How to Turn Struggling Managers into Effective Team Leaders with Lia Garvin

Welcome back to The Grey Areas Podcast! This week, I’m joined by Lia Garvin, team operations expert, TEDx speaker, and bestselling author of The New Manager Playbook. With leadership experience at Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Bank of America, Lia has seen it all when it comes to management pitfalls and she’s here to make the hardest parts of leadership feel a whole lot easier.

In this conversation, we dive deep into the emotional toll of leadership, the power of trust, and the practical mindset shifts that help managers lead with confidence. Whether you’re managing a former peer, navigating team conflict, or trying to get out of micromanagement mode, Lia’s tools are tactical, empowering, and refreshingly honest. We talk about the ripple effects of leadership, good or bad, and why getting this right matters more than ever.

Highlights Include:

• 03:23 – Why Lia believes managing should feel easier and how her book helps leaders actually enjoy the job.
• 05:58 – The real reason delegating is so hard, and why not delegating is hurting your team more than you think.
• 11:27 – How to build trust through consistency, context, and follow-through.
• 15:30 – Rethinking feedback: From threat to tool, and how to frame it as support, not critique.
• 25:49 – Three red flags you’re micromanaging and what to do instead to empower your team and avoid burnout.
• 33:07 – What separates high-performing teams from the rest and the one question every leader should ask.
• 41:46 – Cubicle Confession: Lia coaches a new manager who’s micromanaging out of fear, and shares how to reset trust and reclaim confidence.

Tune in to learn why leading with clarity, curiosity, and trust is the ultimate power move, and how you can start today!

Lia Garvin’s Links:
Website: liagarvin.com
Book: The New Manager Playbook
Podcast: The New Manager Podcast
Free Resource Tool
LinkedIn: Lia Garvin