The People Side of Business | Team Management Strategies, How to Manage Employees, Leadership for Business Owners

Lindsay White | Fractional HR Expert, Team Leadership Strategist, Leadership Coach for Female Founders
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Are you leading a team but quietly wondering if you’re actually doing it right?Are you dealing with employee issues, performance problems, or difficult conversations that feel heavier than they should?And are you starting to realize that growing your business through people is a completely different skill set than building it on your own?If that sounds like you, you’re not alone—and you’re in the right place.Because the truth is, leadership is something most founders are never properly taught. You build a business, you hire a team, and suddenly you’re expected to know how to manage people, make the right calls, and lead with confidence—without ever being shown how to do it well.That’s exactly what this podcast is here to change.Hi, I’m Lindsay White, a fractional HR expert and leadership coach who works with founders and business owners navigating the real challenges of leading a team. I’ve spent years inside growing businesses, helping founders work through everything from hiring and performance issues to team dynamics and difficult decisions—often at the exact moment things start to feel messy, unclear, or harder than they should.Like a lot of the people I work with, you may have built something successful, but no one handed you a clear playbook for what comes next when you’re responsible for a team. And what I’ve seen time and time again is that when leadership isn’t intentional, the same issues keep showing up—just at a larger scale. In this show, you’ll learn how to:✨ Handle employee performance issues and know what to do when someone on your team isn’t meeting expectations✨ Navigate difficult conversations at work with clarity instead of avoiding them or second-guessing yourself afterward✨ Hire the right people and avoid the hiring mistakes that create bigger problems down the line✨ Build a workplace culture that supports your business as it grows, instead of something you’re constantly trying to fix✨ Lead your team with more confidence so you can scale your business without everything falling back on youIf you’re ready to feel more confident in how you manage your team and make decisions as a leader, this is a good place to start.Next Steps:💻 Grab My Guides & Frameworks: https://go.highvoltageleadership.ca/resource-library🚀 Learn more about the LPC Accelerator: https://highvoltageleadership.ca/lpc-accelerator/🌐 Visit: https://highvoltageleadership.ca📩 Connect: lindsay@highvoltageleadership.ca

  1. 6d ago

    Avoiding Difficult Conversations Is Hurting Your Leadership Skills

    Send us Fan Mail Most founders believe that avoiding a difficult conversation is how you protect a relationship, when in reality, it does the opposite.  The longer a conversation goes unspoken, the more trust erodes, performance slips, and your own confidence as a leader takes the hit, until eventually everyone on the team can feel the tension of the thing nobody is saying. The conversation was never the real problem here. Avoiding it is. This episode digs into one of the most common founder challenges there is, which is putting off the crunchy conversations that come with leading a team. We get into why the highest performing teams tend to have these conversations more often and far sooner than everyone else, and why avoiding difficult conversations with employees ends up costing so much more than having them ever would. Through the story of a founder who waited too long to address an underperforming team member, we get to the truth sitting underneath most avoidance, which is that what we think we're protecting is usually just our own discomfort. From there, we reframe difficult conversations as a leadership responsibility rather than a leadership failure, and walk through the Say the Thing Script Kit, a four-step framework for moving through these moments with clarity and care. You'll learn how to start the conversation with confidence, reset it when things go sideways, get genuine buy-in by listening more than you talk, and bring it home with clear agreements and real next steps. This is where confidence as a leader actually comes from, not from sidestepping the hard conversations but from building the leadership skills to navigate them well. Because every founder reaches a point where leadership becomes the growth strategy, and learning how to manage employees through these moments is often the first real test of whether you're ready for it. Ready to say the thing? Download the Say the Thing Script Kit for the exact language to prepare for and move through your next difficult conversation: https://go.highvoltageleadership.ca/resource-library-423628  And if you're feeling stretched thin and ready for a reset, book a Spark Session, a focused 60-minute strategy session to work through what's really going on and build a path forward: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/hvl-spark Support the show The People Side of Business is the podcast for female founders and business owners who are leading teams and growing businesses. Hosted by Lindsay White, Leadership Coach, Team Leadership Strategist, and Fractional HR Expert, this show delivers practical leadership strategies, real-world people solutions, and honest conversations about the challenges of leading a team. From employee performance issues and difficult conversations to hiring, accountability, workplace culture, and team growth, each episode is designed to help you lead, manage, and scale your team as a founder. If you're ready to become a more confident leader, make better people decisions, and build a stronger, higher-performing team, you're in the right place. Learn more at highvoltageleadership.ca, connect on Instagram @highvoltleadership, or find Lindsay White on LinkedIn. The people side of business isn't separate from growth. The people side of business is the business.

