November 7, 2024 • 22 mins
Unlock the secrets to effective leadership and communication with Tara Lehman, a respected leadership and business coach from Twin Life Coaching and Business Services. Tara delves into her rich history of leadership, highlighting how her early experiences have shaped her philosophy today. She offers invaluable insights on mastering the art of active listening and explains why it's critical to focus less on crafting responses and more on truly understanding team members to foster a thriving business environment.
Tara and I tackle the myth of multitasking, explaining how modern distractions like smartphones and computers can sabotage genuine engagement. Tara shares her expertise on adapting communication styles to meet diverse perceptions and reveals practical steps leaders can take to enhance their listening abilities and build stronger team connections. Celebrate with us as she hits the 100-episode milestone, a testament to her commitment to the podcasting journey.
Tara Lehman is a career, leadership and business coach who helps her
clients by empowering and supporting them with their goals, challenges
and struggles. Tara and her sister Barb opened Twin Life Coaching &
Business Services originally in 2017 with Tara creating their division
Amplifying Leadership in 2023. Tara is a Certified Career Strategist
with Career Professionals of Canada in good standing and was given an
Honourable Mention for Outstanding Career Professional Award of
Excellence in 2023. She empowers and trains people and businesses along with providing leadership coaching and resources.
Connect with Tara:
https://amplifyingleadership.ca/a-l-community-info
Tara's Podcast:
https://amplifyingleadership.ca/podcast-%2F-ebooks
Follow Tara on social media:
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/twinlifecoaching
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/twinlifecoaching
LinkedIn
https://ca.linkedin.com/company/twin-life-coaching-business-services
Got a question about something you heard today? Have a great suggestion for a topic or know someone who should be a guest? Reach out to us:
askcarl@carlspeaks.ca
If you're ready to take the plunge and join the over 3 million people who have joined the podcast space, we'd love to hear your idea and help you get started! Book your Podcast Strategy Session today:
https://podcastsolutionsmadesimple.com/get-started/
Never miss an episode! Subscribe wherever you get your podcast by clicking here:
https://communicationconnectioncommunity.buzzsprout.com
Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/podcast-solutions-made-simple
Follow us on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/podcastsolutionsmadesimple/
Follow us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/groups/podcastlaunchmadesimple
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/carlrichards72
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carl Richards (00:04):
Welcome to Communication Connection
Community, the podcaster'spodcast.
This podcast takes a deep diveinto modern day communication
strategies in the podcastingspace.
We chat with interesting peoplewho make the podcasting and
speaking spaces exciting andvibrant.
We also dive into thepodcasting community with news
(00:24):
updates, latest trends andtopics from this ever-evolving
space.
So strap in, it's going to beone amazing ride.
Let's dive into today's episode,and today we're shifting a
little bit to talk aboutleadership as well, as well as
well as podcasting, becausethat's what we do on this
podcast.
But leadership is a huge partof pretty much everything we do.
(00:46):
Even in your own life, you're aleader, or you should be.
You should be a follower.
In your own life, you shouldlead in what it is that you're
doing.
And our guest today is anexpert in leadership and she's a
podcaster, and I know we'regoing to talk about her podcast
a lot because it blends quitewell with what she's doing with
leadership.
Tara Lehman is a leadership andbusiness coach and consultant
(01:06):
with Twin Life Coaching andBusiness Services.
She's created her leadershipdivision, Amplifying Leadership,
which is also the name of herpodcast.
Tara aspires to help othersfeel empowered to accept and
adapt to change, grow theirstrengths and overcome their
perceived weaknesses.
I loved that word, Taraperceived weaknesses, because
(01:28):
weakness is perceived correct.
Tara Lehman (01:30):
It is that's right, and thank you for the
introduction.
Carl Richards (01:34):
Yeah it's great to have you here.
Welcome to the show.
I'm glad that we finally didthis, because we've been talking
about oh, we're going to dothis, we're going to get you on
the show, yes, and it ends up inthe linkedin feed somewhere,
and then it and then I got covidfor what?
Tara Lehman (01:48):
five and a half weeks, and that delayed it.
Carl Richards (01:50):
So yeah, yeah oh, you too, oh so yeah so you're
the one, okay, you're the one.
And, like it was, like everyother person I talked to had
some form of either covid orebola or something.
So, yeah, so I'm glad that,firstly, that you're healthy,
I'm healthy and we can do this.
So how did you get into thisleadership space?
(02:13):
What was the catalyst that gotyou to where you are?
Tara Lehman (02:15):
Well, you know, it starts back when I was in my
early twenties.
I joined a company and it justit was a good company that gave
me lots of opportunities.
So I started as customerservice and eventually ran the
Canadian division.
During that time I also had theability to be a leadership
trainer, change management aswell as what does coaching mean
(02:37):
for your employees and thingslike that and so it really,
really resonated with me thatthe coaching, consulting piece
around leadership was somethingthat I felt inside, Like I just
it was a strength of mine.
When I did the strengthsassessments, leadership was
number one, usuallycommunication number two, so it
really led to doing somecoaching and consulting.
(03:00):
Just so everybody knows, thename of my company, Twin Life
Coaching and Business Servicesis because I am an identical
twin sister and we both have thecompany together.
Carl Richards (03:09):
There you go, so there's two of you.
Tara Lehman (03:11):
There's two of me and we are identical, so we do
look very much alike.
Carl Richards (03:16):
So let me ask you am I speaking with Tara or am I
speaking with your twin?
Tara Lehman (03:20):
You're speaking with Tara.
My sister's name is Barb twin.
Carl Richards (03:26):
You're speaking with Tara.
My sister's name is.
Barb, it's, it's it's a goodthing.
It's not like Tara and Torah orTara and like the.
Tara Lehman (03:31):
You know the tt kind of connect.
