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PODCAST

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams is a weekly leadership and management podcast for founders, entrepreneurs, business owners, and people managers who want to lead high-performing teams without falling back into the work themselves.Each week, host Lia Garvin- Fractional COO & leadership strategist, TEDx speaker, and 3x bestselling author- breaks down the real, everyday challenges of leading teams, people management, team accountability, delegation, communication, culture, and performance with

business management

All Episodes

16:46

224: Dealing with team members that bug us

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2026/03/10

You know the feeling. Their name pops up on your calendar and your stomach drops just a little. They are not low performers. They are actually delivering. But something about the dynamic makes leading them harder than it needs to be. In this episode of Real Talk: Leading Small Teams, we break down three common archetypes that trigger leaders and how to handle each one without avoiding hard conversations. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why “Praise-Seeking Polly” may not actually feel recognize...

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14:55

223: What should I be paying people to attract top...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2026/03/03

You find the perfect senior hire. They have the résumé. The experience. The track record. But the salary makes your stomach drop. Do you stretch and hope it pays off? Or walk away and risk staying stuck? In this episode, we unpack the real tension leaders face when hiring senior talent in a small business and how to think about compensation without blowing up your risk tolerance. We talk about: Why overextending on a big hire can create pressure that sabotages onboarding How to thi...

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13:43

222: What investing in your team could cost you OR...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2026/02/24

What’s the cost of waiting too long to address a problem on your team? In this episode, we’re breaking down the key actions that separate leadership disasters from record-breaking success. You'll learn: How waiting too long to address team challenges can lead to massive lossesThe $250,000 mistake from one of my clients and the turnaround that followedThe positive impact of setting clear expectations and implementing systems early onHow proactive leadership resulted in a $1M revenue quarter fo...

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16:55

221: I want to hand off work to my team, but the...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2026/02/17

You built a reputation for being the best. So why does it feel like your success is the very thing keeping you stuck? If clients keep asking for you by name and you cannot seem to step out of the weeds without everything pulling you back in, this episode will show you how to scale without losing trust, quality, or revenue. In this episode of Real Talk: Leading Small Teams, you’ll learn: Why believing your “magic” cannot be taught is keeping you smallHow to translate your secret sauce into rea...

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15:13

220: I hired managers- why am I still in the details?

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2026/02/10

You finally hired managers… so why are you still stuck in every decision, every issue, every fire? If you feel like promoting managers was supposed to free you up and somehow did the opposite, this episode breaks down exactly why that happens and how to fix it. In this episode, we talk about: How leaders accidentally train managers to defer decisionsThe simple way to teach decision-making without more meetingsWhat to do when managers do not actually want to manageThe core skills every manager...

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14:56

219: Did I make a bad hire? How do I know? What do I do?

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2026/02/10

Hiring is exhausting, and nothing messes with your confidence faster than wondering, “Did I just make a really expensive mistake?” In this episode, we take a clear-eyed, practical look at how to assess a new hire without panic, resentment, or dragging things out way too long. Plus we’ll talk about what to do when the answer isn’t obvious. In this episode of Real Talk: Leading Small Teams, you’ll learn: Why deciding someone “isn’t a fit” too fast or too late creates bigger problemsThe role onb...

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14:28

218: How to get out of the friend-zone with your team...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2026/02/10

You didn’t mean to become the “cool boss.” But now feedback feels awkward, boundaries are blurry and accountability keeps slipping. In this episode of Real Talk: Leading Small Teams, we break down what to do when you’ve been friend-zoned by your team, and how to reset the dynamic without becoming cold or rigid. In this episode, we cover: The subtle signs you’ve crossed from friendly leader into the friend zoneWhy feedback resistance is often a relationship problem, not a performance one...

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14:43

217: This question will 10x your impact as a leader...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2026/02/03

Whether you're a corporate leader or small business owner, there’s one question I want you to ask yourself this week: 👉 What am I avoiding right now? In this episode, we dig into how avoidance is slowing your growth and blocking your effectiveness as a leader. We cover: Why not making a hire is costing you more than hiring ever couldThe real reason you’ve been dodging that hard feedback convoHow failing to “lead” is usually rooted in unclear expectationsPlus: A leadership tool that’ll

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15:31

216: Why your team isn't following through... and how...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2026/01/27

If you’re the one offering all the solutions, thinking of all the ideas, and your team is just nodding along — you don’t have an accountability problem. You’ve skipped the most important part of the leadership loop: real follow-up. In this episode of The New Manager Playbook, I break down: What it actually looks like to build accountabilityWhy I stopped offering solutions in 1:1sThe script I now use to shift from excuses to ownershipHow to help your team solve problems themselvesThis is the e...

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19:02

215: Let's Talk Entitlement on Your Team

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2026/01/20

Feeling like your team is acting entitled? This episode of pod breaks down why that might not be the real issue. I share real client stories and offer a new perspective on what's really happening when team members make what seem like unreasonable demands. In this episode, you'll learn: The truth about what looks like entitlementHow we accidentally create resentment (and how to stop)The two questions every manager should ask when they're feeling frustratedWhy an Ops Playbook can be a game-chan...