    15 min

  2. Jun 18

    Leadership Skills for Business Owners: Welcome to The People Side of Business

    Send us Fan Mail Most business owners believe growth comes from better marketing, stronger sales, or more sophisticated systems. But what if the real growth constraint is leadership? Leadership skills for business owners are rarely discussed with the same urgency as strategy and revenue, yet they often determine whether a company can successfully grow beyond the founder. As businesses expand, new challenges emerge. More clients, more opportunities, and more responsibilities place increasing demands on the person leading the organization. The skills required to start a business are not always the same skills required to scale one. And this is where many founders discover an important truth: sustainable growth requires leadership growth. In this inaugural episode of The People Side of Business, we explore the shift from founder to CEO and why leadership becomes one of the most important investments a business owner can make. From developing stronger business communication skills to creating trust, accountability, and clarity, leadership influences every aspect of performance. The way you lead affects your team, your culture, your decision-making, and ultimately your results. You'll discover why effective team management strategies are critical to long-term success, how to recognize when leadership has become a bottleneck, and why learning how to manage employees and team members effectively creates capacity for growth. We also discuss the importance of building company culture intentionally and the role of building leadership team capability as your business evolves. One of the most powerful ideas explored is that people are not simply part of your business growth strategy—they are the strategy. Every client experience, innovation, and operational success is driven by people. That is why leadership skills for female business owners and business leadership for women deserve greater attention, support, and conversation. If you've ever felt caught between working in your business and leading your business, this conversation will challenge you to think differently about growth. Because leadership skills for business owners are not about becoming perfect. They are about becoming intentional, self-aware, and willing to evolve alongside your business. The future of your company will be shaped not only by what you do, but by who you become as a leader. And that is why leadership skills for business owners matter more than most entrepreneurs realize. Whether you're leading a small team or preparing for your next stage of growth, leadership skills for business owners may be the most valuable investment you make. Connect with me on LinkedIn and share the leadership challenge you're navigating right now. I'd love to continue the conversation. Support the show The People Side of Business is the podcast for female founders and business owners who are leading teams and growing businesses. Hosted by Lindsay White, Leadership Coach, Team Leadership Strategist, and Fractional HR Expert, this show delivers practical leadership strategies, real-world people solutions, and honest conversations about the challenges of leading a team. From employee performance issues and difficult conversations to hiring, accountability, workplace culture, and team growth, each episode is designed to help you lead, manage, and scale your team as a founder. If you're ready to become a more confident leader, make better people decisions, and build a stronger, higher-performing team, you're in the right place. Learn more at highvoltageleadership.ca, connect on Instagram @highvoltleadership, or find Lindsay White on LinkedIn. The people side of business isn't separate from growth. The people side of business is the business.

    15 min

  3. Jun 11

    Welcome to The People Side Of Business!