Yeah, we hear a lot about that,but no thanks mom oh goodness,
well it's.
Carl Richards (03:38):
It's a pleasure having you on the show.
I want to go down this roadbecause obviously, this is a
podcast.
That that's about.
It's about podcasting, it'sabout communication, but I like
to hear from differentindividuals other than just
myself, because I've talkedabout this many times on this
show in one form or another.
But why is communication such asolid and crucial piece of the
(04:00):
leadership journey?
Tara Lehman (04:01):
Wow that is.
You know there's so manyanswers to that, but really the
top level is that you don't haveeffective communication, you
won't have an effective business, you won't have an effective
team, and you know then youdon't accomplish what you set
out to accomplish.
And also, not having opencommunication doesn't allow you
to necessarily keep and retainthose key employees because they
(04:23):
no longer feel welcome or heard.
So having great communicationreally is the key and that goes
to active listening with youremployees, of course.
That's number one.
You know if we don't listen, wedon't know what they need, and
you know then it just goes downfrom there.
So communication is somethingthat I push really hard for
(04:44):
leaders, that it's something youneed to do.
Carl Richards (04:46):
I'm glad you brought up the listening piece,
because it's one thing that Ilearned very early on while in
broadcasting, but then later onwhen I became a Toastmaster,
that it forces you to listenbecause if you're, for example,
if you're giving an evaluationof a speaker, you have to be
listening to their presentationand assessing what it is that
you're going to say andprocessing your thought in a way
(05:07):
that you can communicate itwithin the next 15 minutes when
you're called on to do so.
But it's such a crucialcomponent, even just in simple
communication, because I thinksometimes the challenge is we
love to hear ourselves talk.
We don't necessarily liketalking, but we love to hear
ourselves talk.
But when it comes to listening,we're already thinking of the
next thing we're going to say,and once we have, we go yeah,
(05:29):
uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, and thenwe're ready to jump in with the
next thing is that we're goingto say and if we haven't heard
correctly and taken it in andprocessed it, what the other
person has said, then there's acommunication breakdown.
Tara Lehman (05:43):
Absolutely, other person has said, then there's a
communication breakdown,absolutely.
One of the things I say aboutactive listening is you know, if
you're a person who loves theircell phone or you're in your
office and you're just lookingat those Teams messages or
whatever platform or email, etcetera, you're not listening to
that person.
So if it's easier to close thedoor or literally turn off your
(06:03):
phone or shut that laptop orwhatever you need to do to give
them 100% attention, and you'reright, the thoughts come in our
mind and so if the thoughts comein our mind, you just refocus.
You miss something.
Be honest, just say hey, carl,I have a lot on my mind today.
I'm terribly sorry, I justmissed what you said, or could
you please repeat?
That's okay, because everybody'sgoing through things, but we
(06:25):
need to be open and honest aboutthat.
If we don't capture whatthey're trying to tell us.
But it's so important to getrid of the distractions when it
comes to listening in leadership, in podcasts, in whatever you
do at home, even right, I meanwe really need to get rid of the
distractions so that we cantruly listen to what others are
saying to us.
Otherwise we can't appreciatetruly what that is that we're
(06:47):
supposed to take in from them.
Carl Richards (06:49):
I might get you to repeat that, because I was
just scanning my messages on myphone while you were I'm kidding
, I wasn't doing that but tomake a point that that's quite
often what happens, and I'veseen leaders do that.
I've seen, I've been onpodcasts where I've been a guest
and people have reached andgrabbed their phone and you know
what it's like, right, it'sever so subtle.
(07:10):
You just kind of slide it overand then all of a sudden there's
that head carriage forward andthe head is down and their head
is still nodding while you'respeaking, but they're not
engaged.
And in a leadership.
It's one thing in the, in the,in the podcasting space, of
course, especially when you're,whether you're live or whether
you're recorded, but when you'rein a leadership space and
you're doing something that ispulling you away from the talk
(07:34):
or communication that you'rehaving with the other person,
firstly it's disrespectful.
And also there's this beliefthat, oh, I'm multitasking,
multitasking, multitaskingdoesn't exist.
Tara Lehman (07:44):
It does not.
I was going to mention that Ihad a guest on my Amplifying
Leadership podcast who said tryto say your name and count the
number of letters that you havein your name at the exact same
time.
You can't do it.
You can't do it.
That's multitasking, you can'tdo it.
So I agree 100%.
Carl Richards (07:58):
You're right, you can't, you can't do it, but we
think we can.
Tara Lehman (08:02):
We think we can.
Carl Richards (08:03):
And we know and it's been proven because
distracted driving has proventhis that you cannot be focusing
on the task of operating amotor vehicle and also sending a
text message.
Now some people would arguewell, yes, I can, I can do two
things at once.
Or the standing joke is justask any mom who's dealing with
cooking supper and talking onthe phone and changing a diaper
and doing something else at thesame time.
(08:24):
They're multitasking, yes, butwhat are they really focused on?
Tara Lehman (08:27):
Yep, you can only focus on one thing.
Carl Richards (08:30):
Does the diaper end up as part of the dinner?
Does the phone conversation?
Does the phone fall?
You know what I mean.
So this whole concept of beingable to multitask it's a myth.
I'm glad that we're on thatsame page and I'm glad that the
communication piece is one thatwe also agree on.
As far as the leaders that youwork with, would you say that
(08:51):
the communication piece is ahuge struggle for them, like
when they come to you, is it a?
I'm having a hard time gettingmy team to do things?
And you boil it down to okay,sometimes it's systems, but a
lot of times it's communication.
Tara Lehman (09:04):
A lot of times it's communication, and I find that
a lot with either very seasonedleaders or very new leaders or
those who haven't been trainedproperly on what communication
is in the first place.
