being successful as a leader requires developing a certain set of new skills. These skills that may or may not have been a part of any "leadership training" program you’ve attended. In this article, we'll review five skills leaders need to develop in order to be successful—and five skills aspiring leaders should make a point to develop before stepping into their first leadership role.

0:00 Introduction

1:02 Relationship Building

2:18 Creative Thinking

4:10 Active Listening

5:32 Critical Thinking

6:56 Meaning Making

8:15 Conclusion

It’s rare that leaders arrive in their first role with these skills. They take time to develop. And that means great leaders don't stop developing these skills after a certain level in the organization or years of experience. Great leaders are always learning and always developing. What got them into leadership may not get them any further. But, developing these skills will. And these skills will build teams that are better equipped to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Leaders are constant learners. Or rather, good leaders are constant learners. And aspiring leaders need to be consistent learners as well. Growing into a leadership role requires you to develop leadership skills. And growing from a new leader to a great leader requires you to continue to develop your leadership skills.

But development is often one of the first activities sacrificed by the needs of the moment. New problems to solve and new tasks to complete steal time away from developing your leadership skills. But many of those “urgent” activities also present opportunities to practice your leadership skills—especially if you’re not currently in a leadership role.

In this episode, we’ll outline six ways to develop leadership skills that often present themselves during your day-to-day work.

0:00 Introduction

0:56 Be Disciplined

2:01 Take Initiative

3:11 Listen Well

4:02 Handle Conflicts

5:14 Offer Help

6:42 Keep Learning

7:32 Conclusion

It's worth pointing out that the word “keep” in “keep learning” could really be applied to the five other skills as well. Keep increasing discipline and taking initiative. Keep handling conflicts and offering help. Keep growing and developing and you’ll keep expanding your leadership potential. Poor leaders think they’re done learning once they’ve got the job. Great leaders know if they keep growing, there’s no limit on their leadership. And that means there’s no limit on the ways they can lead a team to do its best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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The vast majority of work today is done in teams. And that makes collaboration and teamwork all the more important. But we have a tendency to think of team building exercises as one-and-done events—ropes courses or personality tests that happen every so often, usually if there’s extra budget that needs to be spent before the end of the fiscal year.

But team building isn’t an activity, it’s a habit. Team building happens every day as norms of behavior are established. Team building exercises, if they’re to be truly meaningful, need to take this reality into account.

In this episode, we’ll outline four powerful team building exercises that can be done on a regular basis, and ideally are habitual, in order to build your best team ever.

0:00 Introduction

1:31 Team Charters

3:51 Failure Funerals

5:31 Gratitude Rituals

6:51 Free Time

8:34 Conclusion

The key to making these team building exercises so powerful is doing them on a regular basis. Ideally, teams could try each one and see which was most effective. But then commit to making them habitual. Doing so will create a virtuous cycle of team cohesion and collaboration as it builds toward a team culture where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Have you ever worked for a team of strangers?

Not literal strangers. Outside of maybe being an extra on a film set, it’s highly unlikely you showed up for work day after day not knowing anyone. But a team of strangers meaning a team that just refuses to bond or hasn’t been given a chance to bond. It’s draining to work on a team that just doesn’t connect with each other.

How teams bond has a dramatic effect on how well they work. Research shows that team bonding significantly enhances the performance of teams. Moreover, feeling like you are part of a team can significantly enhance your individual performance as well.

In this episode, we’ll outline four ways teams bond and offer suggestions to kickstart that method whether you’re in a leadership role or just a member desperate to turn your group from strangers into a well-functioning team.

0:00 Introduction

1:25 Uncommon Commonalities

3:35 Regular Rituals

5:24 Shared Pain

7:08 Prosocial Purpose

8:31 Conclusion

It’s tempting to think of these as one-time actions, or perhaps a few time actions. But the truth is that bonding a team takes time and takes repetition. Just as regular rituals have to be done, regularly, so do the other methods in this article. Teams need to be regularly reminded of their purpose, and past pain. Teams need to have regular moments of “hanging out” in order to build uncommon commonalities. The more repetitions, the more the bonding, and eventually the better performance on a team—a team so bonded they can’t help but do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Everybody feels stuck at work from time to time. You feel like you don’t enjoy doing the work. You feel like you’re not growing, or like you’re not challenged anymore. According to a study by Oracle, more than 75% of people feel “stuck” personally and professionally. That’s led directly to a phenomenon called “quiet quitting” — what we used to call disengagement. Too many people have already quit but keep showing up for the paycheck.

And when you think about getting unstuck in your career, you might default to looking for new work. But there’s an alternative. You chose that job for a reason. And often the secret to getting unstuck in your career isn’t to look for new work, but to look at your work with new eyes. To rediscover the reason you chose that job.

In this article, we’ll examine six ways to get unstuck in your career mostly by re-examining something about your current job.

0:00 Introduction

1:51 Find New Inputs

3:26 Focus On Your Who

4:47 Volunteer For New Tasks

6:08 Reshuffle Your Personal Board Of Directors

7:43 Talk To Your Boss

9:15 Make A Move

10:38 Conclusion

Five of these six tactics work because they’re not about changing the external, they’re about changing the internal. The secret to getting unstuck is rarely to change your job; it’s much more often to change yourself—to find new ways to feel motivated and new challenges to take on, which will help you do your best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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There are a lot of bad bosses out there. In a recent survey, the majority of workers reported they either had worked or currently work for a micromanager. And micromanagers aren’t the only types of bad bosses out there. So, it’s safe to assume a significant percentage of bosses are…less than ideal.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth about bad bosses. Most of them don’t know they’re bad. Most of them don’t think they’re bad. And in fact, most of them aren’t bad. They just need to shift their style a little bit.

Leaders are constantly balancing two tensions on the culture of their teams. One tension is between people and productivity—how much do we emphasis tasks and objectives and how much do we focus on people? The second tension is between rules and risk—how much do I enforce the letter of the law and how much do I trust my team to take risks?

And bad bosses are usually just overemphasizing one of these elements. That overemphasis creates four distinct types of bad bosses. And in this episode, we’ll review all four and offer some suggestions on how to keep things in balance.

0:00 Introduction

1:43 Toxic Boss

2:44 Mediocre Manager

3:52 Micromanager

5:12 Anarchist

7:28 Conclusion

Positive leaders hit the sweet spot. They balance the tension between productivity and people, and the tension between rules and risk. And they keep some flexibility to move based on the situation or individuals on the team, but they know that the goal is balance and so even if they overemphasize one element for a time, they bring it back to balance as soon as possible. Great teams keep the same elements in balance as well. And that balance lets everyone on the team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Teamwork requires communication. Communication is the lifeblood of a team. It’s how leaders and teams coordinate what needs to be done, who needs to do it, and how all those various tasks fit into the broad whole of collaboration. As a leader, communication skills are arguably the most important skills to develop. And if you’re an aspiring leader, you’ll need to improve your communication skills before you even find yourself in a leadership role.

In this episode, we’ll outline four ways to improve your communication skills and hence 4 ways to grow in your ability to lead.

0:00 Introduction

0:56 Listen Actively

3:19 Talk Narratively

4:51 Stand Confidently

6:18 Setup Generously

7:31 Conclusion

All four of these methods will improve your communication skills, but it’s worth circling back to the very first method again. Because without active listening, the rest of these methods become hard to implement. You need to listen actively to uncover what they think and decide how to talk narratively. You need to listen actively in order to feel confident sending your message. And you need to listen actively in order to set other parties up generously. So, while you could work on any of these four methods, it’s best to start by working on active listening. Leaders who actively listen communicate better and build teams that communicate better. And that helps everyone do, their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Onboarding has become a rather sterile term. It began as a recognition that how employees start in a new company, or a new role, can have a dramatic effect on their performance, engagement, and even their tenure. But gradually more and more demands started to be added to the process—legal requirements, mandatory trainings, pages after pages of employee handbooks. And without warning what started as a cause for celebration turned into a cascade of contract signing.

But a growing body of research suggests that what employees truly need to for successful onboarding is to prioritize connection to their coworkers over documentation and contracting. And further research reveals that getting employees to feel a sense of progress in their role and get them engaged quickly.

With those two goals in mind, here are several tactics you can use to make new employees feel welcome, connected, and making progress.

0:00 Introduction

1:15 Send A Teaser Email

2:19 Provide An “Enter-view”

3:34 Give Them A Win Right Away

4:41 Personalize Their Welcome Gift

6:28 Hold A Farewell Check-In

7:28 Schedule One Week, One Month Check-Ins

8:21 Conclusion

There are two commonalities behind all these tactics. The first is that they recognize the uniqueness of the new hires and the individual contribution they make to the team. The second is that offer opportunities for personal connections and check-ins to see how team fit is going. People want to that makes an impact, and to do it on teams that recognize that impact. And when leaders spend the first day emphasizing that impact and those connections, it sets up new hires to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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It’s difficult to stay motivated at work in almost every job. In some ways, fading motivation is inevitable. Research on flow states and eustress suggest that humans are highly motivated when there’s a perfect balance between the skills they have and the demands of the job. But getting into that balance is tricky.

When you’re starting a new job, the demands are high and your skill levels are likely not suited to it. You’re overwhelmed. But as you grow and develop in the role you grow toward that balance of being challenged, but challenged with tasks you feel you can achieve. You’re motivated and “in the zone.” But, as you keep growing, if you keep being tasked with the same old demands, you’ll end up underwhelmed, bored, and unmotivated.

And this is where most people start looking for a new job. But before you do, there’s a few tricks you can try to stay motivated at work.

0:00 Introduction

2:01 Build Feedback Systems

3:37 Track Progress And Achievement

4:49 Use A Commitment Device

6:35 Make It More Social

8:05 Discover The Real Purpose

9:40 Conclusion

All five of these tricks will help you stay motivated at work, but you don’t need to implement all five. Experiment. Start with one trick, see what effect it has on you and either do it more or do something else. But keep experimenting until you find yourself re-motivated at work and doing your best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Do you know if you’re a micromanager as a leader? Do you know if your people consider you a micromanager? The tricky thing about micromanagement is that its universally frowned upon, but not universally defined or acknowledged. In other words, everyone agrees micromanagers are bad—but no one is willing to admit they are one. A recent poll found that 55 percent of employees surveyed believed their boss was a micromanager. If the majority of people believe they’re being micromanaged, there’s a good chance most bosses have micromanager-like tendencies.

So, are you a micromanager?

In this article, we’ll review five questions you can ask of yourself or your team to discover if you’re actually a micromanager.

0:00 Introduction

1:25 Question 1

2:48 Question 2

4:38 Question 3

5:51 Question 4

7:30 Question 5

8:52 Conclusion

It is impossible to be a micromanager and convey trust. Those who are micromanaged feel they are untrusted—and that’s why it’s so important to self-reflect on these questions and see if you have micromanager like tendencies. In doing so, you’ll probably find a few tweaks to your management style that will be more empowering and help your people do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

If you’re doing your job well as a leader, then you’re going to grow your team and yourself. That means that people are going to grow out of your team into new roles on new teams. And one of those people will eventually be you. You’re going to grow out of that leadership role.

