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Managing Made Simple

Lia Garvin

Managing Made Simple is a weekly leadership and management podcast for people managers, business owners, and founders who want to lead high-performing teams without falling back into the work themselves.


Each week, host Lia Garvin- 3x bestselling author and former team operations leader at Google, Apple, and Microsoft- breaks down the real, everyday challenges of leading teams, giving feedback, delegating, creating team accountability, high performing culture, retention, and more with performance with practical strategies you can implement immediately. Lia’s work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune.


With Lia, you get real talk and actionable leadership insights that make it easier to manage your team and get better results from your people. 


If you’re asking leadership questions like:
• How do I get my team to take ownership and accountability for their work?
• Why do I have to repeat myself constantly as a manager?
• How do I know if I hired the wrong employee?
• How do I delegate effectively without things falling apart or micromanaging?
• How can managers tell if team members are overusing AI at work?
• What actually motivates employees today?
• How do I give feedback that actually moves the needle?
• How do I communicate vision, expectations, and strategy clearly?
• What are best practices for performance reviews, compensation, and growth conversations?


How do you lead a team through change, uncertainty, and rapid growth with confidence?


You’ll find the tools, frameworks, and leadership strategies you need to lead your team better, starting today.


Managing Made Simple:
✔ Corporate managers navigating continual change

✔ Founders & Business Owners scaling teams without burning people out
✔ Entrepreneurs balancing business strategy and people leadership
✔ Experienced leaders ready to modernize how they manage teams


New episodes drop every Tuesday, delivering leadership lessons, people management tools, and team-building strategies you can apply immediately.


Learn more at liagarvin.com

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  • 27 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 16 min
  • English

Episodes 27

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  • S1 · E232
    May 5 · 15 min

    Talking to your team about AI - what to say and NOT to say

    Managers: your team is hearing the headlines about AI. In this episode Lia Garvin breaks down how to have the AI conversation your team needs — what triggers fear, how to build trust, and how to lead through uncertainty without pretending you have all the answers. Practical leadership language, steps to reduce anxiety, and next actions you can use in team meetings to align on responsible AI use at work. In this episode I'm breaking down how to actually have the AI conversation your team needs right now — what triggers the fear, what builds trust, and how to lead through uncertainty without pretending you have answers you don't. In this episode you will learn: Why introducing AI without context makes the fear worse, not better What your team members are actually thinking when you bring up AI tools How to reframe AI as something that enhances your team's work instead of threatening it Real examples of how teams are saving 10-15 hours per project without replacing anyone What to do when you don't have all the answers — and why that's okay Resources mentioned: AI integration consulting: hello@liagarvin.com Download my FREE guide to making hard conversations with your team easier at liagarvin.com/convo Looking for support for yourself of your team? I've got you covered. Explore manager training, leaders keynotes & offsites, and 1:1 advisory, or my 90-Day-COO program for business owners who want simple systems that actually work. I transform teams from cost centers to profit centers with practical tools and research-backed strategies that make managing EASIER. Get all the details at: www.liagarvin.com Contact: liagarvin.com/contact Email: hello@liagarvin.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin -- © 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E231
    April 28 · 15 min

