The 16 Best Management Podcasts of 2020

Think of a topic, any topic, and there’s probably a podcast about it, and management is no exception. In fact, there are more management podcasts than one person could listen to in a lifetime. So we’re helping narrow it down with 16 of the best management podcasts out there today.

Aside from being a fun way to fill the time on your commute, the podcasts on this list all deal with what it means to be a leader at a time when the expectations for managers are rapidly evolving. These days, our jobs aren’t just about meeting productivity goals; they’re about being a cultural leader for our teams, caring for each individual, and fostering a positive atmosphere.

These are exciting challenges, and we’re all better equipped to face them when we’re open to hearing new ideas. You may not agree with everything you hear on these podcasts, but we hope you find something on this list that challenges your preconceptions, and helps you grow as a leader.

Management Podcasts by Managers, For Managers

1. Masters of Scale

Host Reid Hoffman, the cofounder of LinkedIn, interviews a different business leader each week. They discuss their thoughts on the leadership methods and philosophies that made their companies successful. The guests are an impressive array of movers and shakers (recent guests include Bill Gates and Gwyneth Paltrow). They bring a very diverse set of experiences and perspectives, and Reid has also committed to having a gender balance for his guests.

Notable episodes:

• Small Changes for Big Impact: Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of Bumble, talks about how game-changing products are built around small features.
• How to Build Trust Fast: Daniel Ek, cofounder and CEO of Spotify, speaks about how he built a successful streaming platform by building trust between record companies, musicians, and fans who had grown used to illegal downloads.
• How to Set the Drumbeat: Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, discusses how a leader’s role is to create an irresistible “drumbeat” for their team to follow.

Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play

2. Let’s Talk Teams by Uptick

That’s right — Uptick has a podcast! Let’s Talk Teams is a weekly show where Uptick Co-founders Chris Zaugg and Michael Probert discuss leading, building and contributing to great teams at work. Chris and Michael give listeners a peek behind the curtain into the conversations being had as the Uptick teams grow and adapt. They share the lessons we’ve been learning along the way as well as interviews with other managers on how they’re building great teams.

Notable episodes:

• Start with the Long-Term in Mind: In this episode Michael and Chris discuss the best ways to build long-term trust when managing a new team.
• How Often Should You Have One-On-Ones?: In this episode, Michael, Chris and recurring guest Britta, talk about the “whys” of having a consistent 1:1 cadence. They discuss how having them more frequently may help you develop a better relationship with your team members while ultimately saving time.
• Adjusting to Remote 1:1s: With most of the workforce working remotely, having effective 1:1s even more important. Michael, Chris, and Britta, discuss the challenges of our new reality and how to meet those challenges in the workplace.

Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast

3. Leadership Biz Cafe

The beauty of this podcast is that episodes range in length from 10-minute “espresso shots” up to an hour, so you can find something to fit your needs and your schedule. Host Tanveer Naseer is a leadership expert and speaker with a gift for wrapping management lessons in memorable, pithy stories.

Notable episodes:

• Tapping Into Power Of Expectations: A story about a firefighter who becomes a study in how to make employees feel inspired at work.
• Dealing With Your Leadership Mess: Guest Scott Miller offers relatable insights on “owning your messes” and using them to grow as a leader.

Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify

4. Coaching for Leaders

Host Dave Stachowiak’s resume includes leading training programs for Boeing, the United States Air Force, and the University of California system, and he brings that expertise to this podcast. New managers in particular will benefit from his concrete and actionable advice on common questions of leadership, such as instilling a team vision, managing one’s former peers, and dealing with difficult employees.

Notable episodes:

• Leadership in the Midst of Chaos: Former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis tells stories from his career and the lessons he learned from them.
• Leading Someone Smarter and More Questions: Guest Bonni Stachowiak, host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast (and Dave’s partner), appears in this monthly episode. She answers interesting listener questions (including how to manage someone you fear is your intellectual superior).

Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify

5. HR Leaders

As the name indicates, this podcast is geared toward HR professionals and features successful HR leaders sharing best practices. Host Chris Rainey’s dry British wit makes this a particularly enjoyable listening experience. Even if HR isn’t specifically in your job title, these topics will be relevant to your work.

