What separates good leaders from great ones? How do the best teams thrive while others fall apart?
In this episode of The SMARTA Podcast, I sit down with Dr. David Burkus, best-selling author of Build Your Best Team Ever, globally recognized leadership thinker, and trusted advisor to organizations like NASA, Adobe, and PepsiCo. With over 20 years of research and experience, David reveals the surprising truths behind team performance, leadership clarity, and why contribution matters more than passion.
Whether you’re leading a team of 5 or 500, this conversation will reshape how you think about leadership, teamwork, and success.
What You’ll Learn:
– Why talent alone doesn’t create success — and what does
– How to turn feedback into your career’s greatest advantage
– The blueprint for building a team that actually performs
– The difference between good leaders and great leaders
– Why contribution comes before passion (and not the other way around)
– The single habit that builds trust and respect on any team
📚 Dr. David Burkus is the author of five bestselling books, including Build Your Best Team Ever. He has delivered 1,000+ keynotes across the globe, appeared on Good Morning America and CNN, and worked with Fortune 500 companies, the military, and top universities to transform leadership and teamwork.
📖 Grab a copy of Best Team Ever here https://davidburkus.com/books/best-team-ever/
In this episode:
00:00 Welcome & Introduction to Dr. David Burkus
00:57 The 3 most important lessons from David’s journey
03:13 The surprising truth about talent and teams
04:13 Why leadership is not about a title
07:09 What separates good leaders from great leaders
09:34 Building trust and psychological safety on teams
11:59 Why talented teams sometimes fail
15:47 A blueprint for leaders to improve performance this week
18:15 Career advice: contribution vs passion
21:15 Lessons from NASA, Adobe, and PepsiCo
24:32 Why great ideas often get rejected
26:03 Advice David wishes he knew early in his career
28:24 What it really takes to build your best team ever
30:46 David’s final advice for listeners
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📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube: The SMARTA Podcast
🌐 Find out more about Sonia: www.soniamarta.com
📲 Follow Sonia’s journey on Instagram: @soniamartaauthor | Linktree