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Leadership
Artificial Intelligence
Generative AI
Innovation
Productivity
Entrepreneurship
Remote Work
Emotional Intelligence
Workplace Dynamics
Decision Making
Employee Engagement
Conflict Resolution
Harvard Business Review
Management
Business Strategy
Mental Health
Hiring Practices
Timeboxing
Enshittification
Work-Life Balance

A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management.

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes651Founded20 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ManagementBusinessEntrepreneurship

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Artwork for HBR IdeaCast

Latest Episodes

The decisions leaders must make about AI today go far beyond what platforms to invest in: AI is changing organizational culture and leadership for good. In episode 1 of a special four-part series on how AI is changing leadership, we look at how the t... more

When the future feels increasingly out of our control, how can leaders and organizations make progress? University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman, a pioneer in the study of optimism, resilience, and human flourishing, argues that the an... more

When a company is small, maintaining a strong culture can feel relatively easy. But as organizations grow, layers of management, geographic distance, and pressure for efficiency can make it much harder to preserve what made the company special in the... more

How much does a leader actually matter to an organization’s success? We tend to credit CEOs, founders, and other powerful figures with shaping the institutions they lead, but historian Jared Diamond argues that we often underestimate the role of timi... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
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Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Coaching Real Leaders
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The McKinsey PodcastMcKinsey & Company
Cold Call
Cold CallHBR Presents / Brian Kenny
Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication TechniquesMatt Abrahams, Think Fast Talk Smart
Inside the Strategy Room
Inside the Strategy RoomMcKinsey & Company

Recent Guests

(No additional guests)
Episode: A Leading Restaurateur on What It Takes to Scale a Winning Culture
Danny Meyer
Restaurateur, founder Shake Shack; author
Shake Shack / Union Square Hospitality Group
Episode: A Leading Restaurateur on What It Takes to Scale a Winning Culture
Jared Diamond
Historian and author of Profits, Coaches, and Kings, When Do Leaders Matter?
Author (Profits, Coaches, and Kings)
Episode: Are Great Leaders Truly Great—or Just Lucky?
Pamela Meyer
Founder and CEO of Calibrate; author of How to Read the Room
Calibrate
Episode: How People Without Formal Power Gain Influence
Lynda Gratton
Professor of Management Practice at London Business School; author
London Business School; HSM Advisory
Episode: Living and Working in the Age of Longevity
Amos Winter
MIT professor
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Episode: The Innovation Strategy Most Companies Miss
Vijay Govindarajan
Dartmouth Tuck professor
Dartmouth College
Episode: The Innovation Strategy Most Companies Miss
Dan Schulman
CEO of Verizon
Verizon
Episode: Why Great Turnarounds Start with Culture, Not Strategy
Tim Ferriss
Entrepreneur, investor, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, host of a popular podcast
Tim Ferriss/Investments
Episode: Introducing The Founder Mindset: Tim Ferriss on Experiments, Risk, and Freedom

Hosts

Audie Ignatius
Host of HBR IdeaCast
Adi Ignatius
Host of IdeaCast, Editor-at-Large at Harvard Business Review
Alison Beard
Host of the show

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 4.9k ratings
  • Interactive listener

    All episodes

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Cardinals#1953
    United States5 months ago
  • Partisan

    Claiming Wikipedia is a credible source is a non sequitur. They only allow leftist ideologues to edit now. Most editors suffer from Trump derangement syndrome. Let Trump say something and web pages will immediately change in a partisan attempt to discredit what he just said.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    This Ken
    United Statesa year ago
  • Shifting into a new horizon? This is the podcast for you

    HBR IdeaCast delivers insightful conversations with industry leaders and experts - worth the listen, covering leadership, strategy, and innovation.

    Perfect for any professional seeking actionable takeaways and fresh perspectives on modern business challenges. This is one podcast you don’t want to miss.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    lavhill
    United Statesa year ago
  • Missed the boat again

    DEI episode missed the mark. Again. Good intentions don’t translate into results, nor fairness. So frustrating.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    F500 Exec
    United States2 years ago
  • Pseudoscience

    Largely pseudoscientific “social science” offering little-to-no utility outside the classroom.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    hugefitzpatrick
    Australia2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Many reviews highlight the caliber of guests and the relevance to real-world business challenges.
Some episodes receive critique for perceived over-optimism about AI or a heavy academic tone.
Listeners value the practical leadership takeaways and evidence-based discussions.
A portion of feedback calls out political framing in some episodes.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Are Great Leaders Truly Great—or Just Lucky?
Q: Do your findings suggest that boards should value leadership as highly as they do now, given the variability in impact?
On average, leadership accounts for a relatively small portion of variation in company outcomes; timing, industry, and company-specific factors often play larger roles, so boards should consider broader contexts rather than assuming a single star leader guarantees success.
Are Great Leaders Truly Great—or Just Lucky?
Q: So in this new book of yours, what was the Hamlet test and how does it work?
The Hamlet test assesses whether a leader was uniquely qualified to create a major outcome or whether others could have achieved it too; it's about identifying plausible alternatives and whether a single person was indispensable.
Living and Working in the Age of Longevity
Q: What should leaders do to support employees in a longer, multi-stage career?
Shift from a parent-child to an adult-adult relationship, design flexible work and tenure policies, support multi-stage careers, and implement strong performance management so age is not a proxy for capability.
Living and Working in the Age of Longevity
Q: So how should someone start thinking about these long-term changes in their own life?
Acknowledge that you could live to 100, assess your current position with a diagnostic, and begin small, concrete actions to strengthen key threads like friendship, calm, and adventure.
Introducing The Founder Mindset: Tim Ferriss on Experiments, Risk, and Freedom
Q: Tell me why the concept of defining your fears is so important to calibrating risk.
Defining fears helps people surface concrete, testable assumptions about what could go wrong, which in turn sharpens decision-making and reduces the paralyzing effect of worst-case thinking. It allows you to reframe risk as a series of manageable, testable steps rather than an endless cloud of uncertainty.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
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Age Range
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Frequently Asked Questions About HBR IdeaCast

What is HBR IdeaCast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show centers on leadership, strategy, and the practical application of AI and technology in business. Episodes feature high-profile leaders and thinkers discussing how to navigate rapid change, design effective organizations, and drive measurable impact—from culture-led turnarounds to AI-enabled decision making. Guests span tech giants, consumer brands, and academic thinkers, offering frameworks for team leadership, strategy, and execution that listeners can translate into real-world results. A notable pattern is the blend of rigorous, evidence-based discussion with vivid, actionable takeaways for managers and executives pursuing durable performance and responsible innovation.

Where can I find podcast stats for HBR IdeaCast?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for HBR IdeaCast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to HBR IdeaCast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does HBR IdeaCast get?

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What are the audience demographics for HBR IdeaCast?

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How many subscribers and views does HBR IdeaCast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers HBR IdeaCast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to HBR IdeaCast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with HBR IdeaCast:

1. Coaching Real Leaders
2. The McKinsey Podcast
3. Cold Call
4. Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
5. Inside the Strategy Room

How many episodes of HBR IdeaCast are there?

HBR IdeaCast launched 20 years ago and published 651 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact HBR IdeaCast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for HBR IdeaCast?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for HBR IdeaCast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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How do I access podcast episode transcripts for HBR IdeaCast?

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What guests have appeared on HBR IdeaCast?

Recent guests on HBR IdeaCast include:

1. (No additional guests)
2. Danny Meyer
3. Jared Diamond
4. Pamela Meyer
5. Lynda Gratton
6. Amos Winter
7. Vijay Govindarajan
8. Dan Schulman

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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