But how well you handle the transition—how well you step down from a leadership position and enter the new one—is going to have a big effect on your future leadership.

In this episode, we’ll outline how to step down from a leadership position professionally. We’ll cover how to quit in a way that respects your team, sets them up for success, and helps you enter your new position well.

0:00 Introduction

1:28 Prepare your resignation letter

2:55 Get right to the conversation

3:51 Get clear on the details

5:18 Break the news to the team

6:23 Bring your manager or the new leader on the call

7:28 Explain how you want to stay in touch

8:44 Leave time for conversation

9:50 Conclusion

While the promise of this article is that you’ll have resigned professionally, you’ll find that these steps also help you resign legally. Because they help you say good-bye to your team humanely. You said good-bye in a way that helped them mourn what was and focus on the future—a future where you and they are setup to do your best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

John Maxwell famously said, “everything rises and falls on leadership.”

Although research offers a more nuanced picture.

For an organization to succeed, it takes a variety of contributions from talented individuals at all levels. But when leaders fail, the whole organization can indeed fall.

In this episode, we’ll review several reasons why leaders fail. Failure is feedback. Failure is a great teacher. And for current and aspiring leaders, the failures of leaders past can be a great teacher at discounted tuition. It’s popular and easy to study successful leaders, but you learn a lot more a lot faster when you study why leaders fail.

0:00 Introduction

1:10 Stop Learning

3:05 Ignore Empathy

5:13 Lack Integrity

6:56 Play Favorites

9:04 Don’t Prioritize

10:47 Conclusion

While these reasons are the most common ones for leadership failure, they’re also the least complex. They’re relatively simple to avoid. Leaders that continue learning, that prioritize, or that enforce a fair standard are leaders who act simply but have a powerful effect on their team. They become leaders who create an environment where everyone works together better and feels they can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

There is a misconception about leadership that just won’t seem to go away. It’s the commonly held belief that the best leaders are charismatic and inspiring and hence, the best leaders are highly extroverted. Too many people still seem to believe that extroverts make better leaders than introverts. In a survey of senior corporate executives, 65% viewed introversion as a barrier to leadership. And in what I am sure is a total coincidence, that same percentage is also the number of extroverts in senior leadership roles.

But introverts are great leaders too. Introverted but well-regarded leaders include Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks and Mahatma Gandhi. And beyond the anecdotal examples, there’s solid research suggesting introverts are quiet, but powerful leaders. Research from Adam Grant, Francesca Gino, and David Hoffman found that introverted leaders performed significantly better than extroverted leaders, especially when leading teams of proactive, extroverted people.

In this episode, we’ll review four of the reasons introverts are great leaders.

0:00 Introduction

2:49 Introverted leaders are better listeners.

3:42 Introverted leaders are more accepting.

4:53 Introverted leaders put others first.

5:59 Introverted leaders build proactive teams.

7:10 Conclusion

In the end, who wouldn’t want to work for a more accepting, better listening leader who puts the team first? But while these tendencies show themselves more often in introverts, they’re not exclusive to them. Extroverts can develop these leadership skills as well, but they may have to work a little harder to suppress the natural instincts that may inhibit these skills. Regardless of your personality type, these are skills to continue to grow and develop. In the process, you’ll become a better leader and lead a team more likely to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

The future of work is teams. That’s a trend that’s been around for a long time.

Jobs that could have been alone at one time or another happen more efficiently and at higher quality because we work in teams. The easy problems in work and in life that could have at one time been solved by a lone genius are gone. Only complex problems that require creativity at the team level remain.

So, if the future of work is teams, it’s worth examining the future of teamwork. And here, there are several trends worth focusing on that will dictate how teams will work, and how they’ll work best, in the future.

In this article, we’ll review four trends shaping the future of teamwork as well as what leaders need to do to respond to these changes.

0:00 Introduction

1:24 Team culture matters more than company culture

3:18 Teamwork stays virtual, even if people are back in the office

5:05 Teams are built by the project, not the position

6:34 Teamwork grows more boundary less

8:32 Conclusion

Most of these trends have been in existence for a long time, but all of these trends have accelerated in the past few years. All four have reached a speed where they can’t be ignored. Leaders who ignore these trends will feel their influence diminish. But leaders who adapt themselves and their people to these trends will help their whole team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Culture is a huge factor in the success or failure of a team. There are cultures so focused on performance and talent that they leave everyone drained. And then there are cultures where individual members, no matter how talented, put the needs of the team over their needs and, as a result, everyone wins.

But there’s a lot we misunderstand about culture. When you hear many people describe their culture, they point to easily observable elements like symbols, slogans, dress code, foosball tables, or free food. But going all the way back to Edgar Schein’s initial research on culture, we find that those observable elements don’t matter as much as we think. It’s what’s below the surface that matters.

Culture on a team isn’t anything you can see or hear; it’s what those observable things point to that matters.

The foundational elements of culture are values and beliefs, and observable elements like rituals, rallying cries, and symbols flow from there. In this episode, we’ll outline how to build a team culture starting below the surface with what matters and build upon that foundation.

0:00 Introduction

2:16 Values

3:45 Beliefs

5:05 Rituals

6:29 Rallying Cries

7:46 Symbols

9:25 Conclusion

It starts with values and beliefs. And leaders of teams with a strong and positive culture put in the work to clarify values and beliefs. The know that putting values first makes culture building happen faster and makes it more likely they’ll build a culture that helps everyone do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Teamwork is impossible without communication. Teams have to share information; they have to share ideas. Without communication, teams can’t coordinate tasks. They can’t help each other; they can’t do anything other than work alone in silence.

Since communication is so vital to teamwork, it’s no surprise that the quality of communication affects the level of performance of a team so strongly. There’s a big difference between communication on an average team and communication on a high performing one. So, it’s worth examining what high performing teams do differently in terms of communication. Fortunately, researchers have been studying those differences on teams large and small for several decades now.

In this article, we’ll outline four differences in how great teams communicate.

0:00 Introduction

1:24 Great teams communicate equally

2:38 Great teams communicate informally

4:06 Great teams communicate externally

5:19 Great teams communicate in bursts

6:17 Conclusion

Many average teams communicate in one of these four methods, so some of this may sound familiar. But other methods may seem downright odd. Each communication method, however, has been shown to enhance collaboration. And when all four combine you have a team that’s using their best communication ever to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Communication is the lifeblood of any relationship. And that’s especially true for the leader-teammate relationship. How well leaders communicate with their subordinates affects how motivated and productive they are. And how well leaders communicate with their entire team affects how the team members communicate with each other…as well as how motivated and productive they are.

So, if you want to be effective as a leader, you’ll need to communicate effectively at work.

But a big obstacle to achieving that is misunderstanding the nature of communication itself. Effective communication isn’t one problem to solve. It’s two.

There’s effective asynchronous communication and effective synchronous communication. And the rules for each vary just like the method of communication varies. In this article, we’ll outline the difference between the two, and how to be effective at each one.

0:00 Introduction

1:32 Asynchronous

5:12 Synchronous

9:07 Conclusion

In both forms of communication, and both tips for each form, there’s a common thread. None of these tips are about using your preferred methods or styles of communication. Instead, they’re about playing to the preferences of the receivers—your teammates—or at giving everyone a chance to receive via their preference some of the time. Effective communicators know it’s not about them, it’s about the receiver of the information. In doing so, they send some of their best communication ever—and that allows their team to do its best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Trust makes a massive difference on the performance of teams. And that fact has been found in research on teamwork over and over. For example, a 2011 study of nearly 200 teams from the United States and Hong Kong, found that when trust went up, so did performance. In a way, trust on a team acts as a social lubricant. When teams trust each other, the social frictions are reduced, which makes it easier to collaborate and easier to share one’s true perspective on any challenges the team faces.

Without trust, people hold back their brilliance. They don’t share their unique perspectives and insights. With trust, those hesitations disappear and ideas and information flow freely. Teams with trust explore more possibilities than teams without trust. And teams with trust willingly put forward their ideas and aid to others on the team. Trust even makes working on a team more enjoyable. But building trust on a team can be mysterious for many leaders.

One overlooked reason is that there isn’t just one form of trust that matters on a team: there’s two. In the 2011 study mentioned above, researchers John Schaubroeck, Simon Lam, and Ann Chunyan Peng distinguished two types of trust: cognition-based trust and affect-based trust. And it’s worth examining each in turn before considering how to build trust on a team.

0:00 Introduction

1:44 Cognition-Based Trust

5:42 Affect-Based Trust

9:00 Conclusion

Both forms of trust are important, but you’re probably wondering if the study examined differences between cognition-based and affect-based trust. And indeed, it did. While cognition-based trust increased performance, affect-based trust increased it significantly more. And that’s a lesson worth remembering. Because many team leaders focus on the project and what it takes to help people work better. So they build cognition-based trust. But focusing on the people, and helping them build affect-based trust, is what helps people do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

There’s a lot to think about as a leader. There are goals to pursue. There are people to manage. And every day new problems arise that make pursuing those goals or supporting those people more difficult. Amid all these demands, it can be difficult to think any more deeply than just reacting to the moment.

Leaders know they need to think strategically, but often don’t know how to find the time to do so.

But strategic thinking isn’t about carving out large blocks of time to ponder problems. Instead, often it’s about reframing existing situations—asking new questions that promote new ways of thinking.

So, in this episode, we’ll review five relatively simple questions leaders need to ask often to develop the habit of thinking more strategically.

0:00 Introduction

1:04 What are the real priorities?

2:30 What does success look like?

3:52 What obstacles will we face?

5:05 What resources do we need?

6:19 Who else do we need?

7:58 Conclusion

Ideally, these are five questions to be asked at the beginning of every new project. It may seem like thinking through each of these every time will require a lot of time. But if you focus on the first question first, and identify the real priorities, then you’ll find you can save some time by offloading nonurgent, unimportant tasks. And that time saved can be time spent thinking about the other four. And over time, these questions will become second nature and require less time to ponder. When that happens, you’ll think more strategically as a leader and your team will be more able to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Teamwork may indeed make the dream work, but teams that lack a teamwork culture can be a nightmare. Pick your sport, and you can find a professional team that focused on acquiring talented players but failed to get the results their bulging salary budget should have brought. And the reason teams of star players fail more often than they should most often comes down to culture. Or at least, that those star players don’t want to be part of a team-oriented culture. Instead, they want to shine on their own.

The same is true of many organizations. Research suggests that just trying to capture talent while ignoring teamwork culture often leads to star performers failing to perform up to expectations. Culture makes the difference.

In this episode, we’ll review how to create a teamwork culture so that your team can ignore this fate.