    Send us Fan Mail Have you ever felt like everyone is talking about marketing, sales, and scaling, yet no one is talking about the leadership challenges that come with building a business? That gap is exactly why leadership skills for female business owners deserve a much bigger conversation. Because while growth strategies matter, businesses ultimately succeed or struggle based on the people leading them. Women founders are building impactful companies while often balancing responsibilities far beyond the business itself. Yet conversations around business leadership for women frequently take a back seat to tactics and visibility. And this is where many entrepreneurs discover a hard truth: your business can only grow as far as your leadership allows. The People Side of Business was created to address that missing piece. This new chapter focuses on the human side of sustainable success, from team management strategies and business communication skills to creating trust, accountability, and alignment within your organization. Because growth is not just about systems—it is about people. As your company expands, understanding how to manage employees and team members effectively becomes essential. Strong leadership creates clarity, strengthens relationships, and supports long-term performance. Whether you are hiring your first employee or building leadership team capacity for the future, the way you lead shapes every outcome in your business. You will also hear practical conversations around building company culture, navigating team dynamics, improving communication, and creating an environment where people can do their best work. These are the leadership foundations that support a sustainable business growth strategy and help founders avoid burnout while scaling. The reality is that leadership skills for female business owners are not optional for the next stage of growth. They influence hiring, retention, culture, communication, and every decision that impacts your team. The more intentional you become as a leader, the stronger your business becomes. This podcast is a space for honest conversations, expert insights, and practical leadership development. If you have been looking for guidance on leadership skills for female business owners, support in navigating people challenges, or a community that understands the realities of entrepreneurship, you are in the right place. The future of your business will be shaped by the leader you become, and leadership skills for female business owners are at the centre of that journey. Subscribe now so you never miss an episode and join the conversation as we build stronger businesses through stronger leadership. Support the show The People Side of Business is the podcast for female founders and business owners who are leading teams and growing businesses. Hosted by Lindsay White, Leadership Coach, Team Leadership Strategist, and Fractional HR Expert, this show delivers practical leadership strategies, real-world people solutions, and honest conversations about the challenges of leading a team. From employee performance issues and difficult conversations to hiring, accountability, workplace culture, and team growth, each episode is designed to help you lead, manage, and scale your team as a founder. If you're ready to become a more confident leader, make better people decisions, and build a stronger, higher-performing team, you're in the right place. Learn more at highvoltageleadership.ca, connect on Instagram @highvoltleadership, or find Lindsay White on LinkedIn. The people side of business isn't separate from growth. The people side of business is the business.

    5 min

  4. Jun 4

    [S5 Ep51] The Biggest Lessons We Learned This Season About Leadership, Growth & Building a Business That Doesn’t Burn You Out

    Send us Fan Mail We're five seasons in, friend.  And wow, we've explored some vulnerable topics and big strategies. Guests had mic-drop and thought-provoking moments, and founders sent messages that reminded me exactly why this show exists.  This week's episode is the season five wrap-up! No guest. Just me, seven lessons, and the things I think we were all trying to avoid saying out loud this year. ✨ The Seven Lessons of Season Five 1. Scaling is an identity shift first and a strategy second. The version of you that built the business cannot be the same version of you that scales it.  2. Hiring faster does not fix broken leadership. Most hiring problems are actually clarity problems. 3. Confidence is built through action. Confident people do not feel ready all the time. The women growing the fastest are the ones willing to be visible before they feel polished. 4. Culture is not kombucha and core values on a wall. Culture is how you handle conflict, whether expectations are clear, and whether people feel safe enough to tell the truth.  5. Leadership becomes exhausting when you're trying to be everything to everyone. Busy leadership reacts. Focused leadership drives.  6. The best leaders build teams that can think without them. When every question, every decision, and every problem still flows through the founder... Something has gone wrong. 7. The women we admire most are doing the deepest inner work. Behind almost every strategic problem is a human problem. Fear, perfectionism, people pleasing, control, avoidance. Leadership exposes all of it.  Thank you for being here all season. Thank you for listening, sharing, and sending the messages that remind me this work matters! 🫶 And now, a very exciting announcement. ⚡⚡ Starting June 11, Female Founder Unplugged is evolving into something new. The Business of People. After years of coaching founders and working inside growing businesses, I know this to be true: building a business is one skill set. Leading the people inside that business is an entirely different game. And nobody is really teaching founders how to do that well. That changes on June 11. The Business of People is where we have real, strategic, deeply honest conversations about leadership, people strategy, workplace culture, and what it actually takes to build a high-performing business through people. New episodes drop every Thursday. The conversations are getting deeper, more strategic, and more necessary than ever. Hit subscribe or follow wherever you listen, so you don't miss the launch on June 11. And share this with every founder friend you know who is building a team, because every single one of them needs these conversations. The new era starts June 11. I cannot wait to see you there. Support the show The People Side of Business is the podcast for female founders and business owners who are leading teams and growing businesses. Hosted by Lindsay White, Leadership Coach, Team Leadership Strategist, and Fractional HR Expert, this show delivers practical leadership strategies, real-world people solutions, and honest conversations about the challenges of leading a team. From employee performance issues and difficult conversations to hiring, accountability, workplace culture, and team growth, each episode is designed to help you lead, manage, and scale your team as a founder. If you're ready to become a more confident leader, make better people decisions, and build a stronger, higher-performing team, you're in the right place. Learn more at highvoltageleadership.ca, connect on Instagram @highvoltleadership, or find Lindsay White on LinkedIn. The people side of business isn't separate from growth. The people side of business is the business.

