We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeff Tan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeff below.

Jeff, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

In both my role at Microsoft as director of Co-Innovation, and my time as president leading one of America’s largest running clubs, I learned a crucial thing about leadership; the need to have a strong vision, your ‘WHY’.

To lead any group – corporate, non-profit, community organization, people need to know why they should follow.

If you’re not clear your reason for being, you cannot expect people to come along with you.

It took me a while to realize hits. One of my earlier roles was starting and leading a small advertising agency in Melbourne, Australia. For the first few years, I hired people only for their creative and technical smarts. They’d do their role, go home, come back the next day, repeat. After a short to medium time, they’d leave the company.

Frustrated, I’d repeat the process of hiring and training folks, only for them to leave.

Over the next few years, I dedicated myself to understanding the best practice principles of leadership. I learned from multiple sources; successful business leaders, tons of books, conferences, and an MBA from Australia’s leading business school (AGSM).

This cemented the critical leadership lesson I take with me every day; understand your ‘WHY’ first, and everything else will follow.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For the past several years, I’ve served as the President and Chairman of LA Leggers, a 501c3 non-profit and one of the largest running clubs in the country. I am now in the role of President Emeritus.

The mission of the LA Leggers is to inspire people to live healthier lives through movement and community.

Over the last four decades, the organization has impacted thousands of people in the Los Angeles area, helping them develop the confidence to complete distances including a full 26.2-mile marathon.

What I love most about the club is our inclusive community values. We want everyone to feel like they belong, no matter their athletic ability, body shape or age.

We organize weekly training runs for the community, many who have never run before and are gaining the confidence to improve their bodies and minds.

Its common every Saturday to see hundreds of blue-shirted LA Leggers running along the beaches and streets of Santa Monica, Venice and Palisades.

The leaders and people I’ve met through the club are by far the kindest, most empathetic and welcoming humans that exist, and it’s been an honor to drive the lead the organization and impact lives.

Any advice for managing a team?

Leading the LA Leggers taught me three lessons in leadership.

1. Learn how to clearly articulate your vision in a clear, concise way that connects with human emotion.

It’s easy to talk about what you do (we are one of the biggest running clubs in America.)

It’s harder to define how your organization is different and better (we have safe and evidence-backed methods to train for a marathon, and a supportive community to help you get there.)

It’s much more difficult to articulate your why. Your mission. The core reason why you get out of bed. This ‘WHY” must connect to a deeper reason-for-being that taps into the human soul. It must be much bigger than any one person. It must be a call to action.

The very first thing I did as president was run a workshop with the board to define our WHY (we exist to inspire people to live healthier lives through movement and community.)

This is the north star from which every person in our organization can align their actions to help achieve.

2. As a leader, be conscious of your own emotions and energy levels. Take active steps to rebalance and recharge regularly.

When I assumed the role, Jackie, one of our experienced board members said to me, “Jeff, what are you going to do to ensure you don’t burn yourself out?”.

She was right.

I learned quickly that it’s far better to make sustained, regular progress over a longer time period, then to attempt momentous change quickly and get burned out just as fast.

3. Interpersonal relationships aren’t just important, they’re mission critical. It is impossible to lead others effectively unless you gain their personal trust by investing time to understand their perspective.

The 11-person board that I chaired was made up of folks mostly older than me. They came from completely different backgrounds including an FBI agent, management consultant, personal trainer, CPA, stay-at-home parent, executive assistant and insurance risk advisor.

They were from different parts of the country, generations and ethnicities.

Each person’s opinion – while I might not have agreed with 100% of the time – was something to be respected. I discovered that everyone had something valuable to contribute, and I could personally learn from their cognitively-diverse ways of thinking.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

To truly grasp the importance of discovering and understanding your ‘WHY’, watch Simon Sinek’s classic TED talk: How Great Leaders Inspire Action.

This 18-minute investment of your time is the single most value-driving investment you can make. I use Sinek’s WHY/HOW/WHAT framework whenever thinking through and articulating an organization’s value proposition.

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To better understand your own personal purpose, the ideal life you want to live, and an action plan to get there, read “Designing Your Life” by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans.

I’m a huge proponent of design thinking – an innovation philosophy – and regularly utilize this within my role at Microsoft.

The core insight of this book is to apply the principles of design thinking to one’s own personal life. It’s the book I’ve consistently bought for team members and mentees over the past decade.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jeffrotan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jefftanofficial/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefftanofficial/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeffTanOfficial