Why I love podcasts
- hbsingh
- Jan 16
- 4 min read
Podcasts are like Marmite. If you mention the word to someone, either their eyes glaze over and they try to fake an urgent call, or you see Disneyland-like excitement. I am firmly in the latter category.
Whilst they remain free (for now), I believe that podcasts are an incredible and accessible way to hear some of the best summaries and more fringe opinions out there.
The formats are so broad. They can range from under to ten minutes to over three hours and are not subject to the typical scheduling constraints as TV programmes.
The content can be hugely researched and formal or a bar style conversation and there is so much choice that you will find something that entertains, excites, enrages or informs you. Knock yourself out.
Whilst I enjoy interviews of politicians I find much political commentary very hit and miss. The podcasts which have sometimes been helpful (Political Thinking, Political Currency, Leading, Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, Triggernometry) suffer from many of the biases we see from the traditional media. Interpretations of events tell you more about the podcasters than it does about the story.
Example of the value of podcasts
For me, podcasts are an excellent way to get to a medium depth in a subject. More than just a 'what happened today' perspective. Often the right podcast will have someone who is associated with the topic explain how they see it, what has led to this situation and what might happen next. For example, we are hearing about the US overtures towards Greenland. From podcasts I have listened to (e.g. Helen Thompson), a nuanced and complicated picture emerges. Firstly, there is Arctic geography, then the geographic position of Greenland between Russia and the US, and thirdly the fact it played a role in the cold war. Without these podcasts I would not know that the US has been withdrawing troops from Greenland, so calling it out as undefended is true, but it was effectively the US military's choice to withdraw and leave only one base in the region.
Most of the podcasts I listen too aren't always that serious. My favorite comedy podcast is the Wolf and Owl (Tom Davis and Romesh Ranganathan) which is two mates talking absolute rubbish, about everyday things.
My recommendations (please, please send me yours!)
For learning about events/news, these are shows that I see as relatively balanced – either a single balanced viewpoint, or a selection of people with different perspectives.
So without further ado, my podcast recommendations (plus an example of their best work) are as follows:
Moral Maze — A BBC Radio 4 panel show that debates some of the more polarised topics. The format is a cross-examination of people with different perspectives and then 5-10 minutes digesting what has come out.
The Knowledge Project — Shane Parrish has done an incredible service to decision-making. His long-form interviews focus on thinking, decision-making, and living wisely.
Invest Like the Best — Conversations with long-term investors and more recently famous business operators and about what makes a high quality business and strong returns.
Radical with Amol Rajan — Caveat. I had much less positive views of him before the podcast, but he has won me over with the interviews that probe less mainstream ideas from very credible and interesting people.
The Memo by Howard Marks — Everyone loves his written notes, so the podcast version is a must. He is a master in the cycles of risk taking and linking that to competition, complacency and psychology.
Co-hosting a podcast
My interest in podcasts has also led my firm to begin a podcast project with the CIO Investment Club. We interview CIOs and get to ask them the questions that we think will help people understand what their role looks like, how they got there and what they think is essential for good investment decision-making. I have learnt a lot and have even more appreciation and respect for the role. CIOs are normally thought of as responsible for good outcomes, but those outcomes come at the end of hiring good people, organising them in an additive way and then having the processes and governance that scrutinise but not stifle good decision-making. Huge thanks to Simon Pilcher, Chetan Ghosh, Peter Drewienkiewicz and Rob Groves for being great guests and Sean Thompson for being a fantastic person to work with.
For those thinking about doing their own podcast, don't underestimate the tech work behind the scenes but also the amazing people you will get to meet and hear from.
Our work is below:
Next time: “What do CIOs actually care about” If you’d like to receive the blog by email, you can subscribe here: Blog | Deciders.
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