So you know, communicationisn't just our voice, it is what
we do with our hands, and Iknow people can't see us, but
I'm moving my hands as I talkbecause I'm a hand talker.
You know, there's so many otherthings pictures and things like
(09:26):
that that are part ofcommunication.
So those are key things that wehave to remember as well.
Carl Richards (09:31):
So they come to you.
Quite often it's for issues ofcommunication.
Even if it doesn't start outthat way, you can figure out
that yeah, okay, whether they bea seasoned leader or brand new
leader, business owner,entrepreneur, whatever it is
that the communication is.
The is the crux of whatever itis that they're dealing with and
, without giving away your beststuff because we don't want to
(09:52):
do that we want people toactually contact you after today
to start working with you.
What are, what are some of the,the things that that you
suggest right off the top, thatthat they do as simple fixes
before they even have to do adeep dive.
Tara Lehman (10:08):
So they need to first understand their
communication style.
You know, if they are currentlynot a great listener, then you
need to figure out how to becomea listener, and that is
obviously something that youknow as a coach.
I help people understand.
But also understanding yourcommunication style is not the
same as somebody else's.
That is a huge key component aswell.
(10:29):
We're all different and I saythat as an identical twin, by
the way, because she'sleft-handed, I'm right-handed.
We're called near identicaltwins.
So we all communicate verydifferently and we take in so
much information in our brainsthat even if we all think that
that's the color yellow, itdoesn't mean we see it as the
same shade.
So you really need tounderstand what your
(10:50):
communication style is like soyou can work on you, but then
also communicate to beunderstood, because everybody
communicates differently.
And that's where thevisualization can help or where
pictures can help.
If you're speaking to someonewho maybe English isn't their
first language, you know whatare those other attributes to
communication that you need toput in there.
So I help a lot of my clientswith understanding.
(11:12):
It's not just about the word.
You know a PowerPoint, withoutspeaking, can just tell you a
little bits and pieces, but whenyou add that trainer or
whatever to it, you gain so muchmore.
I talk about even like thequestioning techniques.
So if you are a person who is aleader, where you just are
always asking, hey, carl, didyou get this done?
You get a yes or a no, startasking questions.
(11:34):
That will help you understandwhat the barriers are.
Maybe you didn't communicate itcorrectly, can?
Carl Richards (11:38):
I just give a shout out to Barbara for being a
lefty, yes, yay, lefty, woohoo,yay, we're brothers.
Wait a minute, we're not for it, we're siblings by hand choice.
Anyways, that's so cool, andit's interesting to hear you say
that you're what?
Did you say it mirroredopposites, is it?
Tara Lehman (11:57):
mirror identical twin mirror, identical twin?
Carl Richards (12:00):
okay, I've never heard of that, but anyways, and
the other thing, just to goalong with what you were saying,
and thanks for letting me do ashout out to Barbara, barbara,
when you're listening to this,we have to connect for no other
reason because when we sit sideby side, or even when we sit
across from one another, we'llreach for the right drinking
glass, right, right, right,you've been, you've been to
lunch with her and you're like,oh, that's my glass right,
(12:20):
you've done that, I know youhave, I know you have, uh, but
but I like how you said that, um, how you, how you boiled that
down, because the other thingthat I was thinking about is
that not only do we listendifferently, but we, we learn.
We learn differently.
We all have different learningstyles and and we absorb content
differently.
That's why people have been,you know, edging me on.
(12:41):
They say you should have avideo version of your podcast,
because there are visuallearners and like I'm like yes,
I spent 25 years in the audiospace though, so it's a comfort
zone for me, but still, peoplelearn differently.
People absorb contentdifferently.
People absorb what people aretelling them differently, so you
have to be prepared to adapt tothat, based on the, obviously,
(13:02):
based on the skill sets thatyou're and the training that
you're helping people with.
Tara Lehman (13:06):
Absolutely.
It's about being able tocommunicate, to understand and
communicate to be understood,and all the tools that go with
it in the background, which issomething that I help as well,
Right?
So, yeah, it's, you really needto get those key things.
So if people are strugglingthose new leaders or those
seasoned leaders and they can'tfigure out why the team isn't
getting along or no one'stalking to them, it's start with
(13:27):
you, find out what's going on,and maybe there is.
You're not communicating to beunderstood or to understand.
Carl Richards (13:34):
Tara, this is phenomenal.
I we could talk aboutleadership and communication all
day, because there are twosubjects that I'm excited about.
However, I also want to talkabout your podcast, and I know
that you know you.
You have a life outside of justtalking to me, and I appreciate
the fact that we can do this.
But the podcast, because it'smirrored speaking of mirroring
it's it's basically the same.
(13:54):
Like your, your business andyour podcast go together, which
I think is genius.
I think more people should dothat.
So many people have podcasts,that kind of relate, but then
they don't, and then they godown a rabbit hole with other
things and they say, well, it'sjust a hobby and that's fine too
, but I like how yours connects.
So tell me about the podcast.
Tara Lehman (14:13):
So after I created the division amplifying
leadership, I decided to also doa podcast called amplifying
leadership, because my goal withleadership is to really make it
stronger out there in the world.
That's why it's calledamplifying it right, make it
stronger and build those skills,which is a continual thing.
So I opened the podcast, youknow, as a guest-only podcast.
(14:35):
It was every couple of weeksand I started.
I reached out with people.
I knew I mean, that's what wedo, and then it started gaining
traction.
And so the idea of my podcastis you know, talk about where
you came from, how did youbecome a leader, because
everybody's story is slightlydifferent.
You know things about.
We talk a lot aboutcommunication.
There are things about safetyand psychological safety to just
(14:58):
general leadership tips andtricks, and it became popular
quite quickly.
I ended up having to go weeklyhave and I still have lots of
people wanting to be on.
