Simon Tam Of The Slants On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Uncertain & Turbulent Times
Focus on root causes, not just the symptoms: While it takes more work, we need to reframe problems by asking, “why is this an issue to begin with,” and not just “what needs to happen here?” Of course, we need to address immediate concerns but without understanding the root cause, we’ll never develop permanent solutions for a truly lasting impact.
As a part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Simon Tam.
Simon Tam is a musician and author who is best known as the founder and bassist of The Slants, the Asian American dance rock band that won a landmark case at the U.S Supreme Court in 2017 to help expand civil liberties for marginalized groups. Simon’s work has been highlighted in over 3,000 media features across over 150 countries, including Rolling Stone, TIME, NPR, BBC and the New York Times. He is also a co-founder of The Slants Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is pushing the boundaries of what is possible for arts, activism, and civic engagement.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
To some extent, I’ve always been working towards making the world a better place. I spent a lot of my youth volunteering for nonprofits to help the hungry and the unhoused through programs that focused on feeding and providing shelter. As I got older and more involved with community organizations, I started to think about these social issues in a bigger way by asking why, in the world’s most wealthy nation, there was such poverty to begin with. That’s when I started realizing the interconnectedness of these social issues and how they were often tied to the very culture and systems that we interact with every day. I learned that for leaders to be resilient during times of uncertainty, they must be able to look at things with a big picture, long-ranging view.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I started my first arts organization, I didn’t have many resources to help beyond a few books and my own personal experience working with other nonprofits. Like most others, I simply copied and adapted from I already knew — but that’s what we often think of as innovation isn’t it? We create new iterations based on past models, even if they were flawed to begin with, and hope that each new version can be improved upon. As a result, I often created stumbling blocks for myself because the model was based off of others’ visions (and mistakes).
The irony is that creative artists often have a different process, one that first begins with a vision of what you would like to bring to life (whether it is a music composition or visual art). Once that vision is in place, you begin working backwards from what is known and only looking towards other works as inspiration rather than as a framework. Once I started building an arts organization as an artist, I was able to make a considerable difference. I’ve often stated it before: your uniqueness is your greatest strength, not how well you emulate others. I finally listened to my own advice.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
We learn more from our failures than our successes. While I’ve had some incredible mentors along the way, I’ve really started to appreciate those who have been the most aggravating or gave me the most difficulties because it accelerated my growth exponentially. While I won’t name specific names, many of my personal challenges (and subsequent triumphs) have been publicly documented in the media. So to those who gave me a hard time: thank you. I’m grateful.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose-driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your organization started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
When I first started my performing arts organization, The Slants, it was mostly a ragtag group of rock musicians who wanted to provide greater representation for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the arts. However, we quickly learned that representation in of itself isn’t enough: we don’t want to just be visible, we want the power to fully express and celebrate our cultural identities in ways that also create systemic changes. Over the years, we partnered with many other organizations to do that — and along the way, we raised money for charitable causes, helped pass legislation, and fought against violence.
After we retired from touring, I wanted to a greater focus on philanthropy. So, we started a nonprofit called The Slants Foundation, which helps mentor artists who want to incorporate activism into their work. Essentially, I was able to take the profits and resources of our business and use it to drive support to the nonprofit. In that sense, I think it became more of a purpose-driven effort than ever before.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
An old Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, was famous for saying that “the only constant in life is change.” There is comfort knowing that everything is subject to transformation, including the very universe itself — it shows that life continues to endure and that there is something much larger at work. In the same vein, leaders need to be able to step back and focus on the big picture. Leadership author John C. Maxwell often shared his two big principles on this: the law of the picture (leaders should be able to maintain their vision even in the face of challenge) and the law of navigation (leaders should have a vision of the destination and the path to get there).
In many ways, my life has had these principles at work even when I wasn’t completely sure of the outcome. For example, I am probably best known for a legal battle that spanned eight years of my life fighting for the right to register my band’s name as a trademark — that case eventually took me before the Supreme Court of the United States. That journey was a struggle: it disrupted the arts and activism work of my band, it almost bankrupted me, and it completely took over my life. However, I held fast to this larger picture of justice, one where freedom of expression and the right to self-identity was a human right. I let that, along with my commitment to building a more equitable world, guide me through the most difficult moments and I sought others who shared that vision. Despite being a complete underdog, I prevailed — and won a landmark case, unanimously, in the process.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
I frequently thought about giving me — those challenges I faced impacted everything and everyone I cared about. However, a few things kept me going. First, I had incredible mentors who challenged me to think about my values in a bigger way. We often use words like “justice,” but what do they actually mean to us, especially when expressed in a community? Further, what I faced felt so degrading and unjust, I didn’t want anyone else to have to go through that again. I thought if I could just make the path easier for someone else, especially others engaged in the work of the arts, it would be worth that effort.
