Summer Learning – Improving your leadership skills just about anywhere (podcast recommendations)

Photo by Akshay M on Unsplash

Memorial Day has come and gone, graduations of all kinds are happening all around!  Typically summer is when people look for ways to relax, unwind, and spend some time with family.  Summer is also the ideal time to learn something new – test the waters, if you will.  But what kind of learning lends itself to the hazy, hot and humid days ahead?

My latest recommendation is to find a podcast.  Most podcasts clock in under an hour or so and are ideal for commute times, travel, a day at the beach or a hike in the hills.  They are 100% portable and don’t take up any more space in your luggage then the tiny slot you have for your smartphone and earbuds.

What is a podcast? 

It’s an audio episode of a serial show, similar to the radio shows of yesteryear. Podcasts come in all forms – fiction, non-fiction, comedy, drama, historical, business, you name it.  This article from Wired magazine The Beginner’s Guide to Podcasts provides a great overview. Podcasts are available to stream on your mobile device, smart speaker or computer through a variety of services.

If you’ve never listened to a podcast the options and topics can be overwhelming, so where should you start?  Start by checking iTunes or Google Play for podcasts that spark your interest, or pick from my recommendations.

Here’s my Summer Learning Podcast List.  The first list recommends specific episodes, and the second focuses on the podcast shows that are on my regular rotation.  I have a few that I listen to for fun, laughter or personal growth but those I’ll add in another post.

Leadership Podcast Episode Recommendations

• The Object of Leadership – Episode 63.  At Barry-Wehmiller, leadership is the responsibility to steward the lives that are entrusted to their care.  Listen as David Vandermolen, Learning Sensei at Barry-Wehmiller Companies, talks about looking at your team members as people not objects to get a job done.  (34 minutes)  A few more from Barry-Wehmiller:  The Swag Bag of Leadership – Episode 54 More from David Vandermolen.  (33 minutes)  and Dr. Ken Druck and a Compassionate Workplace – Episode 58 (35 minutes)
• Sorry not Sorry – Season 3, Episode 5.  The phenomenon of apologizing too much at work is not unique to women; it appears to be on the rise among men as well.  Listen here to help identify when you may be apologizing unnecessarily and what you can say instead.  (40 minutes)
• Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace – Episode 666.  Interview with Amy Edmondson, professor at Harvard Business School and pioneer in the field of psychological safety.  (27 minutes)
• What We Get Wrong About Work – June 11, 2019.  Marcus Buckingham, author of First, Break All the Rules and most recently Nine Lies About Work,  talks about the nature of people and work.  In particular, he addresses some of the assumed myths about work so many of us hold and explains how these are simply not accurate.  There’s much more to this insightful interview. (1 hour and 21 minutes)
• Getting Better at Empathy, with Daniel Goleman – Episode 391.  Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, focuses on three different types of empathy and their expression at work and in every day life. (37 minutes)  The link may require you to sign in for a free membership.  If you’re not comfortable with that, go to your podcast provider of choice, search for Coaching for Leaders, then search for Episode 391.
• From the same podcast, Episode 408 Get Better at Listening with OscarTrimboli.  A great episode to get deeper insight on the importance of listening, asking questions and the power of silence.

Links to the Podcasts that host the episodes above:

• Truly Human Leadership at Barry Wehmiller, is my favorite leadership podcast.  These folks understand that at the root of leadership, be it the leader or follower, are people with hopes, dreams and fears.  Get ready to be inspired.  Chances are high that you have never heard someone talk like this about leadership.
• TED Radio Hour – Hosted by Guy Raz, this NPR production takes a deeper dive into a new topic every week by interviewing experts as they have been heard on the TED stage.  Guy Raz explores the emotions, insights, and discoveries that make us human. The TED Radio Hour is a narrative journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.”  Recent topics include: Jumpstarting Creativity, Setbacks, Confronting Racism and Climate Crisis.  Typically, episodes last 52-54 minutes.  These are also available to hear on your local NPR station.
• HBR IdeaCast – This weekly podcast produced by Harvard Business Review features experts in business.  Recent episodes include: Advice for Entrepreneurs from a Leading Venture Capitalist and How Having a Rival Improves Performance.  Episodes range in length but most recent episodes are less than 30 minutes. 
• Harvard Business Review offers multiple channels, and another favorite of mine is Women at Work.  This podcast focuses on women and the workplace.
• Good Life Project Podcast – One of several media projects that interview a fascinating breadth of individuals.  Recent guests include Marcus Buckingham, Author Elizabeth Gilbert, Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman, co-founders of the Gottman Institute.
• Coaching for Leaders – David Stachowiak, a Senior Vice President with Dale Carnegie of Southern Los Angeles, interviews leaders and leadership experts to help coach you toward improving your own leadership.  Whether you’re in a leadership role now or not, the lessons from these experts apply in almost every realm your life.

I’ve got a few more podcasts on deck to investigate that show promise:

• Blanchard Leaderchat
• The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk
• Entre Leadership

*links provided will take you to the podcast page, you can listen from the page or connect through Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.

Wonders of the week:
Time to share something that inspired me, made me curious or encouraged me to take a risk.

Did you know you could earn rewards for listening to podcasts?  Check out podcoin.  Podcoin lets you earn podcoin while you to listen to your favorite podcasts.  As of June 2019 1 podcoin=10 minutes of listening.  Listening streaks can earn you more.  You can redeem podcoins for gift cards or items, or you can donate your proceeds to charity.  They've already raised an incredible amount for charity.  

Let me know in the comments below, what podcasts inspire you.  What else should I be listening to?