Recommended podcasts for business leaders

Podcasts are a great way to keep yourself updated and informed. There are thousands of podcasts on themes related to travel, lifestyle, food, lifeskills, spirituality, motivation, business, finance, entrepreneurship, etc. A good number of podcasts are also available for business professionals, executives in varied formats – talk show format – conversational, interviews, solo casts, or story telling. 

A great deal of learning in business and life happens by learning through each others experiences. We learn when we get to understand various business scenarios and related decisions and perspectives. Most podcasts on business related subjects – workplace, entrepreneurship, finance etc., brings all this to us for free. 

We have identified some podcasts that may be a wonderful source or learning, inspiration, ideas for business leaders. These podcasts are hosted by experts, professionals, entrepreneurs, writers and each of these have some great value in store for listeners. Some of these podcasts discusses decision taken by business executives, entrepreneurs while scaling their business, about launching their products, and about handing business issues, crisis etc. 

This is a podcast straight from from the Co-Founder of LinkedIn and legendary Silicon Valley investor & entrepreneur Reid Hoffman. Hoffman analyzes how companies grow by talking to some of the finest from the industry such as executives of NetFlix, Facebook, Airbnb, Minted and more. In each episode, Reid Hoffman shows how companies can grow from zero to a gazillion by testing his theories with famous founders. The first episode of Masters of Scale, featuring Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky, was aired on May 3, 2017. In March 2018, the show completed its second season. In July 2018, the show launched its third season.

Sarah Green Carmichael, an executive editor at Harvard Business Review, hosts the HBR IdeaCast podcast, featuring leading thinkers in business and management. The podcast features lively interviews with industry professionals, scientists and journalists—some of the famous ones, also covering one general topic or issue per episode.The podcast is categorized as a management and marketing podcast, but it covers much more than what it’s entitled. It has short and crispy episodes ranging from a 10- to 20-minute podcast. The podcast has been nominated for a National Magazine Award twice and it’s diverse subjects including interesting authorities add up to practical advice on behavior and smart, in-depth discussions on navigating business situations or life in general.

Organizational psychologist Adam Grant takes listeners inside some of the world’s most unusual workplaces to discover the keys to better work. Adam Grant delves inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to explore the science of making work not suck. From learning how to love criticism to harnessing the power of frustration, one thing’s for sure: You’ll never see your job the same way again. The podcast has been one of Apple Podcasts’ most downloaded new shows of 2018, and has spent two weeks as the #1 show on the entire podcast chart.

Bloomberg Opinion columnist Barry Ritholtz looks at the people and ideas that shape markets, investing and business. The shows motto is  “No stock picks, no predictions.” In 2018, it was downloaded or streamed by listeners more than 7 million times. Every week, Barry sits down with one of the titans of the financial industry and has a thoughtful, entertaining discussion about how personalities got to where they are and what influenced them along the way.

Netflix vs. HBO. Nike vs. Adidas. Business is war. Business Wars gives listeners the unauthorized, real story of what drives these companies and their leaders, inventors, investors and executives to new heights — or to ruin. The podcast is hosted by David Brown, former anchor of Marketplace and  produced by Wondery. The podcast debuted in 2018 at had been ranked #1 on the iTunes podcast charts.

NPR’s Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world’s best-known companies by weaving a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists and the movements they built on their journeys. How I Built This began on September 12, 2016. Guy Raz creates a  safe space for entrepreneurs to share their stories of ascent and this has made Raz one of the most popular podcasters in history. Listeners consider the show as an M.B.A. course due to the engaging content. Raz interviews function as case studies and listeners get inspired.

The podcast is hosted by Timothy Ferriss, an American entrepreneur, author and podcaster. The podcast covers topics ranging from personal and character development, to morning routines and meditation habits of celebrities, CEOs and sports icons. Occasionally, the podcast has also covered themes like –  writing, venture capital, metaphysics, acting and movies.