    24 min

  5. May 28

    [S5 Ep50] The Messy Middle of Scaling: When Vision & Execution Stop Matching with Kaitlyn David

    Send us Fan Mail You had the vision. You built the thing! And somewhere between starting and scaling, the message got muddier, the team got busier, and the gap between what you meant to build and what's actually being delivered started to widen. This week's guest knows exactly how to close the gap. I sat down with Kaitlyn David— brand strategist, fractional CMO, and an all-around grounded, human-centered marketing thinker. Kaitlyn looks at marketing from the inside out, and she has some fantastic insight on keeping your vision alive (and simplified) while scaling.  ✨ Episode Highlights 🎯 The difference between marketing as a revenue driver and marketing as a function inside your business 🏗️ Why your mission, vision, and core values are not fluffy, airy-fairy, non-businessy work, they are the foundational stones on which everything else gets built on 🔍 The blind spots Kaitlyn sees most often when she walks into a scaling business — a gap between the founder's vision and the team's execution 🧭 The 'authority outcome framework' — the simplest, most desired result your ideal client is looking for that you know you can deliver on 🤝 Why everyone who works for you should be obsessed with your brand, and what it means when they're not Kaitlyn has spent over 15 years in marketing and branding, working on large-scale campaigns before finding her passion working with scaling founders. She now works as a brand strategist and fractional CMO with service-focused businesses that are growing quickly and need someone to come in, untangle what's there, simplify the vision, and build a marketing engine that actually runs well because the foundation underneath it is solid.  Connect with Kaitlyn:  IG @flourishwithkaitlin  Private Podcast https://kaitlyndavid.com/obsession Ready to do the foundational work properly in your business? The vision, the mission, the values, and the people strategy that brings all of it to life inside your team. That's the work we do inside the LPC Accelerator. There's a spot for you if it's the right time! https://highvoltageleadership.ca/lpc-accelerator/ Support the show The People Side of Business is the podcast for female founders and business owners who are leading teams and growing businesses. Hosted by Lindsay White, Leadership Coach, Team Leadership Strategist, and Fractional HR Expert, this show delivers practical leadership strategies, real-world people solutions, and honest conversations about the challenges of leading a team. From employee performance issues and difficult conversations to hiring, accountability, workplace culture, and team growth, each episode is designed to help you lead, manage, and scale your team as a founder. If you're ready to become a more confident leader, make better people decisions, and build a stronger, higher-performing team, you're in the right place. Learn more at highvoltageleadership.ca, connect on Instagram @highvoltleadership, or find Lindsay White on LinkedIn. The people side of business isn't separate from growth. The people side of business is the business.

    32 min

  6. May 21

    [S5 Ep49] The CEO Shift: Why Doing Everything Yourself Is Quietly Killing Your Business with Elizabeth Eiss