I’m an author and I believe that books have the power to change lives. Do you have a book in your life that impacted you and inspired you to be an effective leader? Can you share a story?
When I was a teenager, one of my mentors gave me the book “Developing the Leader Within You” by Dr. John C. Maxwell. To say it changed my life would be an understatement — its themes about influence and making a positive impact on the world strongly resonated with me. From that moment on, I committed to reading a book on leadership, communication, or development every month for the rest of my life — not only have a built a “leadership library,” put I try to pay it forward every year by offering those around me books that I think can help bring additional perspective to their lives. Today, I run an arts nonprofit organization that I helped started called The Slants Foundation where we spend considerable time, money, and energy mentoring and funding the work of artists looking to do social impact work.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
People often quote the late Supreme Court justice Ruther Bader Ginsburg in saying “Fight for the things that you care about,” but they often forget the other half of her sentence: “but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” In our current time, I think people have forgotten the importance of building community. The most critical role of a leader during challenging times is being able to effectively share a vision that inspires others to follow. They should do it in a way that brings people together and encourages others to be able to lead themselves. Leadership isn’t dogmatic commands or feigned authority — it is a combination of integrity, inspiration, and inclusion.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
When things feel uncertain, it is important to remind people to be grateful for any progress made but also to help remind them of a bigger, better future that we are working towards. You can’t effectively lead without both components: if we only focus on the future, we often forget to tend to the needs of the moment. That can lead to burnout. If we only focus on the present moment, we won’t have anything to work towards — and that will lead to apathy. Leaders need to understand that true vision and big picture thinking involves both the past (and lessons learned from it), the present, and the future.
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
The best way to communicate difficult news is with honesty and compassion — all effective communication involves the perspective of the recipient. In other words, it should be done in a way where others see themselves in it. The word communication is derived from the Latin word, “communicare,” and it implies participation. It isn’t one-sided, it involves community.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
The best laid plans are made by leaders who understand what can be flexible and what must remain fixed. It requires understanding the difference between a larger strategy (fixed values) and tactical components, which may be adjusted depending on conditions of the moment. If you think about navigating a ship across the sea, the captain must always balance the ultimate destination with current challenges like weather conditions. The destination rarely changes, but the path to get there almost always will need adjustments. Leaders must understand both the big picture as well as finer details, especially how it impacts the people within an organization.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
Guiding people or an organization through turbulent times is not unlike how a pilot should handle turbulence during a flight. On a place, turbulence occurs when uneven air currents are encountered — resulting in changes in the shaking that we often experience with the difference in wind speed and direction. However, pilots should never react severely to those immediate changes — they should use a combination of weather reports and information provided by instruments to navigate through or around turbulent zones. There might be some immediate discomfort, but ultimately, it keeps passengers safe and the plane moving towards the intended direction.
Similarly, leaders need to take an accurate assessment of where they are in relation to the larger goal or destination. Their task is to both protect the people and organization as well as to keep things moving towards their goal. If we react too strongly by completely changing directions or do so without the appropriate information, it might endanger the organization. Like those navigating the skies, we must rely on clear communication and be willing to make appropriate adjustments to help find smoother air.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
During difficult times, businesses often make common mistakes like ignoring communication with all impacted people, poor cash flow management (including drastic cuts or exorbitant spending), and making rash innovations as a reaction to uncertainty. However, I think one of the worst mistakes that leaders make in particular is not seeking help when it is needed.
We often operate under the assumption that people should lead with confidence. However, truly competent leaders understand both their weaknesses as well as their strengths. Sometimes we need additional capacity, diverse perspectives and experiences, or the aid of someone who has navigated similar situations before. In addition, having the confidence to ask for necessary aid often strengthens relationships. By combining additional support with a well-thought-out strategy, leaders can ease any difficult transitions.
Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times?