I, you and I were talking priorthat you know I'm I'm already
booked out and the you know theones that are ready to go or
next year.
Because it's such a popularpodcast, because it's all about
(15:21):
you know, what can we share asleaders with each other and via
a different content stream andpodcasts.
You know, as leaders, we'rebusy, so we can listen to this
on that car ride to work, gain awhole bunch of new insights and
tips, even if we're seasonedleaders, because we're listening
to other leaders and CEOs andbusiness owners et cetera on my
(15:42):
podcast.
So we're learning from eachother.
That's part of our continualdevelopment.
So that's why I wanted to makesure it linked with the division
that I created for leadershipas well.
Carl Richards (15:54):
As I said, I think it's a phenomenal thing
that you're doing.
I like that you actually stoleone of my questions by giving me
the answer.
It's okay, it happens when wehave conversations like this
because I was going to share.
And how is that?
You know how is it?
Or what would you say toindividuals who are sitting on
(16:14):
the fence about doing a podcast?
Because that, because that'swhat we do we run a full service
agency helping coaches,consultants, real estate
professionals who know they wantto be in this space but are
either they're scared to do itor they don't know where to
start, or they're just on thetime.
What's the benefit been to you?
And I know you've shared that.
You've had some phenomenalconversations with guests and
(16:35):
it's been a learning and sharingfor you and the guests and also
the listeners.
But what are some of thebenefits that you're finding
from the show?
Tara Lehman (16:45):
Well, first and foremost, I learn things with
almost every conversation right,and I'm a seasoned leader and I
think that's so phenomenal, youknow.
I think if somebody can relateit to what they actually do,
that makes it a stronger podcastand you get more guest
inquiries rather than you havingto go search for them.
So you know, I've met a coupleof people who have very specific
(17:08):
like you, a very specific typeof podcast, which is really
important because then peopletend to follow it, because they
can't wait for the next one tocome out.
I, you know, started adding TipThursday with Tara.
It's just a quick little lessthan 10 minutes leadership tip
once a week because I startedgetting requests for more about
my knowledge.
(17:31):
And a podcast can really amplifyyour business because it shows
your expertise as well.
So that helps bring in theclients.
If that's what you're lookingfor, it helps bring in some
business but also elevate you asthe expert in what you're
promoting as a business as well.
So I think all of those thingsare why a podcast can be really
important.
And if you are scared, trust me, I was too when I listened to
(17:52):
my episode one and two and Ilistened to I just recorded
episode 100, completelydifferent, right.
I mean, they sound different,the energy's different.
I say just start, you'll growinto it.
That's what happens.
It just grows with you.
Carl Richards (18:07):
First off, congratulations on episode 100.
That's phenomenal, the factthat there's a lot of stats out
there now that are sayingpodcasts don't last the first 10
episodes.
A lot of them don't.
So the fact that you're atnumber 100 is a testament to not
only making sure that you'reseeing it as a long game because
it is but then, also.
You can go back and listen tosome of those early episodes.
(18:28):
You probably cringe and go.
What was I thinking?
Tara Lehman (18:30):
Yes.
Carl Richards (18:31):
I do that too, and I think God.
And what's funny is I mean Istarted my podcast 2019.
I had two at one point.
Now it's just one.
We merged two together andagain, not to toot my own horn,
but I came from a radiobackground Voice.
That was not something I had towork with Presentation, not
something I had to work with butI listened to those first few
(18:51):
episodes.
Tara Lehman (18:54):
Holy casnoli Different, yeah the energy.
Carl Richards (18:57):
But you learn right.
You learn, you grow, youdevelop, and I like that.
It's as you say.
It's in line with your businessand your values.
You're having greatconversations with people.
People are sitting up andtaking notice.
You're recognizing that there'san opportunity to add more
(19:17):
content and people are becomingmore and more content.
I don't want to say that we'rejunkie, but they are.
We're becoming these massiveconsumers of content where we
want not just the show, we wantthose tip Tuesdays or Thursdays
or whatever you called it.
Then we also want what's goingon behind the scenes.
You know what's happening.
That'll be the next thingYou'll have, like a green room
with your guest after the show,which is then premium content.
(19:38):
Talk to me about that there'sall these other things that you
do.
So I think, overall, you'redoing a phenomenal job as a
leader, as a coach and as apodcaster, so I'm glad we took
this time to chat today.
What can you pass along to ourguests?
Tara Lehman (19:57):
I know there's something that you wanted to
share with them today.
Yes, so Amplifying Leadershipmy website's
amplifyingleadership.
ca, where it lists all of myservices, but I've also created
a Amplifying Leadershipcommunity, so the community has
a discussion group.
There's on demand, you know,short courses.
I've created my eBooks becauseI've also loved to write so
various different things onthere.
(20:18):
It's relatively new, sodefinitely check that out If you
have any interest in being aleader who it's part of a
community.
Carl Richards (20:26):
I love it and I'm glad that you're building
community out as well.
That's another piece of notonly business but in the
podcasting space that it's.
It's what we're doingafterwards and that value added,
that's deepening that no likeand trust factor.
And there's no better time than, especially with the world
we're in right now, this beingrecorded.
You know the end of May of 2024, it's a precarious time in many
(20:49):
ways, every corner of the globe.
So kudos for what you're doing.
I appreciate that.
Tara Lehman has been my guesttoday, a phenomenal leadership
coach and podcaster.
And before I turn you loose togo solve the world's problems
and probably record anotherpodcast episode yourself, I'll
give you the final thought.
Tara Lehman (21:07):
Yeah.
So anybody who wants to do apodcast or anybody who's feeling
like they're making mistakes,remember this.
Failure is transformational.
Listen to it, learn from it andgrow because of it.
That's my quote.