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17:25

214: How to give the feedback you should have given...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2026/01/13

You meant to say something... and didn’t. Now it feels like the moment’s passed. But the truth is: feedback is still possible, and necessary. In this episode, I walk you through: Exactly what to say when you’ve waited too longHow to prevent defensiveness by owning your partThe ripple effect of delayed feedback (hint: it’s not just about that one person)How to reset expectations and actually build more trust in the processIf you're sitting on feedback and convincing yourself it’s too late—this...

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14:53

213: Talking about money with your team without over...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2026/01/06

This is Part 3 in the Communicating with Confidence series, and we’re getting into the conversation leaders dread most: money. Compensation conversations don’t just reflect performance,mthey shape it. And when you get them wrong, you create resentment, confusion, and turnover. In this episode, I cover: The danger of mixing performance feedback with pay updatesHow to avoid creating unsustainable compensation expectationsWhy your team needs a clear comp narrative, not canned corporate speakWhat...

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15:58

212: Avoiding the biggest pitfalls with tough...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2025/12/30

Feedback is one of the hardest parts of leadership, and one of the most avoided. When managers dodge uncomfortable conversations, the fallout shows up fast: resentment builds, expectations get blurry, high performers notice, and people end up blindsided by feedback they never saw coming. In this episode, I break down the most common feedback mistakes leaders make, including avoiding confrontation, waiting too long to speak up, assuming expectations are “obvious,” and failing to document tough...

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19:45

211: How to communicate vision so your team buys-in |...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2025/12/23

Welcome to Part 1 of our Communicating with Confidence series: three essential conversations that make or break your leadership in 2026. In this episode, we focus on how to communicate your vision and strategy so your team actually hears it not just once, but enough to buy-in and stay engaged. You’ll learn: The 3 biggest mistakes leaders make when sharing visionWhy hearing something once isn’t enough (and what to do instead)How to empower your managers to carry the messageWhy your vision migh...

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13:50

210: Training while compromised: how to lead when...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2025/12/16

If you wouldn’t show up to a HYROX race without training, why do we expect leaders to step into management cold? In this episode of The New Manager Playbook, I share what competing in my first HYROX endurance race taught me about what it really takes to lead today. We train for marathons. We train for Ironmans. But when someone becomes a manager? We throw them in and say, "Figure it out." No wonder it feels impossible. This episode explores: What it means to train while compromisedWhy every m...

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15:22

209: Perception vs. reality: why communication is...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2025/12/09

Uncertainty isn’t a phase anymore, it’s the baseline. And leaders who keep waiting for a return to “normal” are falling behind. In this episode, I unpack why managing in constant change requires a different toolkit, and how the most overlooked leadership lever right now isn’t budget, headcount, or strategy. It’s perception. When your team feels stuck, unmotivated, or uncertain, the issue may not be what’s happening, but how they understand what’s happening. That’s why communication is no...

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17:48

208: The human qualities on a team that AI can't replace

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2025/12/02

Everyone is taking about AI and automation in the workplace right now, and many of us are wondering how to strike the right balance on our teams. In this episode of The New Manager Playbook, I dig into a question every leader and founder is asking: as AI becomes capable of doing more, from scheduling meetings to drafting documents, how do we make sure we don’t lose what matters most: people. I walk through the power of automation for repetitive tasks, but when oversimplify the value a p...

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17:44

207: The simple action that will increase retention...

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2025/11/25

We all know the saying: People don't leave companies, they leave managers. So, if I’m the biggest factor causing turnover, shouldn’t I be the biggest factor in retention? What if I became the manager people *want* to work for? In today's episode, I’m digging into why this intentionality is non-negotiable right now. Being that leader creates resilience, innovation, and psychological safety, but getting there isn't easy, especially when the workplace feels like a pressure cooker. I challenge ...

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15:55

206: How to incentivize your team, even amidst cutbacks

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2025/11/18

Your top performer didn’t get the raise. Your high-potential hire is still waiting on that promotion. It seems like all of the incentives you have at your disposal are gone- so what do you do? In this episode of The New Manager Playbook podcast, I share how to lead and motivate your team when traditional rewards aren’t available. We first talk about the importance of incentives and why even in a tough job market "you're lucky to have a job" doesn't work, and what to say when your team i...

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13:34

205: Handling setbacks in a way that propels you forward

Real Talk: Leading Small Teams ·

2025/11/11

You know that moment. An email drops, a meeting gets scheduled, and your stomach sinks. As a manager, it’s not just your reaction that matters, it’s what your team sees, hears, and absorbs. This week, we get into: Why your team mirrors your reaction to frustrating people and situationsHow to avoid dragging your team into a commiseration spiralThe power of naming what’s hard without making it worseOne quick conversation that shifts your team from reactive to readyEvery team hits roadblocks. Th...

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102 results

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