25 Podcasts for Managers (with Episode Recommendations)

We’ve entered the age of podcasts, and everyone can benefit from the distillation of the experiences of experts, including leaders and managers.

Podcasts are convenient. Timely. Data-driven. In this post, you can peruse our picks for podcasts for managers and leaders, including episodes on topics like the following:

• Building better leadership skills
• Female leaders
• Success stories
• Productivity principles for yourself and your employees
• Career-development advice
• Book recommendations for leaders

Get out a pen and paper or your favorite note-taking app. Listen to a podcast while you’re doing something else at home. Find life-changing advice for both yourself and others you know. Any leader can benefit from at least one of these podcasts for managers. Here are 25 to consider.

25 Business-Management Podcasts

1. Coaching for Potential

The Premise: Every episode revolves around using and improving leadership skills—often focused on coaching—that unlocks the potential in you and your team members.

The Host: Rory Rowland, a consultant and presenter to businesses across America

Best for: Business leaders, managers

Best Episodes:

• Dr. Steven Stowell shares wisdom for managers from 30 years of coaching, including the Coaching TIPS²™ Model—Topic, Impact, Plan, Support, and Sustain.
• Ben Dooley shows the core skills of both managers and leaders in order to easily differentiate them.
• Bob Burg, co-author of The Go-Giver, explains how to influence people without coercing or manipulating them.

2. Radical Candor

The Premise: You’ll hear lessons on how to have vital conversations in the workplace, improve your culture, and become a better leader, along with lighthearted pop-culture quotes.

The Host: Kim Scott, the author of the book Radical Candor, with Russ Laraway, co-founder of Candor, Inc.

Best for: Business leaders, managers

Best Episodes:

• The first episode, in which Kim and Russ explain the key points and practical steps from the book.
• Learn to manage workers during a crisis discusses taking anxiety and uncertainty into account while holding onto your humanity.
• An episode featuring listener questions gives actionable ideas for dealing with common managerial situations.

3. WorkLife

The Premise: Each weekly interview on this official TED podcast features a person or team—such as Olympic athletes or top moviemakers—who have achieved outstanding results and exemplify what your team could be.

The Host: Adam Grant, Wharton professor of organizational psychology

Best for: Leaders, managers, professionals

Best Episodes:

• Career Decline Isn’t Inevitable: Profiles of top performers who defied the idea of career decline.
• Learn to manage jerks in the workplace, rather than just avoiding or eliminating them.
• Effective authenticity is superior to the trite advice of just “being yourself,” which can actually cause problems when applied in the wrong way.

4. HBR IdeaCast

The Premise: Every week, Harvard Business Review interviews top thought leaders on effective management and business practices, including CEOs, founders, psychologists, and others.

The Hosts: Alison Beard and Curt Nickisch, senior editors at HBR

Best for: Leaders, managers

Best Episodes:

• Peter Scoblic, co-founder of Event Horizon Strategies, shows how to create long-term strategies, use contingency planning, and prepare for crises.
• Psychologist Ellen Hendriksen and CEO Arvind Rajan reveal ways to help workers who have social anxiety.
• Willy Shih, a Harvard Business School professor, explains how businesses can better prepare for future supply-chain interruptions.

5. Leadership Biz Cafe

The Premise: This podcast features both 10-minute lessons and long-form interviews to teach the skills and qualities of strong leaders using memorable stories.

The Host: Tanveer Naseer, speaker and leadership expert

Best for: Leaders, managers

Best Episodes:

• Peter Economy, a popular author on management, discusses how to succeed as a new manager.
• Beth Weissenberger, co-founder and President of the Corporate Division of Handel Group, discusses how to lead with humanity while avoiding human pitfalls.
• Oscar Trimboli, an author, keynote speaker, and host of the Deep Listening podcast, reveals how to be an outstanding listener.

6. Coffee with the Greats

The Premise: Episodes focus on high performers in a quest to discover what makes them great, revealing lessons you can use as a leader or professional.

