The 15 best leadership and management podcasts, ranked
The best podcasts for managers and leaders at tech companies: one-on-ones, hiring, feedback, managing managers and career moves. Practical shows only, no self-help. Ranked for usefulness.
We did not rank these from memory. TL;WL has transcribed 506 episodes of 3 of these shows to build its research library, so we know what each one actually covers.
Mark Horstman and Mike Auzenne, West Point graduates who founded Manager Tools in 2005; Kate Braun and Sarah Sentes took over as managing partners in 2022
instructional episodes on one management behavior at a time, often split into parts · 20-50 min · weekly · since 2005
Why it is #1: It gives concrete, repeatable procedures for the basic jobs of a manager, with a back catalogue of almost 1,000 episodes going back to 2005. Few shows are this specific about what to say and do on Monday morning.
What it is like: Presenters walk through one specific behavior, such as a one-on-one or a feedback model, step by step, with exact wording to use. It is prescriptive and repetitive on purpose; long topics run across two or three parts.
Dave Stachowiak, founder of the Coaching for Leaders Academy, former senior leader at Dale Carnegie, doctorate in organizational leadership from Pepperdine
interviews with authors and leaders, plus occasional short solo episodes · 35-40 min · weekly (Mondays) · since 2011
Why it is #2: Over 800 episodes, each on one specific leadership problem, with a library searchable by topic on the website. The host says it is produced independently without sponsors.
What it is like: Calm, structured interviews in which Dave pulls two or three usable practices out of each guest's book or research. Episodes stay focused on one leadership problem.
Jerry Li (founder of the Engineering Leadership Community, ELC) and Patrick Gallagher (producer and co-host)
long-form interviews with engineering leaders, plus recorded sessions from ELC events · 35-55 min · weekly to every two weeks · since 2020
Why it is #3: It is one of the few shows built only for software engineering leaders, with guests who currently run engineering at tech companies. The topics match what directors and VPs deal with now.
What it is like: Interviews with VPs, CTOs and heads of engineering about how they run their organizations. Recent episodes focus heavily on rolling out AI tools across engineering teams.
How do I scale AI adoption across a large engineering org without breaking quality?
How do I handle a difficult conversation with a senior engineer?
How do I move from engineering manager to director?
How should engineering leaders think more like general managers?
Start with
Mastering Difficult Conversations With Sarah Clatterbuck, Director of Engineering.The first episode, and still one of its most practical for new engineering managers.
Tackling All Top 10 Engineering Leadership Challenges w/ Farhan Thawar #188.Shopify's head of engineering covers ten common problems in one episode.
Best for: engineering managers, directors and VPs of engineering
Skip it if: you are not in engineering, or you want basic people-management how-tos
Muriel Wilkins, executive coach and founder of Paravis Partners, author of Leadership Unblocked; produced with Harvard Business Review
real coaching sessions with anonymous leaders, plus listener Q&A episodes (Ask Muriel Anything) · 30-60 min · weekly to every two weeks · since 2020
Why it is #4: Hearing a real coaching conversation shows how a problem gets worked through, not just the answer. The problems are the ones mid-career managers actually have.
What it is like: You listen to an actual coaching session with a leader who is stuck, then hear Muriel explain what she did. The Q&A episodes answer listener questions directly.
Nikhyl Singhal, three-time founder, former product executive at Meta and Google, now runs Skip Coach, a career service for product people
solo career advice and interviews with product leaders and executive recruiters · 55-70 min · every two weeks · since 2023
Why it is #5: It is focused only on career moves in tech product roles and is current on how hiring and promotion are changing. The host coaches product leaders for a living.
What it is like: Career strategy for product people in tech, from a former Meta and Google product executive. A current series looks inside how product management works at Anthropic, Stripe, Google and Meta.
Brett Berson and Todd Jackson, partners at First Round Capital
long-form interviews with founders and executives · 45-70 min · roughly every two to four weeks (irregular in 2026) · since 2020
Why it is #6: Guests are current operating executives at well-known startups, and the show sticks to how they actually manage. It covers the executive level that most manager shows do not reach.
What it is like: Detailed interviews with COOs, CPOs, CTOs and founders about how they run teams, hire executives and make decisions. The hosts push for specifics rather than stories.
Lenny Rachitsky, writer of Lenny's Newsletter, former product lead at Airbnb
long-form interviews with product, growth and company leaders · 60-95 min · weekly · since 2022
Why it is #7: When it covers leadership, the guests are senior operators like Julie Zhuo and Ethan Evans with concrete advice. It has the largest audience in this space, so its episodes are widely discussed.
