by Dianna Brodine, managing editor
Plastics Business
Each quarter, Plastics Business staff has been offering five or six book selections on topics from building culture to storytelling to management techniques. In this issue, the focus is taken off the printed page – instead featuring podcasts that draw on the business experiences of leaders from all industries.
Editor’s Note: Sure, I love the guilty pleasures of Serial and Missing Richard Simmons, but when I’m sitting in my office, I often have an earbud in and am listening to one of these four podcasts. I recommend you start with LEADx and go from there.
The LEADx Show
Host: Kevin Kruse
Length: 15-30 minutes
With a mission to get 1% better every day, Kevin Kruse hosts business leaders and industry experts, beginning each podcast with one question: What was your biggest failure, and what did you learn from it? Guests have included NFL star Gary Brackett, actor Alan Alda and former COO of FranklinCovey, David Covey.
Sample podcasts:
- Are you able to fit your company’s mission into a one-minute pitch?
- One simple question that will immediately make you a better leader
- This CEO made millions by putting his employees first
NPR’s How I Built This
Host: Guy Raz
Length: 45-60 minutes
How I Built This is a podcast filled with interviews of innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists, and the stories behind the companies they’ve built. Each episode features leaders of some of the world’s best-known companies and brands, including Southwest Airlines, Chipotle, Five Guys and Patagonia.
Sample podcasts:
- Airbnb: Joe Gebbia
- Kickstarter: Perry Chen
- Whole Foods Market: John Mackey
Outside In: C-Space
Host: Charles Trevail
Length: 15-25 minutes
The podcast focuses on customer-centric organizations and discusses the strategies and philosophies of those businesses, from Jaguar Land Rover to Oracle. Business leaders, interviewed by Trevail, discuss how and why the customer has become the focus.
Sample podcasts:
- Is Innovation a Dirty Word at GE?
- Boston Celtics: The Global Business of Sports, Fans and Legacy
- Hyatt Hotels: Knowing What to Innovate Next
Dose of Leadership
Host: Richard Rierson
Length: 15-45 minutes
Dose of Leadership tells the stories of business leaders, military heroes, entrepreneurs, authors and speakers. What influenced them? What have they learned? What knowledge would they pass on to listeners? Since 2013, hundreds of real-life leaders have been interviewed.
Sample podcasts:
- Bill Rasmussen: Founder of ESPN
- Chris Hellar: CEO of Keller Williams Realty
- Bob Chapman: Chairman and CEO of Barry-Wehmiller