Carl Richards (21:19):
Tara thank you so much for taking time out of
your day today to join me on thepodcast.
Tara Lehman (21:25):
I greatly appreciate the opportunity, Carl
, and it was nice to see youagain.
Carl Richards (21:28):
And thank you for joining us today.
Special thanks to our producerand production lead, Dom
Carrillo, our music guru, NathanSimon, and the person who works
the arms all of our arms,actually my trusty assistant,
Stephanie Gafoor.
If you like what you heardtoday, leave us a comment and a
review, and be sure to share itwith your friends.
If you don't like what youheard, please share it with your
(21:51):
enemies.
Oh, and if you have asuggestion of someone who you
think would make an amazingguest on the show, let us know
about it.
Drop us an email, askcarl atcarlspeaks.
ca.
Don't forget to follow us onLinkedIn and Twitter as well.
You'll find all those links inthe show notes, and if you're
ready to take the plunge andjoin the over 3 million people
who have said yes to podcasting,let's have a conversation.
(22:12):
We'll show you the simplest wayto get into the podcasting
space, because, after all, we'rePodcast.
Solutions Made Simple.
We'll catch you next time.
Welcome to Communication Connection
Community, the podcaster'spodcast.
This podcast takes a deep diveinto modern day communication
strategies in the podcastingspace.
We chat with interesting peoplewho make the podcasting and
speaking spaces exciting andvibrant.
We also dive into thepodcasting community with news
(00:24):
updates, latest trends andtopics from this ever-evolving
space.
So strap in, it's going to beone amazing ride.
Let's dive into today's episode,and today we're shifting a
little bit to talk aboutleadership as well, as well as
well as podcasting, becausethat's what we do on this
podcast.
But leadership is a huge partof pretty much everything we do.
(00:46):
Even in your own life, you're aleader, or you should be.
You should be a follower.
In your own life, you shouldlead in what it is that you're
doing.
And our guest today is anexpert in leadership and she's a
podcaster, and I know we'regoing to talk about her podcast
a lot because it blends quitewell with what she's doing with
leadership.
Tara Lehman is a leadership andbusiness coach and consultant
(01:06):
with Twin Life Coaching andBusiness Services.
She's created her leadershipdivision, Amplifying Leadership,
which is also the name of herpodcast.
Tara aspires to help othersfeel empowered to accept and
adapt to change, grow theirstrengths and overcome their
perceived weaknesses.
I loved that word, Taraperceived weaknesses, because
(01:28):
weakness is perceived correct.
Tara Lehman (01:30):
It is that's right, and thank you for the
introduction.
Carl Richards (01:34):
Yeah it's great to have you here.
Welcome to the show.
I'm glad that we finally didthis, because we've been talking
about oh, we're going to dothis, we're going to get you on
the show, yes, and it ends up inthe linkedin feed somewhere,
and then it and then I got covidfor what?
Tara Lehman (01:48):
five and a half weeks, and that delayed it.
Carl Richards (01:50):
So yeah, yeah oh, you too, oh so yeah so you're
the one, okay, you're the one.
And, like it was, like everyother person I talked to had
some form of either covid orebola or something.
So, yeah, so I'm glad that,firstly, that you're healthy,
I'm healthy and we can do this.
So how did you get into thisleadership space?
(02:13):
What was the catalyst that gotyou to where you are?
Tara Lehman (02:15):
Well, you know, it starts back when I was in my
early twenties.
I joined a company and it justit was a good company that gave
me lots of opportunities.
So I started as customerservice and eventually ran the
Canadian division.
During that time I also had theability to be a leadership
trainer, change management aswell as what does coaching mean
(02:37):
for your employees and thingslike that and so it really,
really resonated with me thatthe coaching, consulting piece
around leadership was somethingthat I felt inside, Like I just
it was a strength of mine.
When I did the strengthsassessments, leadership was
number one, usuallycommunication number two, so it
really led to doing somecoaching and consulting.
(03:00):
Just so everybody knows, thename of my company, Twin Life
Coaching and Business Servicesis because I am an identical
twin sister and we both have thecompany together.
Carl Richards (03:09):
There you go, so there's two of you.
Tara Lehman (03:11):
There's two of me and we are identical, so we do
look very much alike.
Carl Richards (03:16):
So let me ask you am I speaking with Tara or am I
speaking with your twin?
Tara Lehman (03:20):
You're speaking with Tara.
My sister's name is Barb twin.
Carl Richards (03:26):
You're speaking with Tara.
My sister's name is.
Barb, it's, it's it's a goodthing.
It's not like Tara and Torah orTara and like the.
Tara Lehman (03:31):
You know the tt kind of connect.
Yeah, we hear a lot about that,but no thanks mom oh goodness,
well it's.
Carl Richards (03:38):
It's a pleasure having you on the show.
I want to go down this roadbecause obviously, this is a
podcast.
That that's about.
It's about podcasting, it'sabout communication, but I like
to hear from differentindividuals other than just
myself, because I've talkedabout this many times on this
show in one form or another.
But why is communication such asolid and crucial piece of the
(04:00):
leadership journey?
Tara Lehman (04:01):
Wow that is.
You know there's so manyanswers to that, but really the
top level is that you don't haveeffective communication, you
won't have an effective business, you won't have an effective
team, and you know then youdon't accomplish what you set
out to accomplish.
And also, not having opencommunication doesn't allow you
to necessarily keep and retainthose key employees because they
(04:23):
no longer feel welcome or heard.
So having great communicationreally is the key and that goes
to active listening with youremployees, of course.
That's number one.
You know if we don't listen, wedon't know what they need, and
you know then it just goes downfrom there.
So communication is somethingthat I push really hard for
(04:44):
leaders, that it's something youneed to do.
