The reason you lie awake worrying about your team is not that you need a more elaborate task-tracking system. Lia introduces the Snippets Template, a lightweight weekly update tool that gives leaders a bird’s-eye view of priorities, wins, and blockers without micromanaging. This episode is especially useful for remote team leaders, small business owners, and anyone who feels perpetually out of the loop on what their team is actually doing.
This episode is part of the Team Operations, Systems & SOPs series. Browse all episodes →
Mic drop moments
“What got you here to the place you are now, that’s not gonna get you to the place you wanna be.”
“Whenever I talk about rolling out a new process, I always frame it as an experiment.”
“We don’t wanna say, oh, does everyone want this or not? We don’t wanna be in debate land forever.”
Episode highlights
The tension every growing team hits
At some point, what got your team here will not get you to where you want to go. That applies to how you make decisions, track work, onboard people, and set priorities. But most leaders freeze because they do not want to become bureaucratic or lose the energy that made the team great in the first place. Lia opens with two real examples: a team coming out of heavy R&D and moving into shipping a product, and a founder eager to open a second location. Both wanted more structure. Both were afraid of what that structure would cost them culturally.
Step 1: Get crystal clear on your values AND your anti-values
Most teams can tell you what they stand for. Fewer can tell you what they absolutely do not want to become. Lia calls these anti-values, and they matter just as much. If moving too slowly is an anti-value, or working in silos is an anti-value, then any new process you build needs to be checked against those. Roll something out that violates an anti-value and you will undermine the culture you were trying to protect.
A simple starting point: run a group brainstorm with three questions. What is important to us? What do we stand for? What do we not stand for? That conversation alone will give you the filter you need before you build anything.
Step 2: Identify the actual pain points before changing anything
Do not come in hot saying everything needs to change. If you overhaul every aspect of how the team works at once, people will either walk or agree in the moment and quietly ignore the new process. Lia has seen it happen repeatedly.
Instead, talk to your team. Ask where they feel stuck, where work is moving slower than it should, where they want more clarity. The pain points on your specific team are not the same as the pain points in some SOP guide you downloaded or on a different team in your industry. You need to know what you are actually solving for before you touch anything.
Common culprits: unclear decision making, hazy project timelines, and no single place to go for information. Each one requires a completely different fix.
Step 3: Find the simplest solution and pilot it
Once you know the real pain point, resist the urge to build the perfect system that solves every edge case. Aim for the 80 percent solution. Then frame it as an experiment.
Lia is direct here: do not ask the team whether they want the new process or spend weeks in debate. Commit to a pilot of two to three weeks, collect feedback, adjust, and go again. This approach gives the team confidence that a decision has been made while keeping the door open to refinement.
A practical example she gives: if budget tracking is the pain point, do not build a multi-approval request process. Create a simple template and set a dollar threshold. Anything under that amount, no approval needed. Anything over it, follow the request process. That is it. Solve for one thing, try the simplest version, and refine from there.
What this actually protects
These three moves, defining values and anti-values, targeting the real pain points, and piloting simple solutions, are how you keep the speed, collaboration, and positive culture intact while adding the rigor your team actually needs. You are not dismantling what works. You are building a lightweight layer on top of it so people have clarity, feel ownership, and can move faster, not slower.
Related episodes in this cluster
- Ep 230: Why your team problems are actually systems problems (and what to fix first). When your team feels chaotic, unclear, or constantly dependent on you, the culprit is almost never the people. It is the absence of simple, repeatable systems that tell everyone how to operate. Lia walks through the real cost of missing systems, two client stories with immediate results, and how to roll out new processes so your team gets bought in from day one. This episode is essential for any owner who says they hate process but secretly hates the chaos more.
- Ep 215: Why your team seems entitled (and what is really causing it). When your team feels entitled, the root cause is almost never attitude. It is a clarity gap, and the fix starts with you asking what role you played in creating the dynamic. Lia walks through two questions every owner and leader should ask before writing off a team member, and explains how operational clarity through an Ops Playbook prevents these friction points from forming in the first place. This episode is most useful for founders, small business owners, and managers who feel like they are constantly negotiating with their teams.
