David Burkus

David Burkus is one of the world’s leading business thinkers, a bestselling author of five books, and a former associate professor of leadership and innovation. He speaks on team dynamics, management innovation, and building better workplaces, translating cutting-edge organizational research into practical insights that leaders can use immediately. Since 2017, David has been ranked multiple times among the world’s top business thought leaders.

Why Traditional Management Is Broken
David’s bestselling books including Under New Management, Leading From Anywhere, and Best Team Ever challenge conventional wisdom about how organizations should operate. His research-backed arguments for rethinking everything from open offices to email policies have earned multiple awards and been translated into dozens of languages. His insights have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and the Financial Times.

From the Lab to the Stage
David holds a doctorate in strategic leadership and brings academic rigor to every presentation while keeping his delivery engaging and story-driven. He has worked with leaders at Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and nonprofits worldwide. His keynotes deliver research-backed strategies for building high-performing teams, rethinking workplace norms, and creating the kind of innovative cultures where people do their best work.

Best Team Ever®: The Surprising Science Of High-Performing Teams

Why are some teams more motivated, more innovative, and more successful than others? Why do some groups of talented and seemingly compatible people fall short against lesser teams with less suitable members? And why are we still so surprised about which team members excel, and which ones fail?

We know that high-performing teams deliver higher value results more consistently. But how do you build that high performing team? More often than not, great teams don’t become great because they recruit top talent or pay top dollar. Instead, building the best team ever is about shaping the habits and culture that bring out the best in each team member.

In this persuasive and provocative keynote, Dr. David Burkus argues that talent doesn’t make the team. The team makes the talent. Drawing on decades of research and diverse case studies, David reveals what some of the most effective teams in the world do differently, and how you can start doing the same on your team. Audience members will leave with a clear and concise understanding of how the culture of their team affects its performance and a simple and practical blueprint cultivating a Best Team Ever environment.

Leading From Anywhere: How to Build High Performing Remote and Hybrid Teams

It’s undeniable that we’re entering a new era of remote work. While many leaders seek to run business as usual, why settle for the usual when remote teams allow us to work even better? The research shows that employees are more productive and engaged when they have the freedom to work from anywhere.

Which means leaders need the skills to lead from anywhere.

In this meticulously researched, refreshingly practical talk, top business thought leader Dr. David Burkus provides managers with a complete guide to leading remotely, packed with everyday examples and illuminating insights. David tackles the key inflection points and challenges that remote managers face from taking the team remote and adding new members, to communicating effectively and quickly, managing performance, keeping the team engaged, and even helping them strike the right balance between work and life. This talk provides everything you’ll need to survive and thrive as the leader of a remote team—which is something all leaders will need to consider themselves from now on.

Innovation Is a Team Sport

Why do so many innovation efforts fail? Why do our best attempts at creative problem solving never seem to reach their full potential?

The cause of both frustrations, it turns out, are actually the same. In this keynote, Dr. David Burkus targets a common misconception about creativity and innovation: that they have to do with changing how individuals think. Instead, research reveals that “lone creators” are historically rare and for most innovations, creativity is a team sport. By combining insights from social science research and practical takeaways from the most innovative companies and teams, David outlines a prescription for any team or organization to work more creatively together, without silos, politics, or frustration. David’s insights are practical, applicable, and tailored to the audience’s situation.