Carl Richards (04:46):
I'm glad you brought up the listening piece,
because it's one thing that Ilearned very early on while in
broadcasting, but then later onwhen I became a Toastmaster,
that it forces you to listenbecause if you're, for example,
if you're giving an evaluationof a speaker, you have to be
listening to their presentationand assessing what it is that
you're going to say andprocessing your thought in a way
(05:07):
that you can communicate itwithin the next 15 minutes when
you're called on to do so.
But it's such a crucialcomponent, even just in simple
communication, because I thinksometimes the challenge is we
love to hear ourselves talk.
We don't necessarily liketalking, but we love to hear
ourselves talk.
But when it comes to listening,we're already thinking of the
next thing we're going to say,and once we have, we go yeah,
(05:29):
uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, and thenwe're ready to jump in with the
next thing is that we're goingto say and if we haven't heard
correctly and taken it in andprocessed it, what the other
person has said, then there's acommunication breakdown.
Tara Lehman (05:43):
Absolutely, other person has said, then there's a
communication breakdown,absolutely.
One of the things I say aboutactive listening is you know, if
you're a person who loves theircell phone or you're in your
office and you're just lookingat those Teams messages or
whatever platform or email, etcetera, you're not listening to
that person.
So if it's easier to close thedoor or literally turn off your
(06:03):
phone or shut that laptop orwhatever you need to do to give
them 100% attention, and you'reright, the thoughts come in our
mind and so if the thoughts comein our mind, you just refocus.
You miss something.
Be honest, just say hey, carl,I have a lot on my mind today.
I'm terribly sorry, I justmissed what you said, or could
you please repeat?
That's okay, because everybody'sgoing through things, but we
(06:25):
need to be open and honest aboutthat.
If we don't capture whatthey're trying to tell us.
But it's so important to getrid of the distractions when it
comes to listening in leadership, in podcasts, in whatever you
do at home, even right, I meanwe really need to get rid of the
distractions so that we cantruly listen to what others are
saying to us.
Otherwise we can't appreciatetruly what that is that we're
(06:47):
supposed to take in from them.
Carl Richards (06:49):
I might get you to repeat that, because I was
just scanning my messages on myphone while you were I'm kidding
, I wasn't doing that but tomake a point that that's quite
often what happens, and I'veseen leaders do that.
I've seen, I've been onpodcasts where I've been a guest
and people have reached andgrabbed their phone and you know
what it's like, right, it'sever so subtle.
(07:10):
You just kind of slide it overand then all of a sudden there's
that head carriage forward andthe head is down and their head
is still nodding while you'respeaking, but they're not
engaged.
And in a leadership.
It's one thing in the, in the,in the podcasting space, of
course, especially when you're,whether you're live or whether
you're recorded, but when you'rein a leadership space and
you're doing something that ispulling you away from the talk
(07:34):
or communication that you'rehaving with the other person,
firstly it's disrespectful.
And also there's this beliefthat, oh, I'm multitasking,
multitasking, multitaskingdoesn't exist.
Tara Lehman (07:44):
It does not.
I was going to mention that Ihad a guest on my Amplifying
Leadership podcast who said tryto say your name and count the
number of letters that you havein your name at the exact same
time.
You can't do it.
You can't do it.
That's multitasking, you can'tdo it.
So I agree 100%.
Carl Richards (07:58):
You're right, you can't, you can't do it, but we
think we can.
Tara Lehman (08:02):
We think we can.
Carl Richards (08:03):
And we know and it's been proven because
distracted driving has proventhis that you cannot be focusing
on the task of operating amotor vehicle and also sending a
text message.
Now some people would arguewell, yes, I can, I can do two
things at once.
Or the standing joke is justask any mom who's dealing with
cooking supper and talking onthe phone and changing a diaper
and doing something else at thesame time.
(08:24):
They're multitasking, yes, butwhat are they really focused on?
Tara Lehman (08:27):
Yep, you can only focus on one thing.
Carl Richards (08:30):
Does the diaper end up as part of the dinner?
Does the phone conversation?
Does the phone fall?
You know what I mean.
So this whole concept of beingable to multitask it's a myth.
I'm glad that we're on thatsame page and I'm glad that the
communication piece is one thatwe also agree on.
As far as the leaders that youwork with, would you say that
(08:51):
the communication piece is ahuge struggle for them, like
when they come to you, is it a?
I'm having a hard time gettingmy team to do things?
And you boil it down to okay,sometimes it's systems, but a
lot of times it's communication.
Tara Lehman (09:04):
A lot of times it's communication, and I find that
a lot with either very seasonedleaders or very new leaders or
those who haven't been trainedproperly on what communication
is in the first place.
So you know, communicationisn't just our voice, it is what
we do with our hands, and Iknow people can't see us, but
I'm moving my hands as I talkbecause I'm a hand talker.
You know, there's so many otherthings pictures and things like
(09:26):
that that are part ofcommunication.
So those are key things that wehave to remember as well.
Carl Richards (09:31):
So they come to you.
Quite often it's for issues ofcommunication.
Even if it doesn't start outthat way, you can figure out
that yeah, okay, whether they bea seasoned leader or brand new
leader, business owner,entrepreneur, whatever it is
that the communication is.
The is the crux of whatever itis that they're dealing with and
, without giving away your beststuff because we don't want to
(09:52):
do that we want people toactually contact you after today
to start working with you.
What are, what are some of the,the things that that you
suggest right off the top, thatthat they do as simple fixes
before they even have to do adeep dive.
Tara Lehman (10:08):
So they need to first understand their
communication style.
You know, if they are currentlynot a great listener, then you
need to figure out how to becomea listener, and that is
obviously something that youknow as a coach.
I help people understand.
But also understanding yourcommunication style is not the
same as somebody else's.
That is a huge key component aswell.
