Managing Made Simple

There's one question I get from business owners and managers that absolutely breaks my heart:

"Is it too late for my team?"

First of all, the answer is NO—it is not too late for your team, no matter how hopeless or stuck you might feel, no matter how unmotivated they seem, no matter how unwilling they are to change. Even if you think you've tried everything, there's always something else out there...

In fact, I have THREE somethings for you to try right here, right now.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, stalled out, and inches away from ripping up your whole team and starting over fresh...take a breath and listen to me.

This is hard stuff. Especially when you're doing it alone. But you haven't failed. You aren't too late. And you don't actually have to do this alone.

Let's go over three strategies to get you unstuck...and to get your team rallied around you and your business again.

WORK WITH LIA:

Ready to get UNSTUCK? Book an SOS call with me: https://www.liagarvin.com/sos 

Want a checklist of things you can do THIS week to become a better manager (and make your job easier)? Check out my Thriving Team Checklist for a list of quick actions you can take right away with your team: https://www.liagarvin.com/checklist 

Book a FREE Scale-up strategy call to for strategies to scale your team and get time back for yourself: calendly.com/liagarvin/scaleup-strategy?back=1&month=2023-08

CONNECT WITH LIA:

Website: https://www.liagarvin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin/ 

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: [email protected]

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin

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© 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

Eager to set meaningful goals for the new year, but not quite sure where to start?

In this episode of Managing Made Simple, I share a simple two-part framework for setting goals around what you want to ACHIEVE and how you want to FEEL by the end of the year, so you can accomplish whatever you set out to in your business or career without burning out. 

Best part is this is a great framework to share with your team to support them in setting goals that allow them to feel fulfilled in their work and lives. 

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WORK WITH LIA:

Feeling stuck managing your team? Schedule an SOS call: https://www.liagarvin.com/sos 

Want a checklist of things you can do THIS week to become a better manager (and make your job easier)? Check out my Thriving Team Checklist for a list of quick actions you can take right away with your team: https://www.liagarvin.com/checklist 

Book a FREE Scale-up strategy call to for strategies to scale your team and get time back for yourself: calendly.com/liagarvin/scaleup-strategy?back=1&month=2023-08

CONNECT WITH LIA:

Website: https://www.liagarvin.com/ 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/liagarvin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin/ 

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: [email protected]

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin

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© 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

There is a phrase that I have been hearing over the last few weeks that has left me a bit mind-boggled…

“Process for process’s sake.”

This phrase actually came up in a workshop I was leading for a corporate client around optimizing time. I heard teams saying, “I don’t want there to be process for process’s sake,” or, “It feels like this is just us thinking of new processes for process’s sake.”

I was sitting in this workshop like, “What the actual beep do people mean by this?” And after thinking about it for a bit, I think I finally understand…and I want to talk about what it means for us as managers, because if people are feeling like we are asking them to do something just for the hell of it, we've got a real problem... but we also have a real opportunity.

And trust me, it's an opportunity you want to seize right away.

WORK WITH LIA:

Feeling stuck managing your team? Schedule an SOS call: https://www.liagarvin.com/sos 

Want a checklist of things you can do THIS week to become a better manager (and make your job easier)? Check out my Thriving Team Checklist for a list of quick actions you can take right away with your team: https://www.liagarvin.com/checklist 

Book a FREE Scale-up strategy call to for strategies to scale your team and get time back for yourself: calendly.com/liagarvin/scaleup-strategy?back=1&month=2023-08

CONNECT WITH LIA:

Website: https://www.liagarvin.com/ 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/liagarvin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin/ 

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: [email protected]

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin

--

© 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

Let me see if this story sounds familiar...

We hire great people. We pay them well. We inspire them to do great work...

And yet, more often than not, they come in and do the bare minimum expected of them.

This isn’t the same as neglecting their responsibilities—they’re accomplishing their tasks, kind of—but we often know that they have more potential than that. So how do we get them from just showing up to showing up at their absolute best?

Today, I want to talk about three ways to turn your employees into profit-generating machines. Because when we do these three things, we can shift things around from folks just showing up and doing the bare minimum to having employees who think proactively about growing the business...and trust me, this is something that will have a HUGE impact on your ability to meet your scaling goals in the upcoming year!

WORK WITH LIA:

Want a checklist of things you can do THIS week to become a better manager (and make your job easier)? Check out my Thriving Team Checklist for a list of quick actions you can take right away with your team: liagarvin.com/checklist

Book a FREE Scale-up strategy call to for strategies to scale your team and get time back for yourself: calendly.com/liagarvin/scaleup-strategy  

CONNECT WITH LIA:

Website: https://www.liagarvin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin/

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: [email protected]

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin

--

© 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

Spoiler alert, my beloved business owner friends...   If you're a business owner with people working under your supervision...guess what?

You're a manager.

Congratulations on your new (well, new-ISH) title!

In all seriousness...this is actually something I see a lot of business owners run into. They don't realize that when they have a team, they're not just a business owner who happens to have a team...they're a business owner who is MANAGING a team.

And that means that oftentimes, the need to develop management skills can slip through the cracks.

If this is news to you, don't panic—it's not too late to learn how to manage efficiently, and I can give you the tools and strategies you need to get there. For now, let me tell you the best place to start...  

WORK WITH LIA:

Want a checklist of things you can do THIS week to become a better manager (and make your job easier)? Check out my Thriving Team Checklist for a list of quick actions you can take right away with your team: liagarvin.com/checklist

Book a FREE Scale-up strategy call to for strategies to scale your team and get time back for yourself: calendly.com/liagarvin/scaleup-strategy?back=1&month=2023-08    

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: [email protected]

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin

--

© 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

This week, I want to equip you with a tool you can use to simplify your team operations almost immediately: the Thriving Team Checklist!

