We’re in a moment of weird contradictions in the workplace: you’re supposed to set clear expectations, but not micromanage; delegate, but not let things spin out; do more with less. It’s exhausting—and it’s why so many leaders feel stuck.

In this week’s episode of The New Manager Playbook, I walk you through three real‑world questions that landed in the “r/Managers” subreddit and how to turn each one into a manager skill you can use:

• A new employee asking for more visibility and wondering, “Why am I not in all the meetings?”
• Taking over a team and being asked to deliver feedback for work you never set or reviewed.
• An open‑calendar policy—but your team still asks, “Why can’t I be in everything?”

We talk about the deeper ask behind each one: it’s rarely entitlement. It’s belonging. Clarity. Recognition. And we explore the two‑minute question you should ask next time you’re frustrated: What is this person really trying to say? Then you’ll know exactly what to do.

Tune in and let’s strip away the noise, reset your baseline, and build managing into the easy part of your job.

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Looking for support for your team? Reach out at hello@liagarvin.com

When a top performer leaves, the line often sounds the same: “I just wanted something different.”

But the truth is, they probably didn’t see what was possible here.

In this episode of The New Manager Playbook, I walk through how one conversation, done right, can be the reason someone stays.

We’ll talk about:

• Why engagement is down (and what that really means for you as a manager)
• What makes a career conversation different from a performance review
• The delegation trap: how giving away the right work builds trust, not risk
• What to do if a team member tells you something you can’t immediately act on

And why following up matters even more than what you say in the meeting.

This episode is for any manager who's trying to stop the slow drip of good people walking out the door.

When it comes to talking about all of the change going on at work right now, many of us get so worried about saying the wrong thing, that we don't say anything at all. Or... we say everything is going to be fine, or belittle how people are thinking, or fall into one of the many traps of the "wrong" way of talking about change.

Not anymore. In this episode I dive into why falling into these traps can be so detrimental on your team, and share a simple framework for talking about change so people feel supported.

Layoffs, reorgs, AI disruption- fear is at an all-time high in the workplace. And managers? They’re caught in the middle.

In this milestone episode, I sit down with Megan Karsh to talk about what fear actually looks like at work, how it shows up in our leadership habits, and what we can do to shift from reactivity into resilience.

We cover:

• The VUCA framework and why it matters more than ever
• The real cost of micromanaging and control-hoarding
• How to lead with presence when the path forward isn’t clear
• Why the old ways of manager training are broken
• How the New Manager Playbook digital program that Megan and I co-created fills the gap

Whether you’re a new manager or a seasoned one facing brand new challenges, this episode will give you clarity, practical tools, and a shot of gritty hope.

Sign up for a demo of The New Manager Playbook digital program at www.newmanagerplaybook.com

Let’s talk about the thing no one wants to admit: most people hate being managers. And not because they don’t care, but because they weren’t set up to succeed.

In this episode, I dig into:

• Why most people become managers without any training
• What makes managing feel so hard, especially when you’re learning in front of your team
• Why burnout is off the charts right now (and what to do if you’re in it)
• How to stop waiting for support and take one small step to build real confidence

This is for anyone managing a team, responsible for managers, or thinking “do I even want this?”

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Want support for yourself or your team? Reach out at hello@liagarvin.com

You spent time building an interactive, funny, team-building training—but when the start time arrived… no one showed up. Heartbreak, frustration, and a bit of panic set in.

In this episode, I share:

• Why your team can’t attend, even if they asked for the training
• The three critical elements that make attendance possible and compelling
• How Gen Z’s desire for growth is real, but still gets derailed by burnout and overwhelm
• Examples from real training programs and simple language you can start using right away to shift behavior

If you’ve been scratching your head wondering, “Why aren’t people showing up?” Then this is for you. Learn how to create trainings that stick—and people who show up ready to grow.

Listen now, and be sure to listen again at the end of the episode to lock in the mindset shift.

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For support with your team, head to liagarvin.com or reach out at hello@liagarvin.com

There's a battle brewing in the workplace between Gen Z and Gen AI, and if we don't get ahead of it, we might end up with a workforce that can't actually think.

In this episode, I break down how this collision is creating three specific challenges for managers and business owners - and why the solution isn't what you think.

In This Episode:

• The real reason entry-level jobs are disappearing (and it's not just automation)
• Why Gen Z workers are accidentally skipping critical learning moments
• How overusing AI is backfiring for both employees and managers
• The training approach that turns this challenge into your team's biggest advantage
• Why teaching people to think is more valuable than ever

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Need support for yourself as a leader or to uplevel your team? Reach out at hello@liagarvin.com

September is here, and with it comes what Gen Z has dubbed “The Great Lock-In”, a post-summer push to refocus, reenergize, and finish the year strong. But this moment isn’t just a trend, it’s a powerful opportunity for leaders.

In this episode of The New Manager Playbook podcast, I share how to use this time to reconnect your team to purpose and progress, without pushing them to burnout.

You’ll learn:

• Why 79% of employees feel disengaged, and what you can do about it
• Why problems like low motivation and confusion don’t solve themselves
• How to set a goal your team can rally around, no matter what the business is
• A story from my time at Microsoft that shows what real team buy-in looks like
• How to get everyone, from top performers to behind-the-scenes rockstars, locked in and ready to deliver

Plus, grab my free Snippets Template to keep your team on track each week: liagarvin.com/snippets