0:00 Introduction

1:17 Hold Huddles

3:02 Find Uncommon Commonalities

5:01 Get Vulnerable

6:21 Create Civility

7:41 Reinforce Purpose

8:53 Conclusion

This list might seem overwhelming at first. But the best teams do something similar to all of these. That doesn’t mean they have to do it all at once, but leaders should get started working toward all of them, Fortunately, as these habits are built, the team starts to take over responsibility for continuing the trend, which means leaders can focus on the next one and the next one. Overtime, these habits form the culture of the team—a culture steeped in teamwork and a culture where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

In a time when most organizations are struggling to attract and retain talent, one simple intervention can help reduce turnover dramatically. Despite their infrequent use, stay interviews are a powerful tool for helping managers keep top talent on their team and keep everyone engaged. In one study, conducting stay interviews in the burnout filled halls of a hospital was found to reduce turnover by 40 percent.

Stay interviews are modeled after exit interviews—a common practice in large organizations where departing employees are interviewed about their experience by someone from Human Resources (or occasionally their manager). But exit interviews have it backwards. If you want people to stay on the team, or in the company, then why wait until they’re leaving to discover how to make their job better?

In this article, we’ll cover how to conduct stay interviews including how to get ready for one, and five powerful questions you can ask.

0:00 Introduction

2:30 What do you look forward to when you start your workday?

3:18 What are you learning in your job?

3:53 Why do you stay with us?

4:52 When was the last time you thought about leaving?

6:07 What can I do to make your job better?

7:11 Conclusion

When the stay interview is over, thank them for being a part of it. Then take some time to reflect on their answers. But make sure to reconnect with them a week or so later and reiterate your appreciation and share your ideas for what changes you can make. Every interview conducted should uncover a few changes, and those few changes will add up and help them and the team do its best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Failure is inevitable. Projects fall apart. Clients leave. Sometimes circumstances outside of the team’s control doom them to failure. But every failure creates an option. Teams can take the loss at face value. Or learn from it and get better.

Reflection on failure can be a powerful growth tool for individuals and teams. In one study, having participants spend just 15 minutes a day reflecting on their work increased performance by 20 percent compared to just spending the same 15 minutes working. And for teams, the benefits compound.

So, in this episode, we’ll explore how to reflect and learn from failure by outlining how to conduct an after action review with your team. This review should generally happen at the end of a project or a pivotal milestone. And generally, it centers around five key questions that get discussed as a team.

0:00 Introduction

1:26 What was our intended result?

2:30 What was the actual result?

3:24 Why were they different?

5:05 What will we do the same next time?

5:58 What will we do differently next time?

6:52 Conclusion

For each of these questions, answers need to be documented and saved so that they can be reviewed at the start of new projects. Otherwise, people begin to forget the lessons learned and drift back to the old ways of working. But the purpose of an after action review is to change those old ways of working. Because the old ways of working don’t bring a team any closer to doing its best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

You don’t need a title to be a leader. But, it helps.

And for many aspiring leaders, getting noticed and seen as a potential new leader in an organization can be difficult. There are ways to demonstrate leadership skills outside of a formal leadership role, but those skills won’t necessarily bring the position unless noticed. Some organizations have “high potential” programs to identify and develop new leaders, but others don’t—and instead rely on individuals to prove themselves by creating their own development program.

To help with your personal development program, in this article we’ll review four questions you need to ask yourself if you want to become a leader. The answers to these questions will put you in a position to get a leadership position.

0:00 Introduction

1:04 Why do want to be a leader?

2:59 What leadership skills to you lack?

4:57 What can I add to the team?

6:09 How can I stay stop of mind?

7:47 Conclusion

Preparing for a leadership role is a continuous process. It involves not only continuing to grow and develop but also continuing to document that growth. Documentation is especially important since your first chance at a leadership position is likely outside of your current organization. And if that happens, know that it’s not a betrayal to the place that helped you develop. Smart leaders know not everyone can stay forever. Instead, they’re excited about your new chance to grow into a leadership role and lead a team toward doing their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

One of the biggest factors in helping a team collaborate optimally is the level of trust on the team. The extent to which team members feel safe to express themselves, believe their colleagues will deliver on promises, and trust their leader to lead can have a massive effect on their ultimate performance.

And as we know from research, trust is a reciprocal process. When one person acts with trust, the other feels trusted and responds with greater trust. But that virtuous cycle can turn into a vicious one when trust is broken. When trust is broken, either by leadership actions or by allowing a team members actions, it can be difficult to build it back. But there’s a few actions leaders can take to rebuild trust faster after the breach.

So in this episode, we’ll outline how to rebuild trust on a team through five steps that help kick start a new virtuous cycle of trust.

0:00 Introduction

1:45 Own The Failure

2:58 Understand The Consequences

3:58 Apologize

4:56 Outline The Correction

5:57 Ask For Help

7:10 Conclusion

While these steps will hasten the trust cycle, rebuilding trust still takes time. You can’t go through these steps and then pretend everything is back to normal. But by following these steps you’ll have gotten it started and you’ll have insight into where each member of the team is in terms of feeling trusted and trusting you and the team. And that will help you monitor how trust is building and how close the team is to getting back to doing their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Creativity is a team sport. It’s been that way for a long time. But the level of teamwork required to solve problems and find innovation has increased over the last decade and even century. Most of the simple problems of the world have been solved, and the ones that remain are too often too complex to be solved by any lone, individual genius.

But not all teams fair equally when it comes to creative tasks, because many team leaders are better prepared to lead teams where the work is simple and easy to define. When reaching team goals is ambiguous and requires more creative thinking it also requires a different type of leadership.

In this episode, we’ll outline those differences. We’ll cover five ways to lead creative teams.

0:00 Introduction

1:27 Show Them The Constraints

2:49 Support Their Ideas

3:55 Teach Them To Fight Right

5:00 Test What You Can

6:05 Celebrate Their Failures

7:43 Conclusion

All five of these methods shouldn’t be looked at as a linear process. Creativity is an iterative process of ideation, testing, failure, learning, ideation, and more testing and failure. The best leaders know the goal isn’t to get it done, but to keep getting better. And that goes for the creative process, but also the team culture. The goal is to keep getting better until everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

One of the biggest factors in helping a team collaborate optimally is the level of trust on the team. The extent to which team members feel safe to express themselves, believe their colleagues will deliver on promises, and trust their leader to lead can have a massive effect on their ultimate performance.

And as we know from research, trust is a reciprocal process. When one person acts with trust, the other feels trusted and responds with greater trust. But that virtuous cycle can turn into a vicious one when trust is broken. When trust is broken, either by leadership actions or by allowing a team members actions, it can be difficult to build it back. But there’s a few actions leaders can take to rebuild trust faster after the breach.

So in this article, we’ll outline how to rebuild trust on a team through five steps that help kick start a new virtuous cycle of trust.

0:00 Introduction

1:45 Own The Failure

2:58 Understand The Consequences

3:58 Apologize

4:56 Outline The Correction

5:57 Ask For Help

7:10 Conclusion

While these steps will hasten the trust cycle, rebuilding trust still takes time. You can’t go through these steps and then pretend everything is back to normal. But by following these steps you’ll have gotten it started and you’ll have insight into where each member of the team is in terms of feeling trusted and trusting you and the team. And that will help you monitor how trust is building and how close the team is to getting back to doing their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

In this episode, we’ll outline how to fire an employee in a way that is specific, but humane. Research suggests that the boost in productivity from releasing a poor employee is larger than the boost gained from hiring a star player. And sometimes it’s not even about releasing a poor performer, there’s economic or industry specific reasons for having to lay off valued teammates—and it must be done gracefully.

0:00 Introduction

1:21 Do It In Person

2:31 Bring A Third Party

3:31 Lay It All Out

4:44 Offer Help, if applicable

6:03 Be Available Afterwards

7:15 Tell The Team

8:11 Forgive Yourself

9:01 Conclusion

These tactics won’t guarantee the conversation goes perfectly, but they will increase your odds of it going gracefully. And if followed, you’ll be amazed at how it can positively affect the team. Not only because you’re removing a poor player, but also because your team trusts that you will be respectful and professional in these difficult situations. And that level of trust will help everyone who is still on your team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Team alignment can make or break the success of any team. But many leaders struggle with how to build team alignment and so just assume that smooth running meetings and responsive teammates means team alignment. But that can be a big mistake, because even a small misalignment in the beginning can compound and create a devastating project breakdown.

Team alignment is a bit like the flight plan created by airplane crews before takeoff. Being a few degrees off course when leaving New York for Los Angeles might not seem like much, but over time those few degrees compound and can result in touching down in San Francisco, or Seattle, or the Pacific Ocean.

In this episode, we’ll outline four simple questions that can build team alignment and help create a team where everyone aspires to the same goal, knows their role in achieving that goal, and trusts their teammates to deliver on their roles as well.

0:00 Introduction

1:28 What do we intend to achieve?

2:32 Who will do what?

3:38 What resources do we need?

4:52 What could prevent us from succeeding

6:07 Conclusion

As you can tell from looking at these four questions, alignment isn’t a linear process. The answers to later questions will likely trigger the need to re-ask earlier questions. That’s okay. Because the circular nature of these questions mirrors the circular nature of project management. The difference is that these questions force teams to plan for resource constraints and setbacks now instead of finding them weeks or months into the project. Making a plan for those obstacles now is what keeps teams aligned. It’s what keeps them knowing the ultimate goal and their role in it. And that helps everyone the team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

According to the Gallup organization, only about 20 percent of adults report being highly engaged in their job. In the United States, the number rises slightly to about 30 percent. But that is still 7 out of 10 people who are missing out on an essential element of a positive working life.

And for many of this unsatisfied majority, the easiest solution seems to be quitting and trying again at another job. But there’s a lot more methods to attempt before going that route.

In this episode, we’ll outline how to love your job again through four proven methods you’ll want to try before you try working somewhere else.

0:00 Introduction

1:43 Connect To Customers

3:05 Claim More Control

4:38 Reframe Your Role

6:21 Block Bad Bosses

8:01 Conclusion

At first glance these methods might seem too simple to work. But a wealth of research into “job crafting” has shown that, while these methods and others like them seem simple, their effect on your mindset at work is significant. It may not happen right away, you may have to connect with multiple customers or volunteer for a few different tasks, but over time it will help remind you of what you enjoy about your job and give you opportunities to do more of it. And that will give you a much greater opportunity to do your best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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In this episode, we’ll outline the six ways leaders influence organizational culture. Leaders and researchers have engaged in a constant dialogue about the importance of culture, the ways to build culture, and the differences between a positive and toxic culture. But surprisingly little has been said about how leadership influences organizational culture.

It’s not that no one talks about it.

It’s just that most attempts at building a positive culture focus on visible artifacts or perks and benefit programs. But culture isn’t a foosball table in the office and it’s not your flashy new vacation policy. Those things can be important, but they don’t impact culture as much as the actions and behaviors of leaders at all levels.