    Send us Fan Mail This week, I sat down with Elizabeth Eiss, founder of Results Resourcing, and she said something in particular that I knew I needed to share with you. That 57% of the average founder's time is spent on non-core work. Work that isn't generating revenue, isn't in their zone of genius, and that someone else could do better, faster (and with significantly more joy). That number made me look at my own week differently! And this episode will help you do the same, as you hold up the mirror long enough to see exactly what that non-core work is costing you in your business.  ✨ Episode Highlights ⏱️ Every hour spent on work that isn't your highest use has an opportunity cost. And Elizabeth has a calculator that shows you exactly what that number is. 🪣 Core versus non-core work, and getting genuinely clear on what work only you can do 🦄 Why unicorns don't exist — and why hiring someone who says they can do everything is almost always a red flag... Specialists beat generalists every single time. ⚙️ Process, tools, then people — in that exact order. One of the most practical outsourcing frameworks I've heard 🤖 Humans plus AI — why AI accelerates everything but still needs the right people and the right prompts behind it to actually work for your specific business. Connect with Elizabeth: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@resultsresourcing LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/elizabetheiss And don't forget to visit our High Voltage Hub! ⚡ A library of incredible resources and tools designed specifically for female founders, including our own time audit to help you get really granular about where your time is going and how to take it back: https://go.highvoltageleadership.ca/resource-library Support the show The People Side of Business is the podcast for female founders and business owners who are leading teams and growing businesses. Hosted by Lindsay White, Leadership Coach, Team Leadership Strategist, and Fractional HR Expert, this show delivers practical leadership strategies, real-world people solutions, and honest conversations about the challenges of leading a team. From employee performance issues and difficult conversations to hiring, accountability, workplace culture, and team growth, each episode is designed to help you lead, manage, and scale your team as a founder. If you're ready to become a more confident leader, make better people decisions, and build a stronger, higher-performing team, you're in the right place. Learn more at highvoltageleadership.ca, connect on Instagram @highvoltleadership, or find Lindsay White on LinkedIn. The people side of business isn't separate from growth. The people side of business is the business.

    42 min

  7. May 14

    [S5 Ep48] The Real Entrepreneur Journey: Chaos, Growth & Figuring It Out with CEO Taunya Woods Richardon

    Send us Fan Mail Entrepreneurship isn't a straight line. It's messy, unpredictable, and sometimes a complete sh*t show. This week, I sat down with Taunya Woods Richardson, founder of Nail the Numbers, with 30 years of entrepreneurial experience. We went everywhere. From the peaks and valleys of building something from scratch to losing $250,000 and rebuilding from the ground up, to the financial empowerment work she's been doing ever since to make sure no other founder has to go through what she went through alone. Buckle up. This one is a ride. ✨ Episode Highlights 💸 The difference between delegating your numbers and abdicating them — and why handing your books to a bookkeeper does not mean you get to stop paying attention. 💰 Why net profit is the number that actually matters, and why 89% of business owners are generating less than 3% return on their business investment, while a high-interest savings account gets you 4.5 to 6%. 👑 The three Ps holding female founders back: underpricing, underpaying ourselves and under-profiting.  🤖 Glinda — the free, non-judgmental AI financial guide that takes founders through building their first financial plan in under three hours.  Connect with Taunya:  nailethenumbers.com  cashflowcanvas.com Ready to do the leadership work alongside the financial work? Owning your numbers is a leadership move. The LPC Accelerator is where the rest of that work gets done. There's a spot for you if it's the right  time:https://highvoltageleadership.ca/lpc-accelerator/ Support the show The People Side of Business is the podcast for female founders and business owners who are leading teams and growing businesses. Hosted by Lindsay White, Leadership Coach, Team Leadership Strategist, and Fractional HR Expert, this show delivers practical leadership strategies, real-world people solutions, and honest conversations about the challenges of leading a team. From employee performance issues and difficult conversations to hiring, accountability, workplace culture, and team growth, each episode is designed to help you lead, manage, and scale your team as a founder. If you're ready to become a more confident leader, make better people decisions, and build a stronger, higher-performing team, you're in the right place. Learn more at highvoltageleadership.ca, connect on Instagram @highvoltleadership, or find Lindsay White on LinkedIn. The people side of business isn't separate from growth. The people side of business is the business.