The Host: Miles Fisher

Best for: Leaders, managers, professionals

Best Episodes:

• Randall Stephenson, executive chairman of AT&T, explains the importance of diversity, emotional intelligence, and more.
• Ajay Banga, CEO of Mastercard, discusses his background, including walking away from his position at Nestlé to pursue management at Mastercard.
• Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, reveals his background, including going from unemployment to his current position.

7. Success Stories

The Premise: Success Magazine presents interviews with successful leaders and entrepreneurs, focusing on stories you won’t hear in other sources.

The Host: Kindra Hall, Success Magazine Chief Storytelling Officer

Best for: Leaders, managers, professionals

Best Episodes:

• Megan Tamte, co-founder and co-CEO of EVEREVE clothing, with about 100 US locations that serve career women and moms.
• Vishen Lakhiani, a top authority on consciousness and personal growth, and the founder and CEO of Mindvalley, a major global personal-growth education business.
• Seema Bansal, founder of Venus ET Fleur, discusses building her business without investors.

8. Manager Tools

The Premise: Management experts maintain an extensive library of management lessons for seemingly every conceivable managerial task and situation.

The Hosts: Mark Horstman and Mike Auzenne

Best for: Managers

Best Episodes:

• Negative Feedback Pushback Examples, Part 1 gives timeless advice on working with direct reports who are defensive about receiving feedback.
• The Manager Tools Data – One-On-Ones, Part 1 presents data on why weekly one-on-ones with direct reports are vital in all companies.
• Giving Effective Feedback, Part 1 discusses how to present feedback that leads direct reports toward more effective behavior or reinforces current behavior.

9. Beyond the To-Do List

The Premise: An exploration of every facet of productivity, including how to choose the right work and complete quality work—perfect for your own work and for training your teams.

The Host: Erik Fisher

Best for: Managers, professionals

Best Episodes:

• Mike Robbins, speaker and author, explains his four principles for building a better team culture based on trust and high performance.
• Cal Newport, professor at Georgetown University and author, discusses how to use technology wisely to pursue values and goals.
• David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done, which spawned a global movement, explains how to learn the habit of outcome and action thinking.

10. The Accidental Creative

The Premise: Provides advice twice per week on performing well at work, including interviews with leaders, creatives, and thinkers.

The Host: Todd Henry, author of The Motivation Code

Best for: Managers, professionals

Best Episodes:

• Josh Kaufman, author of The Personal MBA, explains the pillars of business and why anyone in business must understand them or suffer.
• Todd Henry, the host of The Accidental Creative, discusses why leaders and professionals need radical bravery.
• David Meerman Scott, author of Fanocracy, reveals how to win customers who are so loyal that they promote your brand for you.

11. The Extraordinary Business Book Club

The Premise: Interviews focus on outstanding business books and business leaders, providing leadership principles and examples along with tips on writing books.

Best for: Leaders

Best Episodes:

• Lucinda Carney, founder and CEO of Actus Software and author of How to Be a Change Superhero, tells how to create quality content to promote and strengthen whatever business you lead.
• Katy Granville-Chapman and Emmie Bidston, expert leaders and leader educators, explain the principles of leadership, which center on knowing, loving, and inspiring the people you lead.

12. Brand Builder

The Premise: Hear interviews and actionable lessons from experts in the field of consumer packaged goods that are focused on excellent leadership and team-building.

The Host: Sean Kelly, CEO of SnackNation, along with Jordan Cohen and Jeff Murphy

Best for: Leaders

Best Episodes:

• Gabi Lewis, founder of Magic Spoon, discusses influencer marketing, fitting a product to a market, and learning from past ventures.
• Daina Trout, the CEO and co-founder of Health-Ade Kombucha, explains the leadership methods and tactics that work at her company.
• Amanda Slavin, CEO and co-founder of CatalystCreativ, reveals techniques for winning repeat customers, along with connecting deeply with customers.

13. Women’s Leadership Success

The Premise: Interviews with more than 100 female and male leaders and managers reveal how to be a leader who is highly sought after.