- Ep 198: Why your team asked for training but still won’t show up (and how to fix it). When team members ask for development but skip the training you built, it usually comes down to three fixable problems: they feel too stretched to step away, leaders are not modeling that the training matters, and the content itself has not earned their trust yet. Lia walks through each obstacle and gives you concrete language and moves to address all three before your next training. This episode is especially useful for business owners, HR leaders, and team leads who have already invested in development and watched the room stay empty.
- Ep 177: How to stop waking up at 3am worried about your team (and what to do instead). The reason you lie awake worrying about your team is not that you need a more elaborate task-tracking system. Lia introduces the Snippets Template, a lightweight weekly update tool that gives leaders a bird’s-eye view of priorities, wins, and blockers without micromanaging. This episode is especially useful for remote team leaders, small business owners, and anyone who feels perpetually out of the loop on what their team is actually doing.
Want to go deeper?
The Ops Playbook. Systems and SOPs for teams that need to scale without breaking.
Full transcript (click to expand)
I think a lot of us wrestle with how to think about rolling out process. Again, we don’t wanna be too bureaucratic, we don’t wanna be too corporate, and we wanna keep that essence of the team and at the same time, we know we’ve gotta make a change because we’ve all heard it. What got you here to the place you are now that’s not gonna get you to the place you wanna be. Welcome to the Managing Made Simple podcast.
Where I bring a decade of experience working in some of the most influential companies in tech to help you navigate the ins and outs of being a people manager from conflicts to feedback to delegating and more, we will leave no stone unturned when it comes to what makes us love managing, kind of hate it and everything in between. Doesn’t matter if you’re a new manager looking for some tips. Or a seasoned manager looking up their game.
Everyone is welcome to hang out with Managing Made Simple. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go. I know you’re here because you want to be a better manager, but I also know it’s often easier than done. That’s why I put together a scorecard of 20 things that you can do this month and every month to show up better for your team as a manager, from positive feedback to recognition, to honoring those working norms that we know we gotta do, but sometimes forget.
This scorecard serves as a checklist and accountability buddy to remind you of all those things you gotta do to be a great manager. Download your copy today at liagarvin.com/scorecard. Welcome back to the show. Today is a fun episode for me because it’s all about implementing process. Without changing the culture of the team. And why is this a fun one? Because my whole career in tech, in the corporate world was about implementing processes. And in doing that and learning well what works and a lot of stuff about what doesn’t work, I wanted to share some really simple things you can do to make sure whatever you wanna roll out is gonna land effectively.
And why do we need to talk about this? Well, there comes a time in every team, in every business where whatever you’re doing reaches a certain point. Maybe you’ve hired enough team members, maybe you’re evolving the business to a certain point. Whatever it is that you have to change the way you’re working, you have to put a little rigor behind things. I’m working with the team right now that had been in heavy research and development for a few years, and now they’re moving into shipping a product and this requires a very different way of operating, but they don’t wanna lose the essence of the speed and the, and the inclusive culture and the friendliness that they have on the team.
So they’re feeling a little bit stuck on how to handle it. I have another client that’s really eager to expand her business and open another location, and she’s feeling like, well, I wanna make sure that, you know, I’m still in touch with what’s going on in the business, that I don’t make it too corporate. I think a lot of us wrestle with how to think about rolling out process. Again, we don’t wanna be too bureaucratic, we don’t wanna be too corporate, and we wanna keep that essence of the team.
And at the same time, we know we’ve gotta make a change because we’ve all heard it. What got you here to the place you are now, that’s not gonna get you to the place you wanna be. Whether it’s the configuration of your team, the processes that you use, the way you make decisions, the way you track work, all of these things that I talk about within the ops playbook. Well, these are things that you gotta figure out how to do as your team grows and they are going to be evolving.
Things like onboarding, things like making decisions, things like setting priorities, things like expectations. All of these things will evolve as your team grows. So let’s talk about how do we keep that culture on the team, that vibe that we really spent so much time cultivating as we have to implement more processes. And I wanted to share three ways to do that. So number one is to get crystal clear on your team values and your team anti values.