    41 min

  8. May 7

    [S5, Ep47] Why Ignoring Your Mental Health Is Hurting Your Business with Shulamit Ber Levtov

    Send us Fan Mail Your business is only as healthy as you are. Which is exactly why founder mental health isn't a nice to have, a soft skill or something to get to when things slow down. It's a core business strategy, with data to back it up. And this week's guest Shulamit Ber Levtov is the Entrepreneur's Therapist — a therapist who specializes in supporting women founders, business owners and entrepreneurs with the emotional and mental health demands of running a business. ✨ Episode Highlights 🧠 The research is in, and the data is clear: poor founder mental health puts your business at risk. 🚗 The difference between therapy and coaching — and why you might need both. Shulamit uses the most brilliant metaphor for this. 'Coaching is riding shotgun, looking through the windshield, figuring out where you're going and how to get there. Sometimes you need to check the rear view mirror. Sometimes there's junk in the trunk that needs to come out. That's where therapy comes in. Both are valid. Both have a role. And neither replaces the other.' 🔧 Why you are your business's most precious asset — and the only piece of machinery in your entire operation that doesn't have scheduled maintenance.  A manufacturing company would never let its most critical equipment run without regular upkeep. And yet we run ourselves into the ground and wonder why the quality of our decisions starts to slip.  Shulamit said it best — working with a mental health professional is a strategic investment in your business.  And the LPC Accelerator is where the leadership and strategy work gets done alongside that. Because being a well oiled machine in your brain space, in your identity, in how you show up for your team, is not separate from building a great business. It is the business. There's a spot for you if it's the right time:   Connect with Shulamit: https://shula.ca/ https://shula.ca/newsletter Support the show The People Side of Business is the podcast for female founders and business owners who are leading teams and growing businesses. Hosted by Lindsay White, Leadership Coach, Team Leadership Strategist, and Fractional HR Expert, this show delivers practical leadership strategies, real-world people solutions, and honest conversations about the challenges of leading a team. From employee performance issues and difficult conversations to hiring, accountability, workplace culture, and team growth, each episode is designed to help you lead, manage, and scale your team as a founder. If you're ready to become a more confident leader, make better people decisions, and build a stronger, higher-performing team, you're in the right place. Learn more at highvoltageleadership.ca, connect on Instagram @highvoltleadership, or find Lindsay White on LinkedIn. The people side of business isn't separate from growth. The people side of business is the business.

    38 min
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Are you leading a team but quietly wondering if you’re actually doing it right?Are you dealing with employee issues, performance problems, or difficult conversations that feel heavier than they should?And are you starting to realize that growing your business through people is a completely different skill set than building it on your own?If that sounds like you, you’re not alone—and you’re in the right place.Because the truth is, leadership is something most founders are never properly taught. You build a business, you hire a team, and suddenly you’re expected to know how to manage people, make the right calls, and lead with confidence—without ever being shown how to do it well.That’s exactly what this podcast is here to change.Hi, I’m Lindsay White, a fractional HR expert and leadership coach who works with founders and business owners navigating the real challenges of leading a team. I’ve spent years inside growing businesses, helping founders work through everything from hiring and performance issues to team dynamics and difficult decisions—often at the exact moment things start to feel messy, unclear, or harder than they should.Like a lot of the people I work with, you may have built something successful, but no one handed you a clear playbook for what comes next when you’re responsible for a team. And what I’ve seen time and time again is that when leadership isn’t intentional, the same issues keep showing up—just at a larger scale. In this show, you’ll learn how to:✨ Handle employee performance issues and know what to do when someone on your team isn’t meeting expectations✨ Navigate difficult conversations at work with clarity instead of avoiding them or second-guessing yourself afterward✨ Hire the right people and avoid the hiring mistakes that create bigger problems down the line✨ Build a workplace culture that supports your business as it grows, instead of something you’re constantly trying to fix✨ Lead your team with more confidence so you can scale your business without everything falling back on youIf you’re ready to feel more confident in how you manage your team and make decisions as a leader, this is a good place to start.Next Steps:💻 Grab My Guides & Frameworks: https://go.highvoltageleadership.ca/resource-library🚀 Learn more about the LPC Accelerator: https://highvoltageleadership.ca/lpc-accelerator/🌐 Visit: https://highvoltageleadership.ca📩 Connect: lindsay@highvoltageleadership.ca

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