0:00 Introduction

1:25 Who They Hire

2:30 What They Measure

3:40 How They React

4:56 What They Fund

6:21 How They Act

7:24 What They Reward

8:30 Conclusion

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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There aren’t a lot of jobs left that people can do in complete isolation. There aren’t a lot of problems left that can be solved by lone geniuses. Performance is a team sport, one that requires we help each other.

You shouldn’t be hesitant to ask for help, and you can’t escape having to ask for it. So, in this episode, we’ll outline how to ask for help at work in a way that boosts your chances of getting it.

0:00 Introduction

2:00 Don’t Fear Rejection

2:47 Be Specific

3:39 Ask One Person

4:43 Ask In-Person

5:53 Don’t Make It Weird

7:10 Thank Them With Feedback

8:16 Conclusion

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Just because you don’t have a title, doesn’t mean you’re not a leader. But if you want to someday gain that title, and the position of team leader or manager, then there’s a dilemma you’ll have to reconcile. You’ll have to be able to demonstrate leadership at work to the people who make promotion decisions, without having had a leadership role to point to.

But working on any team creates leadership moments that you’ve probably seized upon in the past, you just may not have known about them. Or, you may not have recognized them.

So in this article, we’ll outline five ways to demonstrate leadership at work so that you can recognize those moments, act on them, and use them to make the argument on why you’re the leader people are looking for.

0:00 Introduction

1:10 Take Responsibility

2:20 Include Others

3:34 Speak Up

4:54 Ask Questions

5:55 Deliver

7:05 Conclusion

These five activities aren’t just about being noticed during leadership moments, they’re also about gaining news skills by creating your own leadership development program. That will give you something to talk about in an interview, but more importantly it’ll give you new tools that will help you work better. And you’ll become a leader, even without a title, who helps the whole team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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. 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/keynotespeaker/

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Bad bosses are a sad reality of working life. Hopefully, you’ve never had to deal with toxic leadership. But if you’re reading this, you probably have. It seems like toxic leaders are far too common in organizations of all sizes. So in this episode, we’ll outline six ways to deal with toxic leadership—and we’ll save the most obvious tactic (leaving) for last.

0:00 Introduction

1:33 Set Boundaries

2:52 Document Actions

4:10 Build Support

5:06 Avoid Drama

6:15 Step Up

8:12 Leave

9:31 Conclusion

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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High performing talent can make or break a project’s success—or an entire organization’s success. Recent research suggests that high performers aren’t just a little bit more productive, they are drastically more productive than average. One study found high performers created 400 percent more value than their average counterparts.

But it’s not enough to merely attract high performers and set them loose. Even the best employees need support and supervision from their leaders.

In this episode, we’ll outline how to manage high performers with six tactics any leader can apply that make a big difference in turning potential into productivity.

0:00 Introduction

1:22 Give Expectations Clearly

2:12 Offer Autonomy Openly

3:37 Adjust Workload Accordingly

5:05 Talk Development Frequently

6:33 Give Feedback Regularly

7:25 Promote Purpose Prosocially

9:14 Conclusion

At first glance, these six tactics may not seem unique to high performers. It may seem like every employee would respond well to these tactics. And that’s true. These tactics speak to the core of what motivates and empowers everyone. But high performers know a secret that many of their colleagues have yet to learn. They know that they need the company less than the company needs them. And so, they’re more likely to leave quickly if they’re not being motivated or empowered. Recognizing this, the smartest leaders turn these six tactics into regular habits. And in doing so they build a team where everyone—whether high performers or future high performers—can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Employee engagement has been a hot topic for several decades. And for good reason. Business teams with highly engaged employees have a 59 percent lower turnover rate than those with less engaged staff. Highly engaged teams are 17 percent more productive. Engaged teams receive 10 percent higher customer reviews. And yes, businesses with engaged employees have higher profit margins than non-engaged competitors.

But getting employees to feel engaged is no small feat. Even how to measure employee engagement can be a difficult question to answer for many leaders. But there are good reasons to try. Measuring employee engagement helps identify cultural strengths for the organization. Done well measuring employee engagement builds trust through the company. And measuring employee engagement helps understand and respond to potential trends, both in the organization and across the industry.

In this episode, we’ll outline how to measure employee engagement through the most commonly used method and offer the strengths and weaknesses of each method.

0:00 Introduction

1:26 Surveys

3:50 Proxies

7:35 Interviews

9:37 Conclusion

While all three methods are a way to measure employee engagement, it’s not enough to merely measure. We measure things so we can improve them. So once the measurement is done, leaders need to have a plan in place make progress. That plan should include sharing out the results of the measurement and sharing the lessons learned from analyzing those results. In addition, leaders should share what changes are planned based on those lessons. And while it doesn’t need to be shared, it’s worth thinking ahead of time how the effects of those changes will be themselves be measured.

Done well, these measurements and the resulting plans will create an environment where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

View Details

Dealing with difficult employees is unavoidable. But the good news is that taking the time to deal with a difficult employee can have a dramatically positive effect on the team. According to Harvard Business School professors Michael Housman and Dylan Minor, the productivity boost gained from removing toxic employees is greater than any boost gained from adding a star performer.

In this episode, we’ll lay out a five-step process to help deal with a difficult employee.

0:00 Introduction

1:57 Identify The Problem

3:46 Examine It Closer

4:51 Give Direct Feedback

5:45 Explain The Consequences

6:55 Document Everything

9:07 Conclusion

While these five steps may make the process easier, dealing with difficult employees is hard. It’s difficult and its’s draining. So, remember to give yourself some grace as well. No one handles it perfectly, and good leaders likely don’t want to become good at this part of their job. But it can’t be ignored. If it is, it will fester and infect the team. But if it is dealt with, it’ll improve the morale and performance of the team. It will help that difficult employee and the whole team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Most leaders agree on the importance of building a positive organizational culture. Positive organizational cultures come from the accumulation of positive team cultures. Most employees’ experience of work is really the experience of working with the teams they serve on. So, teaching team leaders how to shape team culture will have the largest impact on creating a positive organizational culture overall.

In this episode, we’ll review four actions team leaders can take to build a positive team culture.

0:00 Introduction

1:47 Foster Connection

3:14 Show Empathy

4:19 Offer Help

5:38 Encourage Candor

7:15 Conclusion

These four actions put teams well on their way to a more positive culture. But it won’t happen overnight. These are not one-and-done actions, but rather habits of leaders that develop into team norms of behavior. When done consistently, these actions compound and make team culture more positive which compounds and makes the entire organizational culture more positive and shapes it into a place where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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In this episode, we’ll review five methods leaders can use to keep high performers motivated and achieving.

0:00 Introduction

1:10 Sharing Meaning

2:30 Building Connection

3:53 Creating Safety

4:56 Giving Autonomy

6:11 Providing Growth

7:30 Conclusion

What all five of these methods have in common is that they require a mindset shift. Just as organizations need to recognize that high performers don’t need organizations as much as organizations need them, smart leaders recognize that high performers don’t “work for” them. Instead, high performers—and all their people—work with them. Leaders’ core job is to get their people what they need to do their best work. And this servant leadership mentality helps them do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Critical thinking is one of the most critical skills for leaders. When it comes to making decisions, crafting strategy, or even just solving smaller problems, leaders are called on to think more critically than those they lead. And as the world becomes more complex, thinking critically has never been more important.

In this episode, we’ll outline four ways leaders can think more critically.

0:00 Introduction

1:17 Borrow Diverse Brains

2:32 Question Your Assumptions

3:45 Find The Right Question

4:41 Consider The Implications

5:48 Conclusion

When you consider all four tactics listed above, you start to notice something ironic. While these tactics are a part of metacognition—hinking about thinking— they don’t really seem like thinking at all. They seem like habits. They seem like skills that ought to be developed and then employed often. And that’s the best way to look at them. If you use them once, you may stumble into a better solution than before. But if you use them often, you’ll be leading your team and the whole organization down a path to improvement—a path where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

//MUSIC

"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

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Appreciation is an underutilized part of organizational life.

It’s not that leaders think they don’t need to make employees feel appreciated. Most are in agreement that showing appreciation for great work is key to a positive organizational culture. And the research supports that belief. But most organizations equate appreciation with rewards. They create bonus structures and gift-giving programs. But most research shows its expressions of gratitude that move the needle on feeling appreciated. And while saying something heartfelt while giving your team new coffee mugs might have some effect, it’s the day-to-day ways leaders express gratitude that really matter.

So in this episode, we’ll review four ways leaders can help make employees feel appreciated—we’ll cover the research and some practical ways to get started.

0:00 Introduction

1:36 Touch Base Early And Often

2:47 Give Unscheduled Feedback

4:27 Be Flexible And Trust

5:29 Talk Growth

6:56 Conclusion

Unlike gifts or awards, these four methods are not one-time offerings to people. They’re habits. Their effects may feel minimal at first, but they will grow in potency over time. Leaders who make their employees feel appreciated do so over the long-haul. Because the way to let employees know you care and that you support them, is to show them a track record of care and support. And overtime, that will prove how much they’re appreciated. And over even more time, that appreciation will help employees do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

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Leaders are learners.

That's not really disputed. You have to be a pretty strong learner to even get into a leadership role. And most people agree that you have to be continuously learning as a leader as well.

The problem is that what is common knowledge is not always common practice. As the demands of the leadership role pile up, and the freely available time on the calendar shrink, it can become easy to cut learning from the schedule.

But what leaders who consistently excel know is that continuously learning has to be a priority. They know that resting on their past knowledge and foolishly believing they’ve learned enough is inviting disaster. Because as the world changes, leaders who rest on how much they know will find they know an awful lot about a world that doesn't exist anymore.

Learning doesn’t have to dominate a leader’s calendar, but it cannot be removed from it. And a few simple habits, practiced regularly, can dramatically increase how much learning leaders can find time for.

So, in this episode, we’ll outline four ways you can keep learning as a leader:

Linger On Failure

Stay Curious

Experiment

Cultivate Conflict

While these habits are simple to practice, they are not exactly comfortable—especially at first. It’s comfortable to be curious because curiosity comes with an admission that you don’t know something. It’s uncomfortable lingering on failure. It’s uncomfortable to hold yourself accountable for decisions or to cultivate conflict. But learning happens in discomfort. Discomfort is a sign that you’re growing. So, if you want to stay committed to keep learning as a leader, you're unfortunately going to have to stay committed to being uncomfortable as a leader as well. And if you do, you’ll keep growing into new and better ways to lead your team and you’ll keep creating an environment where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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/

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Many leaders struggle to give great feedback. The secret to giving great feedback is “don’t mix messages.” Give positive feedback and constructive feedback at different times and in different ways. And in this episode, we’ll review a few simple steps to make both positive and constructive feedback conversations less awkward and more productive.

Part of the reason giving great feedback is so uncomfortable for leaders is that it feels like judging people and not coaching them. And that’s why the closing moments of feedback are so important, whether it’s closing positive feedback with an explanation of why those actions are appreciated or closing constructive feedback with a comment on that person’s potential. Those final moments of the conversation make the difference between feedback that can be readily applied and feedback that’s quickly discarded. Giving great feedback is about the behavior, but it's also about why it’s so important to improve. Great feedback empowers everyone to do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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 organizations like Thinkers50, Global Gurus, and LeadersHum. 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

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How do you build a high performing team?