So we wanna be clear on what does our team stand for? What do we believe in? You know, is it about, you know, being an inclusive team culture, is it about having the utmost quality of our product? Is it about, you know, bringing in deep techno expertise? What are the things that our team values? And at the same time, we wanna talk about, well, what are the anti values? What’s like the opposite of our team? So we know we never wanna fall into that because if we don’t identify the anti values we can get in this point where we know what we do wanna do, but then a lot of the process that we implement actually goes right against the things we don’t wanna do.
For example, you know, if an anti value is being moving too slowly, or an anti value is being really siloed in our work. We wanna make sure that any process that we of, that we develop doesn’t sort of set us up for failure in those areas. So when we think about it, we wanna make sure that we’re really, really clear on who we are and deliberately clear on who we are. Not. Now, there are a lot of different exercises and workshops you can do to come up with your team values, but I think one really great place to start is having a group brainstorm, talking about the questions, what is important to us?
What do we stand for, and what are the things that we don’t stand for? Having that conversation is a really great starting point to be able to understand, okay, like as we start building in more rigor, what do we wanna make sure we still hold true on? Second thing we wanna do is we wanna identify the biggest pain points that that require there to be more process and rigor. Okay? It’s not about overhauling every aspect of the way we work.
Because if you come in there hot saying, okay, we gotta change everything, we gotta whip this place in the shape, everybody’s gonna go, no thanks. I’m outta here. Or they’re gonna agree to it and then not actually follow the process. And I know that because that happens all the time. And I’ve been there, I’ve seen it. We’ve all felt it. Okay. So you wanna really start by talking to people, understanding what are the biggest pain points?
Where are you feeling stuck? Where are you feeling like your work is moving slower than you’d like it to be? Where are you feeling like things are more frustrating? Where are you feeling like, Hey, I just want more clarity here. Talk to your team members and understand what’s actually getting in their way from feeling effective. We don’t wanna make assumptions. We don’t wanna think, okay, you know, we’re moving, we’re, we’re shipping a hardware product. We have to follow this like rigorous process that this other hardware product team does.
We don’t wanna go. Well, you know, I’m opening up another location for my, you know, med spa. So I’m gonna follow the exact process, like from this s o p guide I downloaded on the internet. No, we wanna figure out what are the pain points on our specific team that are getting in the way from achieving our goals and meeting our priorities. Okay, maybe it’s unclear decision making processes. Maybe it’s hazy project timelines. Maybe it’s a lack of, you know, really knowing where to go for information.
These things require really different processes and really different solutions. And so we wanna know what we’re actually solving for. So once we identify the biggest pain points we wanna ask ourselves. The third thing, what is the simplest way to address this that doesn’t add complexity, that doesn’t solve for all the edge cases upfront that solves are maybe the 80% of the way solution. And then we, we explore and we collect feedback and experiment from there. Whenever I talk about rolling out a new process, I always frame it as an experiment.
It’s something we’re gonna try for a few months, maybe just a few weeks. We’re gonna have an open loop to collect feedback. We’re gonna see what happens, pilot it again, collect more feedback. We’re gonna have this kind of continuous loop until we get it right, but we are gonna try it. So you see what I mean? We don’t wanna say, oh, does everyone want this or not? We don’t wanna be in debate land forever. We wanna say, Hey, we’re gonna pilot this.
We’re gonna do it for two, three weeks. We’re gonna collect feedback and then we’re gonna see, this is how you can demonstrate some certainty that yeah, we’re gonna do it. But you also leave the door open to saying, okay, we may not get it right the first time. There may be things we’re missing, but we’re gonna decide and commit to move forward. And that again, is using what is the simplest solution to address it. So if you feel like, well, you know, there’s a lot of spending on the team and we’re not clear on what it’s for.
And you know, I really wish that I had insight into like, you know, the, the budget tracking and stuff like that. What’s the simplest solution? Okay. Maybe you create a template and everyone just fills out when they have spent money, or there’s a request process, but it doesn’t go through multiple approvals and different things. Maybe you say, okay, if it’s anything over this dollar amount, that’s when it goes through the request process. Anything over $75 or $500 or $2,500, whatever it is, you know, you wanna figure out what’s the simplest thing that removes bottlenecks if it’s about tracking work.
