David Burkus Best-selling Author, Sought After Speaker, Professor

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 David Burkus provides managers with a complete guide to leading remotely, packed with everyday examples and illuminating insights. Burkus 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.

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, David Burkus argues that talent doesn’t make the team. The team makes the talent. Drawing on decades of research and diverse case studies, Burkus 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 for how to build the best team ever.

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, Burkus targets a common misconception about creativity and innovation efforts: that it has 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, Burkus outlines a prescription for any team or organization to work more creatively together, without silos, politics, or frustration. Burkus’ insights are practical, applicable, and tailored to the audiences situation.

Why are some people and teams more motivated, more innovative, and more successful than others? Why do some teams of talented and seemingly compatible people fall short against lesser teams with less suitable members?

More often than not, great teams become great when they tap into something more inspiring—and more visceral—than casting a visionary strategy or struggling to get buy-in on a mission statement.

They know what they’re fighting for.

They’re fighting to make change in their industry. They’re fighting to remove an injustice. They’re fighting to make their customer’s lives better. Sometimes, they’re even just fighting to survive. But, surprisingly, they’re rarely framing their fight as a battle for market share against the competition.

People don’t want to join a company; they want to join a crusade.

In this persuasive and provocative keynote, David Burkus, argues that what a team is fighting for is a powerful and potent driver of performance and collaboration, but not just any fight will do. Drawing on decades of social science research and real-life examples from billion-dollar companies, French pirates, Olympic champion curling teams (you read that right), and more, Burkus weaves together a clear picture of how people are inspired, how movements are led, and how organizations win. Audience members will leave with a clear and concise way to frame what purpose they’re fighting for and the tools to communicate that purpose to their team.