If you think like most people, you will start with acquisition. You will start by thinking about how you can convince higher performing people to join the team. But the truth is that the so called “War For Talent” this acquisition mindset kicked off wasn’t worth the cost. It’s not that there’s no such thing as high performing individuals, it’s that high performance is highly dependent on team dynamics. Research from Boris Groysberg and others found that most of individual performance was actually explained by the team dynamics, company resources, and a few other factors outside of the individual’s control.

In other words, talent doesn’t make the team. The team makes the talent.

And when you examine the inner workings of high performing teams, you start to see just how powerful team dynamics truly are. High performing teams do just about everything differently.

And in this episode, we’ll outline four specific behaviors high performing teams do differently, as well as the research that supports these behaviors, in order to help you transform the dynamics of your team.

0:00 Introduction

1:05 Bursty Communication

3:14 Respectful Conflict

5:45 Authentic Connection

7:15 Generous Appreciation

8:25 Conclusion

Modeling the way as a leader is a constant throughout these four behaviors. Because bursty communication requires a team leader who will model the way by structuring (and reducing) meetings to allow for it. Likewise, when conflict arises, teams are looking to the team leader to model the way in responding respectfully. And teams that build authentic connections have leaders who model the way by being authentically interested in the lives of their people. You could say that high performing teams do things differently, because they have leaders who do things differently. And in doing so, those leaders help the team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

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In this episode, we’ll review the four elements of a powerful mission statement and offer some powerful examples as well. Most mission statements aren’t all that inspiring. The committee-crafted, jargon laden paragraph (or hopefully less) that gets quoted every so often in speeches and referenced in most printed documents. But they lack power either because they’re wordy and complicated, or because they’re written in an attempt to satisfy every stakeholder…which usually ends up inspiring none of them. Fortunately, there is an easy way to know whether or not your organization’s mission statement inspires, or merely satisfies.

Powerful Mission statements are...

Meaningful

Believable

Powerful

Credible

If you’re in a senior leadership role, and your mission statement lacks one of these four elements, you should consider revising or rewording it. But if you’re not able to change it, you’re not out of luck. Instead, take on the role of helping reframe the existing mission statement into one your team sees as meaningful, believable, powerful, and credible. Talk about how the existing mission plays into the projects your team works on. In doing so, you’ll add a little power to their perspective on the mission, and a little more motivation to their work. Through reframing, you’ll have gotten the team one step closer to a purpose that brings out the team’s best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

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Every organization wants to attract and retain high performers. And it seems like every individual wants to be one of those high performers that gets attracted and retained. But there’s a misconception about high performers that stands in the way of improving our individual performance and hinders organizations from unlocking high performance in their people. That misconception is the belief that high performers are just naturally better. We think they have more talent and better skills. We think they went to better schools and have a better network. But all of those attributes are not the cause of high performance, they are the result of it.

High performers don’t have different outcomes because they have those skills and achievements.

High performers attained those skills and realized those achievements because they operate differently than most people.

In this episode, we’ll outline four things high performers do differently and offer a few examples along the way.

0:00 Introduction

1:00 Focus On Getting Better

2:34 Play To Their Strengths

4:09 Track Their Progress

5:52 Know What They’re Working For

8:00 Conclusion

With misconceptions about high-performance clarified, individuals and organizations ought to be more optimistic about unlocking potential. These aspects of high performance are not attributes some have and others don’t. They’re habits and behaviors anyone can adopt. You can focus on getting better instead of just using projects as a means to prove your existing competence. You can track your progress regularly, and you can keep yourself motivated by focusing on the who. And when you do that, when you do things a little bit differently than everybody else, eventually you’ll find that you’re doing your best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

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In this episode, we’ll review the six true causes of burnout and offer some practical tips for leaders to mitigate the damage from these causes.

Excessive workload

Poor Relationships

Lack of control

Lack of recognition

Lack of fairness

Purpose Mismatch

Leaders need to take care of more than just the physical when it comes to keeping people productive and healthy. They need to talk about purpose, and make sure that purpose is being served in fair way. They need to make sure people have a clear picture of expectations and are recognized when they meet those expectations. By addressing all of these causes, leaders can turn their culture from one that drains people to one that leaves them feeling more energized than when they started. And that will make a huge difference in whether or not people feel burnt out or whether they feel like they’re doing their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

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In this episode, we’ll summarize that research by presenting the top four characteristics of high-performing teams. It's not about who is on the team, it's about how the team behaves. It’s about their habits. It’s about their norms and whether or not the culture of the team contains these characteristics—characteristics that help everyone (regardless of skill or past performance) do their best work ever.

They have defined roles and responsibilities.

They know others strengths and weaknesses.

They trust and respect each other.

They know their work fits the mission.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

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And further a company shouldn’t be a family.

When companies began to overuse the family analogy, results are rarely positive. Instead, pushing for family levels of commitment can actually do damage to the culture. And in this article, we’ll outline the ways that the “family” metaphor can lead to dysfunction. As well as the steps team leaders can take to transform their dysfunctional fake families back into the thriving work teams they were trying to build in the first place.

Why Not:

Boundaries get blurry.

Too easy to take advantage of employees.

Departing employees feel like betrayals.

What To Do Instead:

Define Purpose

Encourage Boundaries

Celebrate Departures

Calling your company a family, may have been a well-meaning metaphor, but it hasn’t been a very useful one. Most employees don’t want a dysfunctional family. They want a team that’s bonded through purpose and built on trust and respect. They don’t want to be seen as family one day and divorced family the next. They want to know their contribution was valuable even after they leave. They don’t want leaders who overcommit and abuse them.

They want leaders who help them do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

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Decades after the "War for Talent," most organizations finally discovered the truth. Despite spending ever-increasing amounts of money on high performers, high performers weren’t really in it for the money.

In this episode, we’ll outline some of the lessons learned about what actually attracts high performers to work on a team—and what keeps them engaged once they’re on board.

They want to be heard

They want to work with peers

They want to be developed

They want to one praised

When you look at these four desires of high performers, you start to see why the compensation strategy fell apart during the war for talent. Compensation might seem like appreciation for a job well done, but it’s insufficient as a motivator. As leadership expert Roger Martin is fond of saying “People want to feel special more than they want to feel compensated.”

In addition, autonomy, growth, and a team of peers makes a job much more meaningful. And when you can create a work environment that provides those three elements, you’ll create an environment that helps everyone—not just high performers—do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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

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Culture is the secret sauce of organizational success.

It seems like nearly everyone agrees that culture is hugely important. The culture individuals find themselves in influences their future actions and ultimately their future success or failure. But while many agree about the importance of company culture, what many fail to understand is that the culture of the team matters more than overall company culture.

Even before the pandemic, the most common interactions individual employees had was with members of their team, not random people elsewhere in the organization. And after the great work from home experiment began, those team interactions only became even more dominant.

So, while company culture matters, smart leaders are paying more and more attention to team culture.

In this episode, we’ll examine three elements of a strong team culture…and then two ways to create or reinforce those elements on your team.

Three Elements of a Strong Team Culture

Purpose

Clarity

Safety

How To Build CultureArtifacts

Rituals

Rituals and Artifacts are subtle reminders of the importance of shared culture, and the more individuals on the team understand that importance, the more they feel like a team. And when a team is built around purpose, clarity and safety—and that’s reinforced through observable symbols and shared actions—it grows stronger and stronger. And eventually, it grows into a team that helps everyone do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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: https://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: https://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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Onboarding new employees is one of the most crucial, but overlooked, aspects of building a great team and great culture. It’s crucial because the first few days of new team member tenure determine how included they feel and how much they internalize the mission and culture of the team. But it’s also overlooked because of the emphasis on using that same time to make sure every legality and regulation is taken care of. That’s understandable. There is a lot of paperwork to handle. In the midst of all those policies and procedures, it can be difficult to remember to add culture and collaboration.

But the more we prioritize connection over documentation, the more successful our onboarding effects, and our people, become. In this episode, we’ll cover four ways to do just that—four ways to truly welcome a new employee to the team.

Start Before Start Day

Expose Them To Culture

Create Uncommon Commonalities

Add A Small Win

It’s important to note that onboarding is an on-going process. So while these actions are vital to take on day one, there will be more work to do. It takes time to get someone comfortable with culture or build friendships with the team. It takes time to feel significant progress even as small wins accumulate. But starting these actions on day one will help ensure new employees feel like valuable members of the team—a team that helps them do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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When good employees quit, it’s hard for those same leaders not to take it personally. An unexpected resignation letter can feel like a betrayal. But before you place the blame solely on the newly departing and reframe your past history to try and spin them as less valuable than they really were, consider some of the reasons good employees quit.

Burnout

Boredom

Bad Managers

Better Pay

Bigger Opportunity

Blah Purpose

There are certainly more reasons good employees quit than these six. But these six represent the intersection between the felt emotions of good employees and the untaken actions of team leaders. If too many good people are turning over too fast, consider these six reasons as starting points for making adjustments as a leader. You may not keep good employees from leaving forever, but you will create an environment where they can do some of the best work they’ve ever done and will reflect on you as one of the best leaders they’ve ever had.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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One of the easiest ways to predict how successful or not a given team will be, is to first measure how much trust exists on the team as a whole. When members of the team trust each other, they're more likely to succeed because they’re more likely to share information. But how do you build trust on a team? How do you get people to trust each other? And how do you get people to trust the team and you as a leader? In this episode, we’ll outline five ways to build trust on teams. Trust is not built overnight, but these five simple actions will start the process of trust-building on your team.

Build Real Bonds

Encourage Candor

Spotlight Wins

Accept Failures

Model Vulnerability

While these five methods are not an exhaustive list of the ways trust develops on teams, they all have something in common. Each of these methods is a leader-initiated action that kick starts a cycle of trust. Each method creates space for team members to act on trust and feel trusted. And we know from research that trust is not given, and trust is not earned, trust is reciprocated. It’s a virtuous cycle that starts with one person—usually the leader—demonstrating trust and modeling what trustworthiness looks like. Over time that trust compounds and creates an environment where everyone on the team can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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/

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In this episode, we’ll cover perhaps the five worst ideas in management in no particular order—in the hopes of correcting some errors and keeping the same error from happening again.

Stack Ranking

Performance Reviews

Personality Testing

Open Offices

Right-Sizing

These five ideas are some of the worst in management, but they aren’t the only ones. What they have in common, however, is that they share the same root cause. All of these ideas seem logical and well-intentioned at first. Developing a system for providing feedback is great; but the annual review system that it turned into is not. Wanting a more innovative culture is good; but designing your offices to look like startups is not.