As managers, it's easy for small things (or big things that don't necessarily fall into the realm of our day-to-day responsibilities!) to slip through the cracks. This doesn't mean we're doing a poor job, or that we're bad managers—it just means we need a little help keeping track of these tasks. It's no different than how we need calendars to keep track of meetings or to-do lists to keep track of daily tasks.

I created the Thriving Team Checklist with ten simple tasks you can do every single week—not per day, per week—to keep your team operations running as smoothly as possible. Today, I'm going to walk you through each item to explain its importance...and how to complete each one effectively!    

WORK WITH LIA:

Want a checklist of things you can do THIS month to become a better manager? Check out my Thriving Team Checklist for a list of quick actions you can take right away with your team: https://www.liagarvin.com/checklist

Book a FREE scaling strategy consultation with Lia: calendly.com/liagarvin/scaleup-strategy?back=1&month=2023-08

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: [email protected]

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin

--

© 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

What better time to talk about the importance of gratitude than on Thanksgiving week (for those of us based in the US) - but the truth is, we should be appreciating our team members ALL of the time. 

In episode 90 of Managing Made Simple, I talk about what happens on our teams without a regular practice of recognition, appreciation, and gratitude, and share three simple strategies for appreciating our team members. 

And - if you're feeling stuck when it comes to managing your team, you are not alone. Head to liagarvin.com/SOS to schedule an SOS call where we will dive into your challenge and work through what steps to do right away to get back things back on track. 

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WORK WITH LIA:

Want a checklist of things you can do THIS week to become a better manager (and make your job easier)? Check out my Thriving Team Checklist for a list of quick actions you can take right away with your team: liagarvin.com/scorecard

Book a FREE Scale-up strategy call to for strategies to scale your team and get time back for yourself: calendly.com/liagarvin/scaleup-strategy?back=1&month=2023-08

CONNECT WITH LIA:

Website: https://www.liagarvin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin/

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: [email protected]

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin

--

© 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

There is one simple, easy-to-implement tool you can use to reduce turnover, streamline workflows, and boost team morale...

One-on-one meetings.

If you didn't know that one-on-ones are a necessity for a thriving team, that's all right—not many do! But after an experience I had with a mentee, I came to realize just how crucial one-on-one meetings with our team members are...and just how much grief we can save ourselves and our team members by having them.

If you think that one-on-ones aren't necessary, take too much time, or won't actually be useful for your specific team...maybe withhold judgment until the end of this episode.    

WORK WITH LIA:

Find out how to have effective one-on-one meetings with your team members: https://www.liagarvin.com/podcasts/managing-made-simple-for-team-leaders-small-business-owners/episodes/2147981993

Want a checklist of things you can do THIS month to become a better manager? Check out my Thriving Team Checklist for a list of quick actions you can take right away with your team: https://www.liagarvin.com/checklist

Book a FREE scaling strategy consultation with yours truly: calendly.com/liagarvin/scaleup-strategy?back=1&month=2023-08

Join the MANAGING MADE SIMPLE HUB, a membership community for team leaders and small business owners. This is your one-stop shop for building effective, motivated, & profitable teams: https://www.liagarvin.com/hub

CONNECT WITH LIA:

Website: https://www.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: [email protected]

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin

--

© 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

There's one question that I know you've probably asked yourself at least once...

"Why can't my team members just read my mind?"

No, I haven't been reading YOUR mind - I've just been there!

In fact, I'd hazard a guess that EVERY manager has been there at one time or another. We all sometimes wish that we could hire a clone of ourselves to work on our team and ensure everything is done the way WE want it to be done.

Unfortunately, that's not possible...but there IS a way we can help our current team members read our minds. Let me tell you about the power of setting clear expectations for your team members.    

WORK WITH LIA:

Want a checklist of things you can do THIS week to become a better manager (and make your job easier)? Check out my Thriving Team Checklist for a list of quick actions you can take right away with your team: liagarvin.com/scorecard

Book a FREE Scale-up strategy call to for strategies to scale your team and get time back for yourself: calendly.com/liagarvin/scaleup-strategy?back=1&month=2023-08

CONNECT WITH LIA:

Website: https://www.liagarvin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin/

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: [email protected]

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin

--

© 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple

With 2024 rushing toward us at breakneck speed, it's time to start deciding what we're going to prioritize in our businesses to finish out the end of the year.

As managers and business owners, we have a very unique skill: we can see dire importance in EVERY task we set in front of our teams, no matter how small. But this skill can also cause a bit of a problem: because we see everything as important, we can struggle to narrow down our list of tasks to what we ACTUALLY need to prioritize.

The definition of "priority" is "the most important thing." Just ONE important thing—not a long list!

When we can prioritize properly, it can help our team rally around our goals and end the year with team morale at an all-time high. But choosing too many priorities isn't the only pitfall we need to avoid. Let's go over them together!  

WORK WITH LIA:

Want a checklist of things you can do THIS week to become a better manager (and make your job easier)? Check out my Thriving Team Scorecard for a list of quick actions you can take right away with your team: liagarvin.com/scorecard

Book a FREE Scale-up strategy call to for strategies to scale your team and get time back for yourself: calendly.com/liagarvin/scaleup-strategy?back=1&month=2023-08

CONNECT WITH LIA:

Website: https://www.liagarvin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin/

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: [email protected]

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lia.garvin
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lia.Garvin

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© 2026 Lia Garvin / Managing Made Simple