The Host: Sabrina Braham, author, executive coach, and consultant

Best for: Leaders, managers

Best Episodes:

• Megumi Miki, author of Quietly Powerful, reveals the value of quiet female leaders and professionals—and encourages them to embrace their unique power.
• Erin Passon, a certified executive coach, explains how to discover your particular leadership talents and put them to work.
• John Baldoni, the author of Grace: A Leader’s Guide to a Better Us, discusses the meaning of “grace” and its use in a kinder leadership style.

14. What Great Bosses Know

The Premise: In partnership with the Poynter Institute, each episode of the What Great Bosses Know podcast presents a specific lesson on leadership or management, including topics such as integrity and communication.

The Host: Jill Geisler, coach to managers and leaders around the world

Best for: Leaders, managers

Best Episodes:

• Don’t Be a “Bigfoot Boss”: A great boss has small feet—they don’t stomp around yelling and stealing credit from their employees.
• Learn how to manage star performers, supporting them in their outstanding work without being resented by other workers.
• Want to go more in-depth than a podcast? Jill recommends six great books to help you become a better boss.

15. Leadership and Loyalty

The Premise: What podcasts do CEOs listen to? Fortune 500 executives pay attention to this one, which focuses on stories from leaders who have found their purpose, even in difficult times.

Best for: Leaders, managers

Best Episodes:

• Roger Wakefield, owner of a plumbing company, recounts how he learned social-media marketing late in life.
• Keith Ferrazzi, author of the transformative book Leading Without Authority.
• Lee Colan, organizational psychologist and founder of The L Group, explains replicable models that leaders can use for better coaching amidst information overload.

16. The $100 MBA

The Premise: Lessons on real-world business principles crafted by expert educators, often using experienced business leaders as guest teachers.

The Host: Omar Zenhom, former educator and university manager, along with Nicole Baldinu

Best for: Leaders, entrepreneurs

Best Episodes:

• Timothy Clark, Oxford Doctor of Social Sciences, author, and entrepreneur, discusses how to help your team feel physically and emotionally safe for better performance.
• How to Empower Your Team to Manage Themselves features the hosts explaining action items for giving yourself more time and energy by delegating responsibility.
• Laura B. Janusek, project management expert, reveals how to accurately forecast a project’s timeline and break it into manageable parts.

17. Masters of Scale

The Premise: Episodes focus on leaders and entrepreneurs, revealing timeless business and life principles and focusing on how to grow teams and organizations successfully.

The Host: Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and partner at Greylock Partners

Best for: Leaders, managers, entrepreneurs

Best Episodes:

• John Foley, founder and CEO of Peloton, explains how to turn skeptics into raving fans, recounting the difficult founding of Peloton.
• Clara Shih, co-founder and CEO of Hearsay Systems, discusses how to solve urgent customer needs and become indispensable to them in the future.
• Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of Bumble, reveals how small feature changes can lead to big successes.

18. Dose of Leadership

The Premise: Hear from high performers in a wide variety of fields, such as business leadership, sports, investment, and others.

The Host: Former U.S. Marine Richard Rierson, leadership expert and coach

Best for: Leaders, managers, entrepreneurs

Best Episodes:

• Justin Maxson, Senior Executive Vice President of NCRI (National Catastrophe Restoration, Inc), Justin discusses how he became a better leader even as a third-generation business owner.
• Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media, led his company in multiple launches of new businesses and publications.
• Barbara Corcoran shares how she became an entrepreneur and eventually a “shark” on Shark Tank.

19. Growth Think Tank

The Premise: Presents interviews with business leaders from Inc 500 companies, focusing on principles of rapid growth, leadership, meaning, and company culture.

The Host: Gene Hammett, recognized by Inc Magazine and Entrepreneur Magazine for his contributions to leadership

Best for: Leaders

Best Episodes:

• Bill Kerr, CEO of Avalon Healthcare Solutions, explains his approach to leadership during times of rapid growth.
• Carolin Soldo discusses the principles of building better trust-based relationships with employees, in contrast to focusing solely on results.
• Chase Mullin, CEO of Mullin Landscape, reveals how to be a servant leader to your team and why that is effective.