Testing and experimenting with different ways of leading organizations is great; but blindly following what others call “best practices” is not. Instead, keep experimenting, keep getting feedback from your people, and keep focused on ways your leadership helps everyone do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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/

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How do you identify that toxic company culture from the outside to avoid joining it. Or, if you’ve already joined it, how do you identify the toxic elements and create a plan to protect yourself from them? In this episode, we’ll outline six signs of a toxic company culture, and offer a few insights to keep that toxicity from infecting you and your team.

Top-Down Leadership Style

Information Hoarding

Default To The Status Quo

Recreational Complaining

Quick Excuses

Top Performer Turnover

Seek to mitigate against top-down leaders. Smash silos and information hoarding. Favor change over the status quo. Listen to complaints before they become recreational and be quick to learn instead of quick to shift blame. In doing so, you’ll make cultural changes—even if it’s just on your team—and you’ll reduce top performer turnover. More importantly, you’ll build a team where everyone can do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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/

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In this episode, we’ll examine the reasons performance reviews don't work. And we’ll outline some practical steps you can take to offer feedback to your team that actually helps them grow and improve.

Reason 1: Too Late

Reason 2: Too Generic

Reason 3: Too Subjective

For these three reasons—too late, too generic, and too subjective—performance reviews don’t work they way they’re intended. But you can hold regular, structured Check-Ins with your team (you might even get credit for exceeding expectations on Initiative on your own performance review). If you hold these honest, off-the-record conversations honestly, then the form you have to fill out once a year becomes just another conversation. At the same time, the feedback you’re giving your team is more immediate, more specific, and more objective. And that will help everyone on your team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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/

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In this episode, we’ll outline the three steps to fixing a broken team culture, or at least preventing the toxicity of the companywide culture from infecting your team.

Start With Who

Create Role Clarity

Build Psychological Safety

If you lead your team through these three steps, you’ll help individuals feel engaged and inspired in their work and create meaningful collaboration across the team. You’ll create a pocket of excellence inside your team that keeps the team thriving and keeps the company culture from dragging them down. Through prosocial motivation, role clarity, and psychological safety, you’ll build a team culture that helps everyone do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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/

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Culture is paramount. The success or failure of an organization or team depends upon its culture—the norms and behaviors around how employees communicate and collaborate. Most leaders agree that culture is hugely important. But that seems to be where the agreement stops. Many leaders disagree over exactly what culture is, why it is so important, or even what a healthy organizational culture looks like.

In this episode, we’ll cover three assumptions most leaders get wrong about culture.

Culture Is Unique

Culture Is About Artifacts

Culture Is About The Company

Unless leaders get culture right, not a whole lot else goes right in the organization. And while none of these assumptions will cause a culture to go toxic immediately, misunderstanding what a positive culture looks like and how its built means leaving the eventual culture to chance. By contrast, getting these elements of culture right means building an environment of common understanding, psychological safety, and a prosocial purpose that helps everyone do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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The best leaders are those who truly learn to serve others.

They learn how to put employees first.

They learn how to flip the hierarchy.

Even though the hierarchy of most organizations flow from the many up to the few, the best leaders know that their job is actually to flip that hierarchy to help the many figure out how to do their best work.

There's been decades of research on varying models of leadership—transformational leadership, servant leadership, authentic leadership, and on and on—but while they differ in the details almost all are united in their assertion that leadership isn’t just about being in charge, but also about serving those in your charge.

But for all that is said and written about leaders as servants, there’s very few words about exactly how that is done. There’s a difference between taking care of your people and being taken advantage of by your people. So in this episode, we’ll outline five different ways great leaders serve their team not by giving up their power, but by using it to empower their team.

Remove What’s Blocking Their Progress

Invest In Growth and Development

Encourage Candor and Risk Taking

Foster Common Understanding

Remind Them Why They’re Working

There is a lot more to servant leadership than just these five simple actions. But what all five of these actions have in common is that they’re not about just blindly giving up power and turning all decisions and authority over to the team. That may work in some contexts. But more often, great leaders use the power given to them (by the organizational chart and by the consent of their team) to serve their team by providing for them what they can’t get on their own. Great leaders are servant leaders, not just servants. They know that because they’re in charge, they can better serve the people in their charge and help them do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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One of the core goals of any leader is to get the most out of his or her team. The ability to create team cohesion and a culture that elevates the talents of individuals as you pursue objectives is really what separates great leaders from the merely good.

Great leaders have the ability to make the output of a team more than just the sum of its parts.

They have an ability to take the team to a level of performance that they didn't even know that they were capable of. That’s an idea just about every leader knows. But how to turn that idea into actions that actually do elevate the team is a lot less known.

So, in this episode, we’ll cover four practical actions you can take to get the most out of your team.

Set Objectives Together

Work Out Loud

Turn Conflict Into Collaboration

Find Uncommon Commonalities

While these four actions may seem like an eclectic collection, what all of them have in common is that they focus on the team’s culture. They’re not about installing some new project management software or training on a new productivity system. Those might move the needle a little bit, but they won’t make nearly as much impact as working to change the culture of team into something more collaborative and supportive. When you build that type of culture you get the most out of your team and you get everyone on the team doing their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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"How do I stop after hours emails?" it's a question asked by more and more leaders and team members as the work from home experiment drags on. In this video, we'll break down the research on after hours emails and offer some practical tips to get your team to stop sending after hours emails.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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In this episode, we'll outline the 4 Mistakes New Leaders Make

If you've been in leadership for a while, welcome to the realization that we are always growing and learning as leaders. And part of that growth involves examine our past beliefs and actions and considering whether or not we were mistaken. In my work with leaders across a variety of industries and sectors, I see a lot of mistakes. Well-meaning leaders—especially new leaders—often stumble into the wrong actions or wrong mentality when leading their team.

To help you avoid that fate, here are the 4 most common mistakes new leaders make, a different perspective, and a different action you can take to level up your leadership.

Calling All The Shots

Solving Problems Solo

Focusing On Process

Overlooking Purpose

Leading a team is cultivating a group of relationships and harness that relationship power into effective collaboration. And what all these mistakes have in common is that they overlook the role of those relationships and the importance of incorporating everyone before getting to work. But when you focus on “we” before you focus on work—you help your team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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As the great work from home experiment comes to an end, and more and more offices are opening up, many leaders have been asking "How much should my team work from home." In this episode, we break down the research to offer an estimate on how often your team should work from home...but also what you need to do to make sure that your team can work from home and still stay engaged.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//LIKE THE SHIRT?

Get yours at https://shopdavidburkus.com

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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We have a tendency to believe that successful teams are created by recruiting top-talent and raising the average of talent on a team. But recent research suggests that talent isn’t as portable as we once thought, and that recruiting star players might be more trouble than it’s worth.

More often than not, great teams don’t become great because they recruit top talent or pay top dollar. Instead, building the best team is about shaping the habits and culture that bring out the best in each team member.

Fortunately, organizational psychologists have been studying what explains the culture of great teams for over a decade now. And while each study, each paper, and even each psychologist has slightly different terminology for their findings, you can find a way to summarize what they found into just three elements.

When you look at the research on high performing teams, you find a team culture with three fundamental elements: Common Understanding, Psychological Safety, and Prosocial Purpose.

So in this episode, we’ll define these three terms to explain what they are and how you can get started nurturing them on your team’s culture.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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In this episode of AskBurk, we'll cover how to celebrate small wins on your team. Small wins are a big deal. And taking the time to celebrate them can have a big effect on motivation. There are really three types of small wins you need to celebrate on your team: achievement wins, milestones, and peer-to-peer wins. We'll cover all three wins and how best to celebrate them on your team

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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Handling low performers on a team is one of the worst jobs any leader must do. It's not fun to have conversations with unmotivated employees and try to figure out how you can get them to put in more effort. And it's not fun to have brutally honest conversations with team members who are facing a mismatch between their skills and the new demands on the job.

But handling lower performers is also one of the most important jobs that a leader must do. If you want a truly high-performing team—a team with psychological safety but also accountability—then you can’t just tolerate low performing employees. If you’re trying to build a team where everyone holds each other to a higher standard of performance, then you have demonstrate that higher standard and help others attain it.

Or, you may have to invite that low performer to perform for a different team.

But before you get to that even-less-fun-conversation, there are a few things you can do to help low performers turn around their performance. So, in this episode we’ll outline four actions you can take to help low performers become star teammates:

Study The External Factors

Catch Them Doing Something Right

Make Feedback Specific and Optimistic

Connect Effort To Purpose

These actions, done one at a time or done in conjunction during a constructive feedback conversation, will help increase the chances of turning a low performer into a high performer—or at least an adequate one and maybe even help them do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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/

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Is the 4 Day Work Week the future of work? Or is a 4 Day Work Week just a series of fads and experiments. In this video, we break down the research on 4 Day Work Week experiments and outline what you really need to do to help your team be more productive and less stressed.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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The single best way to grow as a leader is to lead and then get feedback. It is to act and interact with your team and learn what can be improved upon through feedback. Receiving feedback, and applying that feedback, makes leaders better. But there’s a problem with receiving feedback once someone is in a leader role. The nature of feedback changes—teammates minimize unpleasant messages or don’t want to offer any constructive feedback at all. And the response to feedback can change—leaders receive feedback but may not internalize it because “they don’t see the whole picture.”

So in this episode, we’ll outline four steps you can take to get better at receiving feedback in order to grow as a leader and grow as a team.

Start With Thank You

Restate What You Heard

Mention What You’re Changing

Seek Out More Feedback

Because feedback is an ongoing process, it’s best to imagine these four steps as a flywheel. It maybe be difficult the first or second time you’re in a feedback conversation to meaningfully hit all four steps. But it will get easier over time. Not only because you’ll get better at receiving feedback, but also because your team will feel more comfortable giving you more feedback. And as that flywheel of feedback speeds up, it will set you well on your way to become the best leader ever.

Or at least the best leader you can be.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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What’s The Best Team Building Activity For Remote Teams? It's complicated. Team Building Activities in general aren't actually as effective as those selling them may claim....even more so when conducted over Zoom. But there are activities you can do to build bonds on your remote team. And in this quick episode, we share 3 equally quick activities for remote teams.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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David Burkus reacts to reports of a coming "great resignation." What is the great resignation and what can leaders do about it? Should employees quit their job? What can leaders do to prevent employees from quitting? And what happens after they quit as part of the great resignation.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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

+Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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One of the most significant decisions that leaders make is who to hire. No matter how many core values you have and how many posters you hang, company culture is downstream from people. So, the people that join the organization will have a massive effect on the evolution of its culture.

And its widespread knowledge that hiring is the most important decision you can make, the knowledge of how to actually hire great people is rare. But there are a few methods—and a few organizations—that stand out.

So, in this episode, we’ll examine four ways the best companies hire talent.

Hire Through Teams

Use A Structured Process

Use More Than Interviews

Offer A Trial

Exactly how these methods can be applied varies by company. But the result don’t. Adding just one of these methods to a selection process improves the ability to assess candidates and team fit. Hiring is truly one of the most important decisions leaders make, and these methods shorten the odds of making the right decision and finding the best hire ever.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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In this episode, we’ll outline four methods that can make giving positive feedback to employees much more effective.