Notable episodes:

• Building a Culture in a Newly Merged Organization: Tonille Miller, global VP of culture and people experience at StarTek, discusses the myriad challenges of merging two organizations and turning two distinct cultures into a cohesive whole.
• Developing the Conscious Leadership Mindset for the 21st Century: Guest Jeffery Deckman, an award-winning author, coach, and speaker, discusses how the challenges of the 21st century require companies to value people, not merely profits.

Where to listen: Website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts

6. Lead to Win

Michael Hyatt’s popular management podcast is directed at high-performing leaders who want to balance professional success with personal happiness, passion for their work, and a sense of creating a long-term legacy. Episodes often come with bonus material on the website, giving managers the tools to put Hyatt’s concepts into practice immediately.

Notable episodes:

• How to Delegate for the Perfect Results Every Time: Hyatt and co-hosts discuss why delegation is such a challenge for many leaders, and why they are often so unhappy with the results. The hosts then outline a strategy for improving communication in order to delegate in a way that serves both the manager and the team. As a bonus, this episode comes with a downloadable delegation cheat sheet.
• How to Stay Mentally Fit: In this episode, Hyatt highlights the importance of leaders taking a break from constantly being action-oriented, and taking time to engage in deep, structured reflection.

Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts

7. Projectified

This bimonthly podcast from the Project Management Institute is specifically targeted at project managers, and its guests boast a wide range of specialties, from urban development to artificial intelligence to cybersecurity. Episodes belong to overarching categories like “transformation,” “innovation,” “leadership,” and “job skills,” so listeners can engage is different types of learning.

Notable episodes:

• Job Skills—Fast-Paced Problem Solving: The world is moving faster than ever, and being a leader often requires managers to find quick solutions for complicated problems.
• Leadership—Improving Project Results: The crux of this episode is that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to every project; different projects require different methods.

Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher

8. Dose of Leadership

Host Richard Rierson interviews authors, entrepreneurs, and leaders in the worlds of business, faith-based communities, and the military about leadership. Rierson himself is an advocate of creating a “culture of leaders” within organizations, developing team members’ skills to aid in retention and productivity.

Notable episodes:

• Learning the 5 Languages of Appreciation with Dr. Paul White: At a time when burnout and employee retention are major issues in the workplace, Dr. White has advice for making your staff feel valued and engaged.
• Margie Warrell on Gender (Facts, Myths, & Biases) in Leadership: A candid dialogue about overcoming persistent cultural obstacles that keep women from getting the opportunities to be mentored and guided toward leadership positions.

Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher

9. Leadership and Loyalty

This award-winning management podcast is now in its 11th season. Dov Baron, a corporate cultural strategist and author, keeps it relevant by bringing in experts and entrepreneurs from a wide swath of fields. The podcast often looks at the issues of the moment like AI, political polarization, and the power of social media. Then it applies a scientific and psychological framework that managers can use to shape their understanding of themselves and their teams.

Notable episodes:

• Leading from the Roots: Dr. Kathleen Allen speaks about how to find human meaning in a world that increasingly relies on machine insights.
• I Am Enough: Celebrated British therapist Marisa Peer reveals the counterintuitive ways leaders can overcome imposter syndrome and increase their self-confidence.

Where to listen: Spotify, Stitcher

10. LeadX Leadership Podcast

Best-selling author and entrepreneur Kevin Kruse hosts this podcast with entrepreneurs and leadership experts. Many of these episodes aren’t structured as interviews but as extended presentations, like Ted Talks, on the subject of leadership.

Notable episodes:

• How To Use Productive Conflict: Guest Liane Davey is the NY Times best-selling author of You First: Inspire Your Team to Grow Up, Get Along, and Get Stuff Done. In this episode, she talks about our tendency to confuse healthy workplace tension with upsetting personal friction, and how to embrace the right kind of conflict.
• Ten Skills You Need for Agile Leadership: Ed Morrison, director of the Agile Strategy Lab, shares his “strategic doing” methodology and how it can facilitate collaboration.

Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify

Business-Focused Management Podcasts

11. How She Did That

Tasha Booth, business coach and CEO of the Launch Guild, hosts this podcast designed for small-business managers, project managers, and virtual-assistant pros. In each episode, Booth interviews inspiring female professionals on subjects ranging from finding a work-life balance to strategizing your taxes. It’s a great and very upbeat way to answer management questions you might not know how to ask.

