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The Minimum Viable Manager approach focuses on three foundational practices: build trust, set clear expectations, and give feedback. In episode 61 of L&D Must Change, host Jess Almlie and guest Matt Gjertsen discuss how those basics can help new managers and organizations simplify leadership development without treating the framework as a complete theory of management.
What the Minimum Viable Manager approach means
The idea is to start with the management behaviors people need most, then improve through practice rather than trying to master an elaborate leadership system all at once. The episode describes this as a starting point grounded in first principles and iteration: build from fundamentals, see how they work in daily interactions, and adjust.
Its three practices form a connected cycle. Trust makes it easier to have candid working relationships. Clear priorities and expectations give people a shared understanding of what matters and how they will work together. Feedback helps a manager and team member see whether the work is meeting those expectations and what to change next.
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Gjertsen summarizes the connection in a passage quoted on Almlie’s episode page: “If you are building strong connections with your team members, if you are making it clear what the priorities are and what your expectations are for how you’re going to work together, and if you’re giving them feedback on those expectations, on the work that they’re doing, you are almost, one, I think you’re probably honestly going to be a better manager than most people have ever had.”
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The three essential manager skills
Build trust through strong connections
Trust is not a substitute for clarity or accountability. It is the relationship that makes both more workable: people are more likely to raise problems, ask questions, and hear feedback when communication is open. The episode frames building connections with team members as a core management practice, rather than an optional extra after the “real” work is done.
Set clear expectations
Managers need to make priorities explicit and explain expectations for how the team will work together. This gives employees a reference point for decisions and helps prevent a common source of friction: a manager and employee believing they agreed on the work while holding different assumptions about what success or collaboration looks like.
Make feedback part of regular work
Feedback is most useful when it relates to the work and expectations already discussed. The episode encourages managers to make feedback a daily habit rather than saving every observation for a formal review. It also highlights asking for feedback before giving it, which makes the exchange reciprocal and gives managers information about how their own behavior affects the team.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWhy becoming a manager is a career change
The episode addresses the transition into management as a change in the nature of the job, not simply a promotion. A strong individual contributor may be used to succeeding through personal expertise and execution; a manager must also create the conditions for other people to succeed. That shift makes trust-building, expectation-setting, and feedback practical skills to learn—not traits a new manager should be expected to acquire automatically.
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That perspective matters for organizations responsible for manager development, too. Rather than overwhelming new managers with a long list of models, an organization can use the three practices as a simple foundation and help managers apply them in real conversations and team routines.
How to put the framework into practice
- Connect before a problem arises. Make time for regular conversations with team members so that working relationships are not built only during escalations or performance discussions.
- State the priorities and working expectations. Explain what matters now, what a good result looks like, and how the team will coordinate. Invite questions to uncover assumptions that may otherwise stay hidden.
- Give feedback close to the work. Tie observations to the agreed expectations and describe what should continue or change. Keep it useful and timely rather than treating feedback as an occasional event.
- Ask for feedback as well. Check whether your communication, priorities, and support are helping the team do its work. Use what you hear to adjust.
- Iterate. Treat the practices as fundamentals to keep improving, not a checklist that guarantees effective management or a replacement for judgment in difficult situations.
The episode also discusses combining in-person experiences with digital learning. Those are presented as approaches to manager development, not as a proven ranking of formats or a claim that one works better in every organization.
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- Author: Bungay Stanier, Michael.
- Publisher: Page Two
- Pages: 244
- Publication Date: 2016-02-29
- Edition: 1
About the episode and related book
Jess Almlie’s episode page identifies the conversation as episode 61, “Simplifying Leadership Development,” featuring Matt Gjertsen. The Libsyn directory lists it as released August 19, 2026, with a duration of 58 minutes. The episode’s stated themes include first-principles thinking, iteration, the transition to management, daily feedback, and the role of learning and development.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Gjertsen’s book Minimum Viable Manager is described by its publisher as a practical guide covering trust, clear expectations, and effective feedback. It is a related option for readers who want to explore the same framework in book form.
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- Read the episode page and transcript excerpt.
- View the Libsyn episode listing.
- See the publisher’s page for Minimum Viable Manager.
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