(10:29):
We're all different and I saythat as an identical twin, by
the way, because she'sleft-handed, I'm right-handed.
We're called near identicaltwins.
So we all communicate verydifferently and we take in so
much information in our brainsthat even if we all think that
that's the color yellow, itdoesn't mean we see it as the
same shade.
So you really need tounderstand what your
(10:50):
communication style is like soyou can work on you, but then
also communicate to beunderstood, because everybody
communicates differently.
And that's where thevisualization can help or where
pictures can help.
If you're speaking to someonewho maybe English isn't their
first language, you know whatare those other attributes to
communication that you need toput in there.
So I help a lot of my clientswith understanding.
(11:12):
It's not just about the word.
You know a PowerPoint, withoutspeaking, can just tell you a
little bits and pieces, but whenyou add that trainer or
whatever to it, you gain so muchmore.
I talk about even like thequestioning techniques.
So if you are a person who is aleader, where you just are
always asking, hey, carl, didyou get this done?
You get a yes or a no, startasking questions.
(11:34):
That will help you understandwhat the barriers are.
Maybe you didn't communicate itcorrectly, can?
Carl Richards (11:38):
I just give a shout out to Barbara for being a
lefty, yes, yay, lefty, woohoo,yay, we're brothers.
Wait a minute, we're not for it, we're siblings by hand choice.
Anyways, that's so cool, andit's interesting to hear you say
that you're what?
Did you say it mirroredopposites, is it?
Tara Lehman (11:57):
mirror identical twin mirror, identical twin?
Carl Richards (12:00):
okay, I've never heard of that, but anyways, and
the other thing, just to goalong with what you were saying,
and thanks for letting me do ashout out to Barbara, barbara,
when you're listening to this,we have to connect for no other
reason because when we sit sideby side, or even when we sit
across from one another, we'llreach for the right drinking
glass, right, right, right,you've been, you've been to
lunch with her and you're like,oh, that's my glass right,
(12:20):
you've done that, I know youhave, I know you have, uh, but
but I like how you said that, um, how you, how you boiled that
down, because the other thingthat I was thinking about is
that not only do we listendifferently, but we, we learn.
We learn differently.
We all have different learningstyles and and we absorb content
differently.
That's why people have been,you know, edging me on.
(12:41):
They say you should have avideo version of your podcast,
because there are visuallearners and like I'm like yes,
I spent 25 years in the audiospace though, so it's a comfort
zone for me, but still, peoplelearn differently.
People absorb contentdifferently.
People absorb what people aretelling them differently, so you
have to be prepared to adapt tothat, based on the, obviously,
(13:02):
based on the skill sets thatyou're and the training that
you're helping people with.
Tara Lehman (13:06):
Absolutely.
It's about being able tocommunicate, to understand and
communicate to be understood,and all the tools that go with
it in the background, which issomething that I help as well,
Right?
So, yeah, it's, you really needto get those key things.
So if people are strugglingthose new leaders or those
seasoned leaders and they can'tfigure out why the team isn't
getting along or no one'stalking to them, it's start with
(13:27):
you, find out what's going on,and maybe there is.
You're not communicating to beunderstood or to understand.
Carl Richards (13:34):
Tara, this is phenomenal.
I we could talk aboutleadership and communication all
day, because there are twosubjects that I'm excited about.
However, I also want to talkabout your podcast, and I know
that you know you.
You have a life outside of justtalking to me, and I appreciate
the fact that we can do this.
But the podcast, because it'smirrored speaking of mirroring
it's it's basically the same.
(13:54):
Like your, your business andyour podcast go together, which
I think is genius.
I think more people should dothat.
So many people have podcasts,that kind of relate, but then
they don't, and then they godown a rabbit hole with other
things and they say, well, it'sjust a hobby and that's fine too
, but I like how yours connects.
So tell me about the podcast.
Tara Lehman (14:13):
So after I created the division amplifying
leadership, I decided to also doa podcast called amplifying
leadership, because my goal withleadership is to really make it
stronger out there in the world.
That's why it's calledamplifying it right, make it
stronger and build those skills,which is a continual thing.
So I opened the podcast, youknow, as a guest-only podcast.
(14:35):
It was every couple of weeksand I started.
I reached out with people.
I knew I mean, that's what wedo, and then it started gaining
traction.
And so the idea of my podcastis you know, talk about where
you came from, how did youbecome a leader, because
everybody's story is slightlydifferent.
You know things about.
We talk a lot aboutcommunication.
There are things about safetyand psychological safety to just
(14:58):
general leadership tips andtricks, and it became popular
quite quickly.
I ended up having to go weeklyhave and I still have lots of
people wanting to be on.
I, you and I were talking priorthat you know I'm I'm already
booked out and the you know theones that are ready to go or
next year.
Because it's such a popularpodcast, because it's all about
(15:21):
you know, what can we share asleaders with each other and via
a different content stream andpodcasts.
You know, as leaders, we'rebusy, so we can listen to this
on that car ride to work, gain awhole bunch of new insights and
tips, even if we're seasonedleaders, because we're listening
to other leaders and CEOs andbusiness owners et cetera on my
(15:42):
podcast.
So we're learning from eachother.
That's part of our continualdevelopment.
So that's why I wanted to makesure it linked with the division
that I created for leadershipas well.
Carl Richards (15:54):
As I said, I think it's a phenomenal thing
that you're doing.
I like that you actually stoleone of my questions by giving me
the answer.
It's okay, it happens when wehave conversations like this
because I was going to share.
And how is that?
You know how is it?
Or what would you say toindividuals who are sitting on
(16:14):
the fence about doing a podcast?
Because that, because that'swhat we do we run a full service
agency helping coaches,consultants, real estate
professionals who know they wantto be in this space but are
either they're scared to do itor they don't know where to
start, or they're just on thetime.
