DiscoverDavid Burkus PresentsHow To Pitch An Idea
How To Pitch An Idea

How To Pitch An Idea

Update: 2025-12-08
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Want to build your best team ever? Join 25,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://davidburkus.com/podcast

You’ve got a great idea. A new workflow. A game-changing tool. A better way to run meetings. You bring it to your manager…and get hit with “let’s stick with what we know.” Sound familiar?

I'm breaking down why smart people reject great ideas, and more importantly, how to sell your best ideas to your boss, your team, or your entire organization.

Chapters:

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

00:55 Meet Dr. David Burkus

01:18 Why Your Idea Isn’t Landing

01:50 Reason 1: The Success Trap

02:40 Reason 2: The Sunk Cost Fallacy

04:18 Reason 3: Risk Asymmetry

05:20 Reason 4: The Status Quo Bias

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

07:42 Try these phrases!

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

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

10:41 Solution 4: Build the culture.

//ABOUT DAVID

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

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

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

//SPEAKING

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

//CONNECT

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

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

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

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

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How To Pitch An Idea

How To Pitch An Idea

David Burkus