Maybe it’s not tracking every, like, minutia, grain of sand of tasks. You say, Hey, we’re gonna track things on a project level. This is the level of detail. Here’s where we’re gonna check in about that thing, and then we’re gonna keep moving with it. So that’s how we figure out the simplest thing. We don’t try to solve for like the, the perfect, perfect thing that’s gonna solve for a million different things at once. Wanna solve for one thing, try a simple solution, pilot it and refine.
So these are the ways that we can keep that essence of the culture, the speed that got us to where we are today. The, the, the positive, the fun, the collaborative spirit that you love about your team, and implement a little bit more rigor. We wanna really get clear on those values and the anti values. We wanna identify the biggest pain points so that whatever we’re solving for is something your team actually wants to solve for.
And then we’re gonna find the simplest way to solve it by piloting and experimenting with a solution. This is how we implement process. This is one of my favorite things to support teams on. This is all about what the ops playbook is. And so if you’re feeling like, ah, I’m too much in the weeds. I wanna be saving more time, I know there is, you know, downtime that, that people could be reinvesting that time. Another way I know it’s costing me money.
These are the pain points that teams I work with are feeling. And especially right now when we gotta do more with less, this is the moment to think, Hey, what are some really lightweight systems and process we can put in place to bring more clarity, to get people moving, to help people feel and flow so that we can be growing our business? And if you wanna bring that to your team, send me a message at [email protected] and let’s talk about how to bring the ops playbook to your team.
This playbook will transform your business by giving everybody the place to go to first when they have a question. It ensures that people can be more proactive, they feel a stronger sense of ownership, and they’re all collectively bought in to growing your business. See you next time. That’s all I have for today. Thank you so much for tuning in to the Managing Made Simple Podcast where my goal is to demystify the job of people management so that together we can make the workplace somewhere everyone can thrive.
I always love to hear from you, so please reach out at liagarvin.com or message me on LinkedIn. See you next time.
Questions this episode answers
How do I roll out new processes without making my team feel like the culture is dying?
Start by getting crystal clear on your team values and your anti-values, meaning what you stand for and what you never want to become. Then identify the specific pain points your team is actually feeling, not what you assume they need. Finally, introduce any new process as a pilot, not a permanent overhaul. Frame it as an experiment you will try for a few weeks, collect feedback, and refine. This keeps the collaborative spirit intact while still moving toward more structure.
What are team anti-values and why do they matter when building processes?
Anti-values are the opposite of what your team stands for, the things you never want your team to become. For example, if an anti-value is moving too slowly or working in silos, you need to make sure any new process does not accidentally create those exact problems. Without naming the anti-values, you can roll out a process that directly contradicts what your team cares about without even realizing it. Naming them upfront acts as a guardrail as you build.
How do I know which processes to implement first when everything feels chaotic?
Talk to your team members and ask where they feel stuck, where work slows down, and where they want more clarity. Do not assume you know what they need or copy a process from a guide you found online. Every team has different pain points, whether it is unclear decision making, hazy project timelines, or not knowing where to find information. Solving for the actual bottleneck your team is experiencing means the process will actually get used instead of ignored.
Should I get full team buy-in before rolling out a new process or just start?
Do not get stuck in debate land waiting for everyone to agree. Instead, commit to a pilot. Tell your team you are going to try this for two to three weeks, collect feedback, and adjust from there. This approach shows confidence that you are moving forward while leaving the door open for refinement. Asking whether everyone wants it often leads to stalling. Piloting and iterating is how you build buy-in through action rather than endless discussion.
What does a 'simple' process actually look like when you are trying to add more structure?
A simple process solves for about 80% of situations without trying to cover every edge case. For example, if budget tracking is unclear, maybe the solution is one shared template and a spending threshold where anything above a set dollar amount goes through an approval step. If project visibility is the problem, maybe you track work at the project level with set check-in points rather than logging every small task. Start with the lightest version that removes the bottleneck, pilot it, and build from there.