20. Engaging Leader

The Premise: This long-running podcast uses guest interviews and stories to reveal principles of leadership, engagement, and communication.

The Host: Jesse Lahey, a consultant with more than 25 years of experience in workplace communication and leadership

Best for: Leaders, managers, HR professionals

Best Episodes:

• Maya Hu-Chan, author of Saving Face: How to Preserve Dignity and Build Trust, talks about making employees feel safe even while giving feedback, including ways to build trust.
• Jeff Dyer, Professor of Strategy at Brigham Young University and Wharton, imparts information from his broad knowledge of 100 innovative leaders, such as how to win support for your team’s projects and ideas.

21. Coaching for Leaders

The Premise: In one of the best podcasts for new managers, the host and guests reveal practical actions for leaders and answer common questions.

The Host: Dave Stachowiak, former leader of training programs for the US Air Force and other organizations

Best for: Leaders, managers

Best Episodes:

• Tasha Eurich, organizational psychologist and best-selling author, reveals how to remain self-aware as one climbs the corporate ladder, including how to seek honest feedback.
• Jim Mattis, former US Marine, 4-star general, and secretary of defense, discusses leadership lessons he gained after more than 40 years in the military, including time in combat.

22. Change Creator Podcast

The Premise: Interviews that focus on business and other leaders who are making positive social changes in the world.

The Host: Adam G. Force, co-founder of Change Creator

Best for: Leaders, marketers, entrepreneurs

Best Episodes:

• Blake Mycoskie, founder of Toms Shoes, shares lessons from starting, running, and growing Toms.
• Seth Godin, serial entrepreneur and author, reveals the attributes of outstanding leaders.
• Dr. Muhammad Yunus, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, uncovers the secrets to his success and provides advice to other social-change leaders, including forecasts for the future.

23. The John Maxwell Leadership Podcast

The Premise: Learn a variety of effective, transformational lessons from recognized leadership author John C. Maxwell and hosts.

The Host: John C. Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author, coach, and speaker

Best for: Leaders

Best Episodes:

• You Can Lead Now: An encouraging message from John Maxwell on how to start leading where you are, along with an application section with co-hosts.
• Maximizing Your Mentoring: A discussion of John’s four questions you can use to improve relationships with your direct reports or mentors.
• Connecting with Others, Part 1: Part of a series on John’s book Everyone Communicates, Few Connect.

24. Let’s Talk Teams by Uptick

The Premise: The co-founders of the Uptick app explain the principles they use to build excellent workplace teams, along with sharing interviews with other managers.

The Host: Chris Zaugg and Michael Probert, co-founders of Uptick

Best for: Managers

Best Episodes:

• Meaningful Performance Reviews: A lesson on how to creatively transform performance reviews into a beneficial experience for both team members and managers.
• Meaningful One-on-Ones: Reveals principles for having interesting and appreciated one-on-one meetings that go far beyond simple status updates (which could have been easily conveyed in an email).

25. The Growth Show

The Premise: Interviews with expert guests revolve around how to grow an organization, team, culture, or concept.

The Host: Meghan Keaney Anderson, vice president of marketing for HubSpot

Best for: Leaders, managers, founders

Best Episodes:

• Heidi Zak, co-founder and CEO of ThirdLove, a fascinating challenger to Victoria’s Secret.
• Matt Meeker, co-founder of BarkBox, discusses the principles of putting customers first, including investments in customer service and personalization.

Build Your Knowledge of Business Strategy

At least a few of these podcasts for managers can serve your needs as you grow in your career. Give some of them a chance, either through our episode recommendations or by picking episodes that interest you.

It may take several episodes to truly understand the value of a podcast. But once you find a handful of podcasts that resonate with you, you can continually learn from some of the greatest leaders in the world. And constant growth is the only way to serve your teams and your own career to the best of your abilities.