9 Leadership Podcasts to Spark Creativity and Innovation in the Workplace – Workest
At most companies, innovation is needed every single day. Experts argue that innovation is more essential now than it ever has been in the past. The world is constantly changing, and adjusting to those changes is necessary. Based on that, it shouldn’t be surprising that creativity is one of the most desired soft skills in the workplace.
The question becomes: how? Is there an easy way to fill the mind with new ideas? There actually is. One of the best options is to listen to leadership podcasts that focus on innovation and creativity in the workplace.
Based on learning theory, people learn by watching others. One excellent method of observing is listening to stories and hearing lessons people have learned in life. What makes podcasts stand out is that they provide an intimate way to engage with some of the most successful people in the world.
Based on learning theory, people learn by watching others. One excellent method of observing is listening to stories and hearing lessons people have learned in life.
However, it can be challenging to sift through thousands of podcasts to find the most relevant ones. The podcasts below have been screened to ensure they offer creative content that workers use daily to spark innovation.
POPS! The People Ops Podcast
First up, POPS! The People Ops Podcast. Produced by our team at Zenefits, we bring weekly conversations around the new world of work. Tune in to hear from a variety of small business leaders who share:
This show is built for those just getting started and seasoned HR leaders. You’ll discover transformational stories, actionable insights, ideas for hot issues, the latest industry trends, and more.
Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders
Among all of the innovation podcasts available on the net, this one stands out from the pack. Engaging speakers provide talks that are similar to lectures on some occasions. In other moments, conversations are posted with Stanford professors interviewing thought leaders.
Some CEOs and founders of startups like Instagram, Alibaba, Strava, Girls Who Code, and thredUP have participated. Episodes typically run for about one hour.
This podcast offers “a combination of down-to-earth and intellectual thoughts on what drives some of the most prolific people to keep pushing past boundaries.” People who tune in will get the gritty details about how current innovators get through the day.
How I Built This with Guy Raz
This podcast about innovation takes a different tactic than most out there. It has an audio-essay format that offers clear narrative arcs.
Interview segments are included alongside a narrative presented using:
Guy, who hosts the podcast, is a radio host and journalist who has been described as “one of the most popular podcasters in history.” As people listen to the episodes, they’ll enjoy entertaining and rich storytelling based on real moments of failure and success to fuel out-of-the-box thinking.
Most of the episodes of this podcast are roughly an hour long.
The Corporate Innovation Podcast
With episodes of around an hour, this podcast’s illustrious host is Kris Østergaard. He is the Chief Learning & Innovation Officer and co-founder of SingularityU Nordic. His minimalistic and calm style ensures the podcast focuses on what his guests are willing to share. This podcast offers fascinating interviews with a great deal of depth.
Noted as one of the most interesting podcasts on the topic of innovation, you can expect themes to include:
It offers stimulating and in-depth investigations of the most intriguing challenges of the modern world from some of the most esteemed thinkers.
Innovation and Leadership with Jess Larsen
This podcast will be appealing to those who prefer shorter episodes. Each episode is about 30 minutes long and packed with informative thoughts. The host is Jess Larsen, the co-founder and chairman of Graystoke Media and Graystoke Investments.
The casual conversation style, coupled with amazing guests, enables the host to provide high-energy interviews on interesting topics. The combination makes the conversations move quickly, ensuring that the exchanges will be highly entertaining.
Some of the past guests of this podcast include research scientists, marketing processions, CEOs, and founders of companies like:
Authors, psychologists, entertainers, and athletes are also interviewed.
The casual conversation style, coupled with amazing guests, enables the host to provide high-energy interviews on interesting topics.
Overall, the podcast shows glimpses behind the scenes of success journeys, including personal stories, tips, and anecdotes.
2050 Investors
Whereas most of these podcasts have an interview format, that isn’t the case for this one. The host, Kokou Agbo-Bloua, is the Global Head of Economics, Cross-Asset, and Quant Research at Societe Generale. He pulls together narratives complete with selections of:
Topics range from extreme weather and inflation to adaptability quotients, artificial intelligence, and more.
The podcast’s episodes are about 20 minutes long and make for an easy listen when someone is short on time. It offers entertaining yet quick overviews of issues relevant to social justice, sustainability, and business.
The advanced art production and insights provided will shed light on themes anyone might have been thinking about anyway.
The Accidental Creative with Todd Henry
This podcast has roughly 30-minute episodes focusing on interviews but also brings other things into the mix. The host, Todd Henry, provides an introduction to set up each topic. He’s also very engaged in the conversation and shares his observations and thoughts as the podcasts continue.
Todd has founded a company with the same name as the podcast and authored several books. He brings that large amount of expertise to the featured topics. This is likely why this is one of the top innovation podcasts available today.
Expect to hear about innovative processes, habits, and motivation from several perspectives and angles.
Inside Out Innovation
Clocking in at around 20 minutes per episode, this is one of the shorter podcasts to focus on creativity and innovation. The host is Brian Ardinger, the founder, and CEO of NXXT. He offers dynamic and thoughtful interviews with people at the forefront of various fields. He does well at creating a great balance between detailed conversations and making sure things move along.
Guests include:
There are a lot of topics and thoughts brought up by this podcast. The subjects are also diverse, from talk about the creative process to technological advances. These podcasts include ideas about innovating both at the macro and micro levels.
Listeners can hear experts talk about business obstacles and solutions that might be useful in other organizations.
90 Seconds of Innovation
As the name suggests, this is a super-short podcast with episodes clocking in at one and a half minutes. It’s mainly focused on offering research-based insights and quick tips about innovative thinking and how to make the best use of it.
These segments act as great warmups for engaging with unstructured tasks or problem-solving. In 90 seconds, they can also give a boost of motivation whenever it is needed.
This podcast, with its fascinating and concise segments, practically demanded inclusion on the list. They act as great warmups for engaging with unstructured tasks or problem-solving. In 90 seconds, they can also give a boost of motivation whenever it is needed. Some topics that have been covered include “Why Do People Avoid Innovation?” and “How Do I Achieve Flow State?”
Final thoughts
Humans are creatures of habit. This can be an issue when the business world requires:
One of the best ways to keep the mind open is through listening to podcasts that relate to this topic. It can open people up to asking questions, looking into options, and being capable of taking risks.