The modern leadership movement is based upon the principle that leaders aren’t born, they’re made. The arts of leadership and management, like all cultivated skills, are learned and honed by practice over time no matter where you live. And one only learns how to practice from others who are farther along than one’s self. That’s where leadership blogs can be helpful. Hundreds of experienced leadership coaches and management experts publish their thoughts online. While not everyone can afford to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a management seminar, anyone with a computer and an internet connection can access high quality leadership advice for free through a management blog. To help you get started we’ve compiled a list of what we think are the 25 best blogs on leadership and management of 2019.
Because The Best Colleges is a website that focuses on learning, our list of the 25 best management and leadership blogs puts special emphasis on education: blogs that genuinely help the reader understand leadership concepts and how to be a better manager. Only recently active blogs were considered for our list, which is presented in alphabetical order.
- Big is the New Small: Scott Williams is the CEO and Chief Solutions Officer of NxLevel Solutions, and his life is guided by the acronym HOW (Helping Others Win). His blog is an affirmation on what it means to bring solutions instead of relying on pointing out problems, and he utilizes everything from sports to politics to religion to guide his readers in a positive direction. His leadership blog is a deeply grounded collection of writings, perfect for people looking to reposition themselves for success.
- The Bing Blog:The Bing Blog features edgy and irreverent analysis of the business world and leadership from Fortune‘s Stanley Bing. Bing writes from a long list of topics. His unique take on the business world may not always seem like the obvious solution, but his insights are fantastic for sparking out-of-the-box thinking. He also keeps abreast on workplace and job trends, which makes him an effective finger on the pulse of the global economy.
- CEO Time Leadership Blog: Jim Estill started a started a computer distribution company—EMJ Data—from the trunk of his car in 1979, and eventually rose to be CEO of SYNNEX. He has one of the more accessible leadership blogs, introducing topics with relevant quotes from famous thinkers, and rambling in an easy, conversational style that is as soothing as it is illuminating. His advice tends towards the basic and practical, and serves as a good blog for easing into better management.
- Chris Brady’s Leadership Blog: Chris Brady, author of Rascal: Making a Difference by Becoming an Original Character and PAiLS: 20 Years From Now, What Will You Wish You Had Done Today?, has a laundry list of accomplishments and reasons to listen to him that is too long to include here. His leadership blog tends towards the inspirational. He enjoys motivating readers with anecdotes about obstacles overcome on the way to success. He also runs a regular, and hilarious, photo caption contest.
- Chris Brogan: The author of nine bestselling books and the CEO of Owner Media Group, Chris Brogan’s blog is a godsend for small businesses. His articles explore how the little guys can become the big guys, and how the big guys are making money by pretending to be the little guys. He also has many helpful entries on navigating the changing digital landscape, including the necessity of basic video skills in the age of YouTube.
- Coaching Tip: John G. Agno is a former corporate executive, business owner and management consultant currently offering his insight through leadership blogs. Helping leaders get the most out of their teams is his passion, and he has a variety of methods for keeping those being led from just doing the bare minimum to get by. He can get a bit political at times, but Agno is dedicated on facing the truth head on, and it shines through even when he tackles controversial topics.
- Eblin Group: The Eblin Group’s blog is somewhat unique in that it leans heavily to interviews with and features on business figures. Through these articles, readers get a chance to see how the successful apply philosophies and techniques in order to thrive. There are also plenty of more standard entries on leadership strategy.
- Extreme Leadership: This management blog is courtesy of Steve Farber, author of Greater Than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership and The Radical Edge: Another Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership. Farber knows how to reach an audience, and has a penchant for simple analogies that make understanding complex business strategies a snap. He also focuses on addressing flaws in order to manage them rather than hide them. It’s a bold, but upbeat leadership blog.
- Great Leadership: Dan McCarthy is the Director of Executive Development Programs at the Paul College of Business and Economics, the University of New Hampshire (UNH). His blog is a collective endeavor that brings in viewpoints from various colleagues to tackle the problems of proper leadership. This makes Great Leadership a very organic blog with a lot of different resources for readers.
- Harvard Business Review: You can hardly do better than tapping the inventive and brilliant minds at the Harvard Business Review blog. Strategies for companies and entrepreneurs of all stripes are right at your fingertips. For in-depth explorations on the macro world of business and how someone might make their mark, they are an essential resource.
- Jeremie Kubicek:Jeremie Kubicek is the co-author of 5 Voices: How to Communicate Effectively with Everyone You Lead. Communications are his passion. On his blog, leaders and managers will discover ways to communicate with a variety of different types of employees and customers. Learning how to talk to people is an essential skill for any successful business person, and Kubicek is certainly an expert in this arena.