Notable episodes:

• How She Beat Burnout with Renee Reese: A business coach on how she recognized that she was burned out, how she dealt with it, and how she keeps it from happening again.
• How She Sells High Ticket Offers with Love: Guest Laura Wright speaks about how to overcome anxiety in order to charge the best rate you can get.

Where to listen:Website, Apple Podcasts, Google Play

12. The $100 MBA

This award-winning podcast has a broad focus on entrepreneurship but regularly includes episodes focused on leadership. Host Omar Zenhom has thoughtful yet entertaining takes on business issues and condenses them into 10- to 20-minute episodes. The variety in $100 MBA’s format is part of its appeal. One episode will be a crash course on a business topic, the next will be a book review, and the next will be an interview with an expert.

Notable episodes:

• My Employee is Asking for a HUGE Raise. What do I do?: Zenhom runs down a list of options for when a valued employee asks for compensation that just isn’t in the budget.
• How to Estimate How Long a Group Project Will Take: Guest teacher Laura B. Janusek teaches how to set realistic deadlines by breaking a project down into smaller pieces.

Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher

13. Growth Think Tank

This podcast (formerly known as Leaders in the Trenches) is hosted by author, Inc. Magazine contributor, and business consultant Gene Hammett. He interviews founders and CEOs at successful companies and also candidly reflects on his own successes and failures in business. There’s an overall theme of growth, but this includes opportunities for personal growth as well as scaling a business.

Notable episodes:

• The Three C’s of Fast-Growth Leadership Guest Rex Kurzius, founder of Asset Panda, shares how an early business setback taught him to support and elevate his team instead of trying to handle everything himself.
• Maintaining a Culture with a Remote Team: Hammett and guest Jeff Kupietzky, CEO of PowerInbox, take on the timely issue of how leaders can create a coherent company culture with remote workers.

Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts

Self-Improvement Management Podcasts

14. Beyond the To-Do List

This podcast focuses on productivity and how to be efficient without making yourself miserable. Host Erik Fisher is a social media manager and has ADHD, so he has a funny and honest perspective on being successful while navigating a world full of digital distractions. Productivity is always top of mind for managers, and this podcast introduces new techniques every week.

Notable episodes:

• Tim Campos on Overcoming the Productivity Pitfalls of the Calendar: The former CIO of Facebook talks about his new project: a calendar app that helps manage time by factoring every facet of your life.
• Getting Things Done: David Allen on Developing the Skill of Outcome and Action Thinking: The originator of the “Getting Things Done” system on how to stop feeling unfocused and overwhelmed and start taking action.

Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher

15. How’s Work? with Esther Perel

Famed couples counselor, author, and host of the popular couples therapy podcast “Where Should We Begin?” Esther Perel takes her skills “from the bedroom to the boardroom” in this new podcast. She shares counseling sessions between coworkers attempting to navigate challenges in their professional relationships. These often-moving glimpses of the bonds people share with their colleagues can offer any insight to any manager trying to bring psychological awareness to their working life.

Notable episodes:

• The Break-Up: Two longtime business partners are being pulled in different directions and are trying to discover if their greatest strength is their individual ideas or their partnership.
• Not Many Men Work For Their Moms: A mother who started a real-estate agency, where her son now works, navigates the complicated dynamics of a relationship in which the personal and the professional bleed into one another.

Where to listen: Spotify

16. Change Management Review

One of the fundamental duties of management is coping with change, and helping your team to cope with it too. Yet managers struggle with change as much as anyone else. This podcast is all about how you can overcome your resistance to change and use it as a springboard rather than a stumbling block. Guests are a mix of executives, psychologists, and executive coaches, all of whom share their unique take on the role of change in leadership, and leadership in navigating change.

Notable episodes:

• You Know your IQ, What’s Your CQ?: Guest Barbara A. Trautlein introduces her concept of Change Intelligence (CQ) as a discrete and vital metric for leaders and discusses how to measure your own CQ.Creating a Legacy: Leading
• Change Through Emotional Intelligence: Guest Peter Jansen discusses how emotional intelligence and empathy are crucial to leaders who want to implement change without losing the trust of their team.

Where to listen: Website, Apple Podcasts, Android