Guest - Heather Italiano, High-Energy Speaker and Facilitator
Book - The 5 Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell

Are your employees following you because they want to, or because they have to? In this episode, Heather Italiano unpacks the Five Levels of Leadership and how new managers can build trust, increase influence, and avoid falling into the trap of positional leadership.

Have you ever felt like your team only listens because they have to, not because they want to?

That’s the reality for many first-time managers. In this Leadership Podcast for New Managers, guest Heather Italiano joins me to explore how to build trust as a manager and move beyond positional leadership into real influence. We’re talking about team dynamics, managing up, and the moment your title stops being enough.

Heather breaks down John Maxwell’s Five Levels of Leadership and explains how even experienced leaders can fall back to level one when trust erodes. Plus, she shares her practical CARES framework to help you connect with your team in a way that builds loyalty, commitment, and results.

If you’re trying to fix a toxic culture, handle conflict at work as a manager, or simply become a better leader, this episode is your blueprint.

By the time you finish listening, you’ll learn:

The difference between positional leadership and people-first leadership
How to rebuild trust after it’s been lost
A simple, 5-part framework to increase your influence as a new leader

If you loved this conversation with Heather, scroll down and leave a 5-star rating and review! Then share it with a colleague or friend who’s trying to grow their confidence as a new manager.

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