- Lead Change Group: A group blog with daily doses of wisdom and insight for leaders and those aspiring to become leaders. This is another aggregate blog with writers across the spectrum offering advice. Some blogs of particular note involve creating a network of mentees and the necessity of avoiding narcissism. A variety of webinars are regularly scheduled.
- Leadership Blog: The Leadership Blog is a very nuts-and-bolts kind of outfit. Each entry is narrowly focused on specific areas of business-building or leadership styles. It’s a great place to discreetly learn the basics of all the business buzzwords you might have been hearing but never really understood. The articles are both practical and relevant.
- Leadership Freak: This page features short, punchy, to the point advice on leadership from Dan Rockwell. Leadership Freak is a very slick blog, with a focus on motivation. Rockwell is a guru, handing out basic truisms of dealing with other people left and right. His articles often have assignments added to them to give readers a chance to practice what he preaches.
- Leading Blog: The blog of LeadershipNow offers book reviews, news, and advice on leadership from the perspective that leadership is for everyone. This is bar none the best place to get information on the latest popular leadership and management books. In addition to reviews, the blog often breaks down key points of texts for the enlightenment of its readers.
- Linked 2 Leadership: Linked 2 Leadership is an in-depth collaborative blog for professionals interested in leadership development, organizational health, and personal and professional growth. Topics of articles range from keeping an office effectively organized to the challenges of managing millennials. It’s a diverse place full of contemporary ideas for today’s leaders.
- Mark Sanborn: Cavett Award-winner Mark Sanborn hosts this excellent leadership blog. Many of his entries revolve around self-realization,and the need to examine what we are doing and whether or not it is actually effective. He also shares a wealth of advice on the lost art of customer service.
- Michael Hyatt, Your Virtual Mentor: Author of eight books and host of the popular podcast “This is Your Life,” Michael Hyatt has answers for even the trickiest of leadership questions. He covers everything from firing monster clients to avoiding social media oversaturation to historical looks at the leadership habits of great leaders. Occasionally, there are free webinars for readers as well.
- Mick’s Leadership Blog: From UK’s LeaderValues, this blog on leadership, values, and innovation comes with a special emphasis on multicultural, transnational issues. Mick Yates is a CXO-level consultant, mentor, and writer, as well as an experienced Board Member and Visiting Professor at the University of Leeds, Business School. One of his recurring writing themes is how to properly incentivize employees through respect and recognition. This is a must-read blog for bosses looking to become leaders.
- Duarte: Every sale is a story, and no one knows it like Duarte. This blog shows the ways that narrative and a personal connection can be used in both marketing and leadership. This provides the blueprint for how to do business with heart.
- N2Growth Blog: N2Growth provides news and commentary on leadership, management, and business from CEO coach and entrepreneur Mike Myatt and other contributors. This is a hub site for a dynamic range of leadership schools and ideas, connecting a deep web of advanced strategies best suited to the entrepreneur with some experience under their belt, looking to go to the next level.
- The Sales Blog: Brought to you by author S. Anthony Iannarino, the sales blog is, appropriately, about making the best salesperson out of you. He offers razor-sharp looks into the essentials of sales, from planning to execution. Fans of his style may also want to catch his brilliant podcast, “In The Arena.”
- Seth’s Blog: This blog features stimulating, philosophical musings on leadership, management, and marketing from entrepreneur, author, and speaker Seth Godin. He has written 18 bestselling books, and one look at his blog shows exactly why they sell so well. He has a Gordian Knot-type of mind, cutting away the fat of problem solving until only the core solution is left behind. If you worry about a crowded mind making you ineffective, this is the blog that will help you with spring cleaning.
- Stephen Drain’s Leadership Blog: This one offers probing thoughts on authentic and innovative leadership from the director of New Zealand’s AUT Centre for Innovative Leadership. One particularly illuminating recent entry explores identifying toxic bosses and what exactly to do about them. In fact, purifying and cleansing problematic workplaces is a staple of Drain’s work, and a real help to leaders looking to create safe, effective environments for success.
- Tanveer Naseer’s Blog: Naseer’s blog features interesting leadership book reviews, news, advice, and guidance from a Canadian business coach. Tanveer Naseer is an award-winning and internationally-acclaimed leadership writer and keynote speaker whose work is heavily centered on listening. The need to be inquisitive and to hear what others are actually saying is an essential skill. Naseer’s blog can help to make sure you do not forgo this important part of leadership.