What's the benefit been to you?
And I know you've shared that.
You've had some phenomenalconversations with guests and
(16:35):
it's been a learning and sharingfor you and the guests and also
the listeners.
But what are some of thebenefits that you're finding
from the show?
Tara Lehman (16:45):
Well, first and foremost, I learn things with
almost every conversation right,and I'm a seasoned leader and I
think that's so phenomenal, youknow.
I think if somebody can relateit to what they actually do,
that makes it a stronger podcastand you get more guest
inquiries rather than you havingto go search for them.
So you know, I've met a coupleof people who have very specific
(17:08):
like you, a very specific typeof podcast, which is really
important because then peopletend to follow it, because they
can't wait for the next one tocome out.
I, you know, started adding TipThursday with Tara.
It's just a quick little lessthan 10 minutes leadership tip
once a week because I startedgetting requests for more about
my knowledge.
(17:31):
And a podcast can really amplifyyour business because it shows
your expertise as well.
So that helps bring in theclients.
If that's what you're lookingfor, it helps bring in some
business but also elevate you asthe expert in what you're
promoting as a business as well.
So I think all of those thingsare why a podcast can be really
important.
And if you are scared, trust me, I was too when I listened to
(17:52):
my episode one and two and Ilistened to I just recorded
episode 100, completelydifferent, right.
I mean, they sound different,the energy's different.
I say just start, you'll growinto it.
That's what happens.
It just grows with you.
Carl Richards (18:07):
First off, congratulations on episode 100.
That's phenomenal, the factthat there's a lot of stats out
there now that are sayingpodcasts don't last the first 10
episodes.
A lot of them don't.
So the fact that you're atnumber 100 is a testament to not
only making sure that you'reseeing it as a long game because
it is but then, also.
You can go back and listen tosome of those early episodes.
(18:28):
You probably cringe and go.
What was I thinking?
Tara Lehman (18:30):
Yes.
Carl Richards (18:31):
I do that too, and I think God.
And what's funny is I mean Istarted my podcast 2019.
I had two at one point.
Now it's just one.
We merged two together andagain, not to toot my own horn,
but I came from a radiobackground Voice.
That was not something I had towork with Presentation, not
something I had to work with butI listened to those first few
(18:51):
episodes.
Tara Lehman (18:54):
Holy casnoli Different, yeah the energy.
Carl Richards (18:57):
But you learn right.
You learn, you grow, youdevelop, and I like that.
It's as you say.
It's in line with your businessand your values.
You're having greatconversations with people.
People are sitting up andtaking notice.
You're recognizing that there'san opportunity to add more
(19:17):
content and people are becomingmore and more content.
I don't want to say that we'rejunkie, but they are.
We're becoming these massiveconsumers of content where we
want not just the show, we wantthose tip Tuesdays or Thursdays
or whatever you called it.
Then we also want what's goingon behind the scenes.
You know what's happening.
That'll be the next thingYou'll have, like a green room
with your guest after the show,which is then premium content.
(19:38):
Talk to me about that there'sall these other things that you
do.
So I think, overall, you'redoing a phenomenal job as a
leader, as a coach and as apodcaster, so I'm glad we took
this time to chat today.
What can you pass along to ourguests?
Tara Lehman (19:57):
I know there's something that you wanted to
share with them today.
Yes, so Amplifying Leadershipmy website's
amplifyingleadership.
ca, where it lists all of myservices, but I've also created
a Amplifying Leadershipcommunity, so the community has
a discussion group.
There's on demand, you know,short courses.
I've created my eBooks becauseI've also loved to write so
various different things onthere.
(20:18):
It's relatively new, sodefinitely check that out If you
have any interest in being aleader who it's part of a
community.
Carl Richards (20:26):
I love it and I'm glad that you're building
community out as well.
That's another piece of notonly business but in the
podcasting space that it's.
It's what we're doingafterwards and that value added,
that's deepening that no likeand trust factor.
And there's no better time than, especially with the world
we're in right now, this beingrecorded.
You know the end of May of 2024, it's a precarious time in many
(20:49):
ways, every corner of the globe.
So kudos for what you're doing.
I appreciate that.
Tara Lehman has been my guesttoday, a phenomenal leadership
coach and podcaster.
And before I turn you loose togo solve the world's problems
and probably record anotherpodcast episode yourself, I'll
give you the final thought.
Tara Lehman (21:07):
Yeah.
So anybody who wants to do apodcast or anybody who's feeling
like they're making mistakes,remember this.
Failure is transformational.
Listen to it, learn from it andgrow because of it.
That's my quote.
Carl Richards (21:19):
Tara thank you so much for taking time out of
your day today to join me on thepodcast.
Tara Lehman (21:25):
I greatly appreciate the opportunity, Carl
, and it was nice to see youagain.
Carl Richards (21:28):
And thank you for joining us today.
Special thanks to our producerand production lead, Dom
Carrillo, our music guru, NathanSimon, and the person who works
the arms all of our arms,actually my trusty assistant,
Stephanie Gafoor.
If you like what you heardtoday, leave us a comment and a
review, and be sure to share itwith your friends.
If you don't like what youheard, please share it with your
(21:51):
enemies.
Oh, and if you have asuggestion of someone who you
think would make an amazingguest on the show, let us know
about it.
Drop us an email, askcarl atcarlspeaks.
ca.
Don't forget to follow us onLinkedIn and Twitter as well.
You'll find all those links inthe show notes, and if you're
ready to take the plunge andjoin the over 3 million people
who have said yes to podcasting,let's have a conversation.
(22:12):
We'll show you the simplest wayto get into the podcasting
space, because, after all, we'rePodcast.
Solutions Made Simple.
We'll catch you next time.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.