    How to delegate, remove bottlenecks, and stop micromanaging

    Host Lia Garvin explains why delegation stalls and gives a simple, actionable 3-step framework to shift from ‘dispatching’ to true delegation. Learn how to set clear outcomes, assign ownership, check minimal milestones, and stop re-doing work so tasks stop coming back to you. Practical tactics you can use this week to remove bottlenecks and build team accountability. In this episode I'm getting into one of the most common places leaders get stuck: delegation. Not whether to delegate, most of us know we should. But how to do it in a way that actually gets you out of the bottleneck instead of just adding more steps. The shift from dispatching to true delegating is where everything changes, and that's what we're breaking down today. In this episode you will learn: The difference between delegating and dispatching, and why dispatching keeps you just as stuck as doing it yourself Why handing off outcomes instead of tasks changes everything about how your team shows up What to do when you feel like nothing on your plate is actually handoffable How this same principle applies to using AI tools on your team The five-step mental model to run through before handing anything off Resources mentioned: The New Manager Playbook by Lia Garvin Free Snippets Tool: liagarvin.com/snippets Connect with me: Website: www.liagarvin.com Email: hello@liagarvin.com Instagram: @lia.garvin LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/liagarvin Download my FREE guide to making hard conversations with your team easier at liagarvin.com/convo Looking for support for yourself of your team? I've got you covered. Explore manager training, leaders keynotes & offsites, and 1:1 advisory, or my 90-Day-COO program for business owners who want simple systems that actually work. I transform teams from cost centers to profit centers with practical tools and research-backed strategies that make managing EASIER. Get all the details at: www.liagarvin.com Contact: liagarvin.com/contact Email: hello@liagarvin.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin -- © 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E230
    April 21 · 14 min

    Team systems - how they drive results and accountability

    Many owners say “I don’t want to feel corporate,” yet they make every decision and lack visibility into day-to-day work. In this episode Lia Garvin breaks down why the right team systems remove bottlenecks, create accountability, and free founders from constant decision-making. Practical takeaways: how to get visibility into work, reduce micromanagement, and implement simple systems that scale your leadership. In this episode you will learn: Why you are not allergic to process, you're allergic to bad process — and what the difference actually looks like What inefficient systems are really costing you (the number is higher than you think) Real client stories: how a PR firm owner saw $26,000 in new business within 14 days, and how a med spa owner eliminated thousands in unnecessary overtime Why your team is actually hungrier for clarity than you are — and what the pushback you're afraid of really means How to roll out a new system so your team gets bought in from day one Resources mentioned: Free Snippets Tool: liagarvin.com/snippets Ops Playbook: email hello@liagarvin.com to learn more Download my FREE guide to making hard conversations with your team easier at liagarvin.com/convo Looking for support for yourself of your team? I've got you covered. Explore manager training, leaders keynotes & offsites, and 1:1 advisory, or my 90-Day-COO program for business owners who want simple systems that actually work. I transform teams from cost centers to profit centers with practical tools and research-backed strategies that make managing EASIER. Get all the details at: www.liagarvin.com Contact: liagarvin.com/contact Email: hello@liagarvin.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin -- © 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E229
    April 14 · 15 min

    What are you willing to tolerate... and what is that actually costing you?

    Yesterday in a client session, something came up that I had to bring straight to the show. A business owner with multiple thriving locations told me her approach to underperformance: she has the conversation right away. No waiting, no managing around it, no hoping it fixes itself. That conversation led me straight to the question at the center of this episode: what are you willing to tolerate? Because whatever you're allowing to keep happening, you're also communicating is acceptable. And the cost of that — financially and culturally — compounds faster than most leaders realize. In this episode you will learn: Why your business will only ever rise to the level of what you're willing to tolerate What it actually costs you to let underperformance go unaddressed — and why the real loss is your high performers, not your low ones How to have the "are you in or are you out" conversation with clarity and empathy Why the people who are genuinely bought in can hear hard feedback — and what it means when they can't Why giving clear feedback and putting the decision back on them changes everything about how this feels Connect with me: Website: www.liagarvin.com Email: hello@liagarvin.com Instagram: @lia.garvin LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/liagarvin Download my FREE guide to making hard conversations with your team easier at liagarvin.com/convo Looking for support for yourself of your team? I've got you covered. Explore manager training, leaders keynotes & offsites, and 1:1 advisory, or my 90-Day-COO program for business owners who want simple systems that actually work. I transform teams from cost centers to profit centers with practical tools and research-backed strategies that make managing EASIER. Get all the details at: www.liagarvin.com Contact: liagarvin.com/contact Email: hello@liagarvin.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin -- © 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E228
    April 7 · 14 min