What it is like: Long, detailed interviews mostly about product and growth, with a steady share of episodes on leadership and careers. Leadership episodes are a minority of the feed, so pick by title.
What leadership skills matter when my team works with AI agents?
How do I take control of my career growth at a big tech company?
How do I build trust and grow as a product leader?
What leadership habits work at a fast-growing company?
Start with
From managing people to managing AI: The leadership skills everyone needs now | Julie Zhuo (Facebook VP, Sundial).The author of The Making of a Manager on what changes for managers now.
Taking control of your career | Ethan Evans (Amazon).A former Amazon VP with specific advice on moving up in large companies.
Gergely Orosz, writer of The Pragmatic Engineer newsletter, former engineering manager at Uber
long-form interviews with engineers and engineering leaders · 75-120 min · weekly · since 2024
Why it is #8: The host is a former engineering manager who goes into how teams and organizations actually work inside named companies. It suits engineering leaders who still want technical depth.
What it is like: Long technical and organizational conversations about how software gets built at Big Tech and startups. Management episodes appear regularly, such as one with Will Larson on engineering management.
Mark Horstman and Mike Auzenne, founders of Manager Tools; produced by the Manager Tools team
instructional episodes on one career behavior at a time · 20-40 min · weekly · since 2005
Why it is #9: It covers job searches, interviews, promotions and layoffs with the same step-by-step detail as Manager Tools. Useful for leaders handling their own career moves.
What it is like: The sister show to Manager Tools, in the same prescriptive style, about your own career rather than your team. Many 2026 episodes are re-released older guidance labeled Hall of Fame.
Jamison Dance and Dave Smith, two experienced software developers
listener Q&A, two co-hosts · 30-40 min · weekly · since 2016
Why it is #10: It has answered real listener questions from engineers and new engineering managers every week for ten years. Good for the move from senior engineer to manager.
What it is like: Two developers answer two listener questions per episode about work, careers and management, with a lot of jokes. The advice is practical despite the light tone.
Marc Baselga and Ben Erez, co-founders of Insider Loops; the show grew out of the Supra product community
interviews and two-host conversations about hiring, interviews and careers for product leaders · 65-85 min · weekly · since 2024
Why it is #11: It is focused on the mechanics of hiring and job searches for product leaders, with details most shows skip. Useful during a job change.
What it is like: Very specific conversations about how product leaders get hired, negotiate and run hiring. Recent topics include behavioral interviews at AI labs and executive recruiting.
Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor and former Google and Apple executive, with Jason Rosoff (co-founder of Radical Candor) and host Amy Sandler
currently author interviews by Kim Scott; normally three co-hosts discussing workplace communication · 40-65 min · roughly every one to two weeks · since 2016
Why it is #12: The back catalogue applies the Radical Candor framework to specific feedback situations. Current episodes are author interviews, which are less practical.
What it is like: Since mid-2026 the regular team has been on what the show calls a Radical Sabbatical, and Kim Scott interviews authors of books she likes. The older catalogue has practical episodes on feedback.
Alison Beard (executive editor, Harvard Business Review) and Adi Ignatius (editor at large, former editor in chief of HBR)
interviews with researchers, authors and executives · 25-35 min · weekly, sometimes twice a week · since 2006
Why it is #13: Short, well-produced episodes that bring current management research to a general business audience. Good for ideas, less so for step-by-step how-tos.
What it is like: Short interviews on one management idea per episode, often tied to an HBR article or book. Broad business coverage, not tech-specific.
Brian Houck, researcher at DX, the developer productivity company Atlassian acquired in 2025; earlier episodes were hosted by DX founder Abi Noda
interviews with engineering leaders and researchers on developer productivity · 40-45 min · every two weeks · since 2022
Why it is #14: It is the most specific show on engineering metrics and productivity, which engineering leaders are asked to report on. Guests share actual numbers and methods.
What it is like: Focused interviews on measuring and improving engineering productivity, with named companies such as Meta, Roblox and Dropbox. Recent episodes are mostly about AI coding tools.
Tom Henschel, executive coach at Essential Communications
solo coaching stories and tips · 20-25 min · monthly · since 2006
Why it is #15: Clear, short coaching on how leaders come across, from a coach with 20 years of episodes. Useful for executive presence and difficult conversations.
What it is like: Tom tells a story from his coaching work and gives a short set of steps for one issue of presence or communication. Episodes are short and come out once a month.
Practical depth first: does an episode leave you with something you can use at work on Monday? Then the quality of the hosts and guests, whether the show is still publishing, and how consistent it is. Fame counts for little. Listener numbers are shown only when the show or a credible source has published them, with a link to where; we never estimate them. Facts were checked in October 2026.
Your question. Every show at once.
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