While this isn’t a conclusive list, these are five things that I think leaders need to do to lead effectively in times of uncertainty:
- Remember the big picture: the bigger the goal, the more potential it must inspire people to keep pursuing it when times get tough. This doesn’t come naturally — when it comes to discomfort or pain, our instinct is often to stop whatever is happening rather than taking the extra time to evaluate the situation, think about the underlying source, or to reflect on why we must push through. Big picture thinking is a developed skill that knows how to view turbulent times (which are often limited) in light of a larger vision — that skill helps inform us of actions that we need to take to be successful.
- Think like an artist: Artists possess a unique approach to problem-solving that extends far beyond their creative work. As someone who mentors artists, I’ve observed how creative professionals often inadvertently limit themselves by falling into conventional thought patterns. The same imaginative skills that fuel artistic innovation can be powerful problem-solving tools across all aspects of life and work. When I work with artists, I encourage them to break free from traditional linear thinking. Artists are naturally equipped with abilities that make them exceptional problem solvers: they can visualize alternative perspectives, experiment boldly, embrace uncertainty, and transform challenges into opportunities. These skills are not confined to artistic endeavors but can be applied to business strategies, personal growth, and social impact initiatives. Too often, artists — and professionals in many fields — become trapped by established methods and conventional wisdom. They hesitate to challenge existing frameworks or explore unconventional solutions. By contrast, artistic thinking thrives on creativity, adaptability, and the courage to reimagine what’s possible.
- Never forget those we serve: Goals are meaningless without people — both those who they ultimately serve (hopefully the broader public) as well as those needed to reach them (such as employees and volunteers). In the world of philanthropy, this often means more people than we imagine. For example, an organization that focuses on reducing childhood poverty will obviously consider the served beneficiaries, but they also must manage a dedicated team of staff and volunteers who research community needs, fundraise, coordinate with the public and private sector, track and report impact, and those engaged in direct programs. Without all of these people — both the families served as well as workers making it happen, a goal of reducing poverty would just remain an abstract concept that is disconnected from the actual human experience. It is the people that turn the aspirational into a tangible, meaningful, and measurable impact.
Unfortunately, I find that this idea is often lost in government. It’s important to remember that our ultimate service should be to people, not systems.
4. Focus on root causes, not just the symptoms: While it takes more work, we need to reframe problems by asking, “why is this an issue to begin with,” and not just “what needs to happen here?” Of course, we need to address immediate concerns but without understanding the root cause, we’ll never develop permanent solutions for a truly lasting impact.
I’ll never forget working on the backyard of my first home in Portland, OR. Each year, I had to battle invasive blackberry bushes, complete with skin-piercing thorns — it didn’t matter how often I trimmed them back; they would often come back even worse. The problem wasn’t really solved until I finally did the tough work of digging up all the roots.
Often, the challenges that we experience as leaders are caused by recurring problems because no one took the additional effort to address the root cause. The United States pays the highest prices for drugs in the world — that’s caused by the extended monopolies pharmaceutical companies get from abusing the patent system. However, many are only focused on downstream solutions: focusing on medical rebates, reforming pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), etc. — basically, the equivalent of trimming the growing blackberry bush. The problem will never go away until the root cause is addressed.
5. Get better intel: It is important to use reliable, unbiased information to make decisions. While evidence-based decision making is a practice that many leaders claim to use, there are many people who only look at data that confirms a pre-existing bias. However, truly competent leaders are willing to embrace challenges and contrasting perspectives as an opportunity to improve the outcome.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve served as a consultant for city planning committees. I’ve witnessed firsthand how often people rely on personal assumptions of how redesigning a street might impact traffic, pedestrian safety, or even local businesses and residents. However, these assumptions are often wrong because they are only based on individuals’ experience and limited frame of view. When looking at comprehensive data about ridership, the routes that people take, comparable cities, and traffic patterns, we’re often forced to confront challenging insights — for example, proposed changes might initially upset existing residents especially if it means redistributing resources to underserved neighborhoods. However, by prioritizing objective evidence over emotional attachments, we can overcome personal bias and hidden agendas, allowing everyone to prosper.
In other words, true leadership requires a bit of intellectual humility and a lot of curiosity.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
The most impactful quote I ever received was from a mentor who told me that “There are three kinds of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who wait for things to happen, and those who wonder, ‘what the heck just happened?’ Be someone who makes things happen.”
How can our readers further follow your work?
You can follow my work at simontam.org.
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Simon Tam Of The Slants On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Uncertain &… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.