Do It Now

Be Specific

Connect To Purpose

Do It Publicly (Maybe)

If you add these four methods into the way you give positive feedback, you’ll not only have an easier time finding the right words to speak, but you’ll find those words have a lot more meaning. If you praise right away, be specific, connect it to purpose, and do it as publicly as the person desires, you’ll be giving great feedback and also helping everyone on your team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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Team building isn’t an activity, it’s a habit. Unless the chosen activity changes a team’s habits, it probably wasn’t worth the effort. Moreover, perhaps it would have been better to focus on team habit building in the first place. So, in this video, we’ll outline three habits leaders can start to build that will better build the team as well.

Provide Structure and Clarity

Find Unstructured Time

Discuss Purpose Often

Perhaps the best part of each of these habits, is that they don’t cost much to start building. But these habits add up quickly. And the leaders who build these habits will start building a team that can do its best work ever.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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In this video, we’ll cover the three ways to drive employee engagement at work. They happen to be the three elements of job crafting that employees engage in. And provide ways for organizational leaders to leverage those elements and drive employee engagement at work.

Job crafting is something around one-third of all employees do in order to drive their own engagement at work. But when you look at the three elements of job crafting, it’s clear that many organizations are still not doing the same thing at scale. And that’s likely why, despite 30 years of understanding the importance of employee engagement at work, the number of engaged employees is still flat. But it doesn’t have to stay flat, as a leader you can guide your team through task crafting, relationship crafting, and/or cognitive crafting with or without an organization-wide effort. And in doing so, you’ll drive employee engagement up and you might just find your team starts doing its best work ever.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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Feedback is vitally important. Feedback is how we improve performance. Feedback is how we engage employees at all levels. Feedback is how we measure progress in difficult to measure situations. Feedback is how we motivate others, and ourselves.

So, in this episode, we’ll outline four ways you can get more feedback at work:

Work Louder

Ask Teammates

Measure More

Feed Forward

All four of these methods for getting more feedback at work put the burden of responsibility on you. And that shouldn’t be the case. Ideally, more leaders would know that regular, coaching-oriented feedback is a cheap and highly effective means of performance improvement and employee engagement. But they don’t, and so the choice for too many lower-level leaders is to take that responsibility upon themselves. If that’s you, don’t forget that lesson. As you get proactive and get more feedback at work, you’ll do better work and you’ll get promoted. And one day, either in that organization or another, you’ll become a senior leader.

And when that happens, don’t let the demands of the day drown you and make you think feedback can wait. Instead, give your people feedback as often as you can. Go get more feedback for yourself now, so you can give those you lead in the future more feedback later.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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Conflict on a team is inevitable. Conflict happens because people are different, they think differently, and they act differently. a lot of personal conflict on a team happens because of misunderstandings and misconceptions that don’t get addressed early enough. And that means a lot of personal conflict on a team can be resolved with a fairly simple, three-step process.

1) The first step in resolving personal conflict on a team is to pull the affected parties aside and begin to label the actual behavior that negatively affected them.

2) The second step in resolving personal conflict on a team is to give each party space to describe their emotions.

3) The final step in resolving personal conflict on a team is to focus on collaboratively developing a solution for how to behave next time a similar situation presents itself

The goal of resolving personal conflict isn’t to create two new people who think exactly alike. Disagreements are inevitable. The goal is to reveal how their behaviors when they disagree are producing negative emotions on the team—intentional or not—and that we can’t be an effective team with those negative emotions in the atmosphere. Over time, resolving personal conflicts in this way helps the team manage task-focused conflict better as well. And when that happens, ideas get better, progress happens faster, and the team starts to do its best work ever.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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Employee engagement has been a pretty hot topic over the past year. The “great work from home” experiment forced millions of employees to find new ways to get work done. And as working from home moved from a short-term experiment to a long-haul arrangement, it’s worth considering the long-term impact of working remotely on motivation, collaboration, and engagement. In this video, we’ll outline four new strategies to keep remote employees and remote teams engaged.

Make Expectations Clear

Make Feedback Plentiful

Make Growth Unavoidable

Make Friendships Easy

When you do, you’ll find your team more engaged than before, and they just might find themselves doing their best work ever.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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Distractions at work have been a constant for a very, very long time. But suddenly, those of us who were working from home—or living at work—found ourselves fighting off a brand-new set of distractions we’d never prepared for. In this video, we'll outline four ways you can limit distractions when working remotely.

  • Set A Schedule
  • Batch Your Tasks
  • Build Work/Life Boundaries
  • Build People Boundaries

You likely can’t eliminate distractions entirely when working remotely. But you can take steps to limit them as much as possible, and these four strategies will help.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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Psychological safety on high performing teams almost everywhere. From teams large and small and even in Google's infamous Project Aristotle study which sought to figure out what characteristics of teams led to their biggest performances, psychological safety is almost always present.

In this episode, we'll outline four ways that you can build psychological safety on a team:

Treat Conflict As Collaboration

Celebrate Failures

Encourage Dissent

Build Civility

And taken together, that's what all four of these suggestions do. They help build that culture of trust and respect. And over time that culture creates psychological safety. And that psychological safety will create a team that does its best work ever.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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Having good friends at work predicts a lot about engagement and performance. But in this new, work-from-anywhere, world, building friendships among teammates looks a lot different. You can’t just rely on sharing the same space to be the conversation starter that leads to finding shared interests. Instead, team leaders have to be much more deliberate. In this episode, we’ll offer five ways you can recreate that space—and those conversations—on a remote team:

Virtual Watercooler

Icebreakers

Buffer Time

Fika

Work Sprint

What all of these methods have in common is that they’re actually not about forcing friendships or planning “fun-idtory” activities. Instead, they’re simply about making space. They’re about finding ways to deliberately plan for the unstructured interactions that happen organically in an office. Because when you make space for people to have nonwork discussions and disclose more about themselves, they almost always find more commonalities with each other than they originally expected. And as the research shows, those commonalities become the beginning of friendships and those friendship become the beginning of a much more productive team.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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Can Motivation Be Increased? | David Burkus Presents | 02.09

In the modern economy, motivation is a tricky thing. But in this episode, we'll outline the findings around motivation that come from the realm of Self-Determination Theory. Self-Determination Theory essentially argued that people are motivated when they can determine for themselves what to work on and how to work on it. In other words, Deci and Ryan and many other pioneers in this field of research, asserted that incentives could actually decrease motivation because incentives take away a sense of power to determine the work for oneself.

But Self-Determination Theory didn’t just point out why so many well-meaning incentive compensation plans fail. It also outlined several drivers of human motivation, drivers that could be built into a job or a team culture to make work more motivating—drivers that would increase motivation.

So, in this article, we’ll outline the three main drivers of motivation according to Self-Determination Theory: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. And we’ll provide some practical ways to leverage the power of each.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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How To Get Remote Teams To Work Together | David Burkus Presents | 02.07

In this video , we’ll cover a simple and easy way to get your remote team to work together. It all revolves around three easy questions:

• What did I just work on?

• What am I working on?

• What is blocking my progress

These questions help your team work out loud. Working out loud means that the team has developed a system to keep track of what everyone is focused on, what’s getting done, as well as a system for asking for and volunteering to give help. It means when project pivots happen, the team doesn’t have to wait for the next all-hands call to find out about it. When you focus on these questions and your team is finally comfortable asking and answering them on a regular basis, you'll find that your team have a much easier time focusing on each other. And that is what really drives a remote team to work together

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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How To Create A Remote Team Working Agreement | David Burkus Presents | 02.05

A team working agreement is a living document drafted by a team that outlines the ground rules for communication and collaboration. It outlines how teammates will keep each other updated, how they’ll give each other feedback, and how they’ll communication—both in what medium and with what frequency.

Creating a team working agreement—or at least the first draft of a team working agreement—is a simple activity that shouldn’t take an average-sized team more than an hour to create. But it will save hours of headache within the first few weeks of working together once the agreement is drafted.

So, in this article, we’re going to outline the steps needed to draft a team working agreement: how to prepare, what to discuss, and how to gain commitment. (And if you’d like a downloadable PDF discussion guide to review with your team, click this link: https://davidburkus.com/resources/team-working-agreement/

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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How To Run A Virtual Team Meeting | David Burkus Presents | 02.03

In this episode, we'll cover the best practices around running a virtual team meeting. Virtual meetings don’t work” is the most common response I hear when speaking to leaders at all levels about remote teams. But let’s be fair: in-person meetings rarely ever worked, either. So, whether it’s your first virtual meeting with your team, or your forty-seventh weekly meeting, here are the steps to follow to make it the best one ever:

  1. Plan With Purpose

  2. Pick The Right Attendees

  3. Build The Right Agenda

  4. Open The Line Early

  5. Capture Meeting Minutes

  6. Stay On Topic

  7. Close With A Review

  8. Leave The Line Open

Afterwards, be sure to send out the minutes from the meeting and let people know where they can watch/listen to any recordings if they missed it. When you do, you’ll likely get a few pieces of feedback from members of your team that’ll help you adapt the meeting flow to their liking and make the next one ever better.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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In addition to the normal methods we use to screen job candidates, and the tactics we use to judge whether those candidates are a fit for the organization, those same leaders have found that hiring remote workers and setting them up for success, requires candidates are evaluated for more than just their knowledge, skills, abilities, and past experience.

In this episode, we’ll review the three biggest questions that leaders need to answer when evaluating potential new hires.

Are they collaborators?

Are they communicators?

Are they self-motivated?

Beyond just “Can they do the job?” these questions answer the even bigger question of “Can they do the job remotely?”

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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In this episode, we'll cover how to do remote team building. Most of what teams (especially remote teams) actually need to build better collaboration and team identity has less to do with a singular event and more to do with ongoing activities, habits, and rituals that the team engages in regularly. Here are five proven activities that, done regularly, will build your team better than ropes courses or trust falls:

Office Tours

Scavenger Hunts

Fika

Work Sprints

Shared Meals

If you just start with one of these activities—or even use these as a foundation for an activity unique to your team—then you’ll find that you and the team are more deliberate about getting better connected, and that connection will make the whole team better.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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In this episode, we’re going to review the two key elements of team culture that were uncovered in that experiment: shared understanding and shared identity. Plus, as a bonus, we’ll review one thing we know from more and more research that makes for a great team culture in any situation: psychological safety.

We've known for over a decade that individual performance is hugely dependent upon the team that individuals are placed on. Top performance by individuals hinges on whether or not their teammates, their manager, and the organization they are a part of gives them the support, and the resources they need to do their best work. And the best remote teams have a culture marked by shared understanding, shared identity, and psychological safety.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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In this episode, we’ll review four stages you should take your team through to make sure that you get more of the brilliance that happens from having multiple brains on the problem. And less of the internal politics, self-censoring, and squelching of ideas that makes for poor team decisions.