    The tough realities of being a leader... that make you so much better at it

    When is the last time you looked at a situation on your team and thought "I shouldn't have to deal with this"? Earlier today? Then this episode is for you. On the show I break down why this phrase is so common, especially for business owners and founders who didn't set out to be people leaders, why it makes the situation worse, and the mindset shift that actually moves things forward. In this episode you will learn: Why "I shouldn't have to" is such a natural response and why it keeps you stuck anyway The reframe from "I have to" to "I get to" and why it changes how your team responds to you What to do if you genuinely cannot bring yourself to do the personnel stuff How to step back into the driver's seat and lead from a place of control instead of resentment Why your team is always responding to the energy you bring into hard conversations Download my FREE guide to making hard conversations with your team easier at liagarvin.com/convo Looking for support for yourself of your team? I've got you covered. Explore manager training, leaders keynotes & offsites, and 1:1 advisory, or my 90-Day-COO program for business owners who want simple systems that actually work. I transform teams from cost centers to profit centers with practical tools and research-backed strategies that make managing EASIER. Get all the details at: www.liagarvin.com Contact: liagarvin.com/contact Email: hello@liagarvin.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin -- © 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

    • Transcript
  • March 31 · 18 min

    227: Getting your team to care about customer service

    After a pretty rough experience at Lenscrafters, Lia gets into one of the most common challenges small business owners face: how do you get your team to actually show up for customers when you can't force anyone to care? This episode is for anyone with customer-facing team members — or honestly any team member whose attitude and engagement reflects on your brand. In this episode you will learn: Why getting this right starts in the hiring and onboarding process, not after things go wrong What follow-up actually looks like when you can't chase every little thing down How to flip the script so your team is proactively owning their performance instead of waiting to be corrected Why recognition is one of the most powerful and underused tools for shifting team culture What to do when someone has a "can't do anything about it" attitude and you're weighing your options Resources mentioned: Free Snippets Tool: liagarvin.com/snippets VLg6MOdAoye2XrCUmtTG Download my FREE guide to making hard conversations with your team easier at liagarvin.com/convo Looking for support for yourself of your team? I've got you covered. Explore manager training, leaders keynotes & offsites, and 1:1 advisory, or my 90-Day-COO program for business owners who want simple systems that actually work. I transform teams from cost centers to profit centers with practical tools and research-backed strategies that make managing EASIER. Get all the details at: www.liagarvin.com Contact: liagarvin.com/contact Email: hello@liagarvin.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin -- © 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

    • Transcript
  • March 24 · 13 min

    226: Giving feedback without it being a laundry list

    You've got feedback to give. A lot of it. But every time you try, it either comes out as a running list of corrections or it never comes out at all because you don't know where to start. In this episode, Lia answers a real listener question about how to manage feedback when there's a lot to address, without losing your team's trust or making them feel like nothing is ever good enough. In this episode you will learn: Why constant corrective feedback trains your team to do the bare minimum and wait for instructions How to categorize feedback into themes so it lands as a standard instead of a list Why connecting feedback to a "why" is what gets your team to self-manage How recognition builds the trust that makes corrective feedback actually stick What specific, concrete recognition looks like in practice and why it changes everything Resources mentioned: Free Snippets Tool: liagarvin.com/snippets Download my FREE guide to making hard conversations with your team easier at liagarvin.com/convo Looking for support for yourself of your team? I've got you covered. Explore manager training, leaders keynotes & offsites, and 1:1 advisory, or my 90-Day-COO program for business owners who want simple systems that actually work. I transform teams from cost centers to profit centers with practical tools and research-backed strategies that make managing EASIER. Get all the details at: www.liagarvin.com Contact: liagarvin.com/contact Email: hello@liagarvin.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin -- © 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

    • Transcript
Showing 21–27 of 27 episodes