Find The Real Problem

Analyze The Data

Generation Possible Solutions

Select For Commitment, Not Consensus

If you go through this process and if you make sure that everyone feels their ideas are heard and everyone feels energetic behind the idea chosen even where they disagree, you'll be better going through that iterative process. Because you'll be better off to make the next decision. And overall, your team will begin to make some of the best decisions that's ever made and have some of the biggest wins they've ever had.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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Remote Work is indeed the new normal. Not because we're headed for a future where everyone is working from home. But because the extended time spent working away from the office has led to many of rearranging the way we work into something better than before. The future of work is working from anywhere. And the future of leading teams, is leading from anywhere.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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When it comes to teams that work from home of work from anywhere, one of the key aspects that smart leaders pay attention to is making sure that their remote workers feel included. Making sure that the people who are mostly remote feel as valuable and as vital a member of the team as the people who are spending more time at the office is going to be core area of focus…and a key struggle when leading teams.

So, in this episode, we’ll review four ways that you can make sure that remote workers feel included and, more importantly, that you can send the message to everybody on your team that everyone is equally valuable and has an equally large contribution to make.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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In 2015, Google’s People Analytics team asked an ambitious question: “Why do some teams perform better than others?" They looked at a variety of potential explanations, mostly based on team composition. And found very little that could explain performance. But when the researchers turned their attention from the attributes of the team toward its regular behaviors, traditions, and norms, they found elements that made a difference

Dependability

Structure and clarity

Meaning

Impact

Psychological safety

In this episode, we'll examine each of those elements in turn and explain what you can do to help your team work the way the best teams work together.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

1+ Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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Motivation is tricky for all teams, co-located or remote. It's hard for many team managers to find a way that motivates each individual. And it’s even harder to find way to motivate the team as a whole. But, co-located teams have a lot of advantages. When you're seeing each other day to day, you get a better picture at what's going on behind the scenes in someone's mind and what you could latch onto to inspire and motivate them.

In a remote team, that's a whole lot harder.

There's a lot of barriers to, well, a lot of things on remote teams. Uncovering what drives the individuals on your team is one of them. So in this episode, we’ll review four methods you can use to motivate any team, but especially a team that's been asked to work from afar:

  1. Check In Frequently

  2. Build Connections Deliberately

  3. State Purpose Clearly

  4. Share Stories Regularly

Done well, distance doesn't have to be a barrier to motivating your team as a leader.

//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.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER

If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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Finding ways to reinforce purpose on a daily basis can be difficult. So, in this episode, we’ll review three ways that you can frame that purpose in a team that will help them internalize your purpose. It will reinforce it, and it will help your people feel like they are actually working toward something bigger than themselves—even when they’re focused on the day-to-day tasks.

People don’t want to join a company; they want to join a crusade or a cause—and these three frames (these three “fights”) will help your team reinforce their purpose and feel that sense of cause:

The Revolutionary Fight

The Underdog Fight

The Ally Fight

This is not an exhaustive list of the ways that you can frame your organization’s purpose to reinforce it to your team. But these are the three that are most aligned with the psychological research on teams and motivation. The revolutionary fight. The underdog fight. The ally fight. They all add up to a powerful way to reframe why your organization came into existence, why it needs to continue to exist, and more importantly, why people are doing the tasks that they’ve been asked to do on a day-to-day basis. It all adds up to a powerful way to reinforce purpose, not just on your team, not just on individuals, but throughout the entire organization.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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Remote work has been on the rise for a long time, but 2020 gave extra accelerant to the remote work fire. In this episode, we’ll cover three activities to focus on when managing a remote team:

Set Objectives Mutually

Track Progress Regularly

Give Feedback Collaboratively

And if you take all of them together—focusing on the outcome, not the activity—you'll find something amazing. You'll find that people willfully engage in the activities without you needing to track them and bring the whole team closer to those outcomes than you ever thought possible.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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No matter how long your tenure as a team leader, you've probably seen it.

Motivation can fade.

Individual employees who seemed so full of life and so full obsessed for the job eventually settle into rhythms and patterns and might even burn out. Teams that were formed with an inspiring mission eventually fall into those regular old habits of teamwork and can become demotivated and disengaged.

In this episode, we're going examine four specific reasons why motivation doesn't last, and what you can do to turn it around, and it's all based on decades of social science and organizational psychology research, some of which has gotten some attention in the professional world, and a lot of which is overlooked.

Motivation doesn't last when people:

Don't Believe They Can

Don't Believe It Works

Don't Believe They're Progressing

Don't Believe It Matter

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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When it comes to motivating individuals and teams, a lot of leaders assume they need a great deal of power to make changes to the whole organization. But that doesn’t mean that, if you’re not, you don’t have any options when it comes to motivation. There are a few key levers that leaders at any level can use to help their team get more inspired to do the work they're tasked with doing every single day, and even help them expand their job into one that is more purposeful, more motivating and more engaging. And this will have a spillover effect in keeping the whole team motivated. It might even make you a little more motivated to lead that team.

So, in this episode we’ll examine what you can do at any level of the organization to keep your team inspired and motivated:

Provide Autonomy

Give Feedback

Find Purpose

It doesn’t matter what level you're leading from, what makes you a leader is your ability to motivate and inspire.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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Creativity is a team sport, and creative problem solving is no different. But where many team leaders struggle is in how to lead their team through a problem solving process. Too many leaders just gather their team for brainstorming or some other meeting intended merely to toss out ideas. There's a lot of work to be done before and after brainstorming. Problem solving isn't one meeting; it's three.

The Problem Meeting: where we shape the right question

The Idea Meeting: where we generate ideas

The Decision Meeting: where we choose the best solution or combination and make plans to implement.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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In this episode, we're going to cover four ways that you can manage burnout on your team. When you examine all the research on keeping remote workers engaged, it turns out that it’s not too hard to keep employees working. In fact, the bigger challenge is keeping employees from working too hard. The bigger task is helping them fight the burnout that would turn a short-term productivity gain into a long-term drain on everyone.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

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Trust is one of the most important elements of a team culture but also about an entire company's culture. If people feel that they can trust you as a leader, and if they feel they can trust each other, then they communicate better, they collaborate better, they develop a sense of shared identity and shared understanding, that pushes that team to greater levels of performance. And as a leader, building trust on the team is one of your number one jobs.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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You, as a leader will likely be leading remote teams in the future, so it's worth talking about what it takes to lead a remote team effectively, and in this video, we're going to share three tips for leading a remote team. When you look at the research on remote teams, leading effectively involves three crucial elements:

Shared Expectations

Shared Empathy

Shared Vision.

In this episode, we'll look at each in turn and offer some takeaways on how to lead your current or future remote team more effectively.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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What do great teams have in common? What are the things that great teams who create consistent amounts of value and over perform expectations all share. The teams that win again and again--what are the things that they all have in common that under performing teams lack?

When we look at the research there are three things that great teams have in common. Intellectual diversity, psychological safety, and a purpose or a cause worth fighting for. And in this episode, we'll look at all three in turn to reveal what great teams have in common.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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Purpose statements, mission statements, vision statements.

It can get really cluttered really fast. It seems like every organization has a different offering when it comes to declaring their purpose. Some just have a mission statement. Some have a mission and vision, some have a purpose. Some use some other term to describe a little bit of prose that they put on a plaque in the office or in the front of a 10-K report.

And if you go from organization to organization, you can get really confused because the definitions change.

There's a lot of clutter out there and we're gonna cut through that clutter today.

Today, we're gonna talk about about the difference between purpose, mission and vision. How they interrelate to each other. How they affect each other. Whether or not you even need all three or whether or not you can cut through that clutter with one simple statement that accomplishes all three.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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Motivating your people is a delicate and purposeful challenge that requires more than an annual review or jotting a few notes in someone’s personnel file. Just like getting in shape or learning a new language, bolstering the motivation and performance levels of your employees won’t happen overnight.

Here are six ways you can improve performance and motivation in your workplace:

  1. Make Expectations Clear

  2. Provide Continuous Feedback

  3. Correct Privately; Praise Publicly

  4. Believe in Your Employees

  5. Make Rewards Achievable

  6. Let Them Know What They're Fighting For

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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One of my favorite leadership lessons is the story of how Paul O'Neill fought for safety at Alcoa. He led a turn around of the financial performance of struggling aluminum manufacturer, but NOT by focusing on Alcoa's stock price or revenues. Instead, he encouraged employees at all levels to fight for the safety of their coworkers by studying the process and working to become a zero accident company. And it made all the difference.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

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Never in the history of humanity, never in recorded history at least, have we found that the entirety of humanity is united in one fight. Is united in one purpose. I mean, yeah, World War Two was a massive global threat but even then it was one half of the world fighting against the other half.

We have never had one global enemy. One global fight that we are all together looking at and saying "We will win." And the results of that have been amazing. They're a reason to be optimistic and they're a reason to be inspired.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

1+ Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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Which leader are you?

There are two basic types or styles of leadership: transactional and transformational leadership. Transactional leaders look to exert effort from followers based on rewards and punishments. Transformational leaders tap into something far more effective. They don't promise rewards, they build movements. And the people who follow, follow because they see a future worth fighting for.

So, which leader are you?

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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What makes a purpose driven organization? 4 Misconceptions about purpose-driven companies

The last 10-15 years have seen a dramatic increase in talk about being purpose-driven organizations, mission-focused companies, and business that do good by doing good. But there's a lot of misconceptions around what it really means to be a purpose-driven organization. In the video, we cover 4 misconceptions about purpose-driven organizations and provide examples of companies that are truly purpose-driven.

  1. Being a purpose-driven organization is not about corporate social responsibility (CSR).

  2. Being a Purpose-driven organization is bigger than just your mission statement.

  3. Being a purpose-driven organization is more than just your business model.

  4. Being a purpose-driven organization is not always about what you sell.

My litmus test for being a purpose-driven organization: Do your people know how to answer the question "What are we fighting for?"

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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Research reveals that underdogs, those who feel like they've been criticized and discounted, are more motivated than others to perform and more likely to develop innovative ways to win. Low expectations actually fuel high performance. If people underestimate you, and you believe they're estimating wrong, then your motivation to perform is stronger than if they'd believed in you to begin with.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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Personality Tests at work are widely used. Millions of people every year take personality tests given to them (or paid for) by their employers. But most of these personality tests, the ones that place you into a personality type, are useless. They're of dubious origin, and dubious methodology. And yet we fall for it time and time again.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

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Let's talk about your company mission statement. The goal of mission statements was noble. The intent of a mission statement is to inspire and motivate employees. But many of them fail. And for the same reasons.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus

View Details

In this episode, we're going talk about extrinsic motivators, intrinsic motivators, when can you motivate people and when do you have to trust that they're motivating themselves.

//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.

//FREE COURSE

If you like this episode and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at https://davidburkus.com/3days

//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://twitter.com/davidburkus

  • Facebook: http://FB.com/DrDavidBurkus

  • Instagram: http://instagram.com/DavidBurkus