There is little doubt that the Star Wars original trilogy is one of the
most popular movie series ever. Starting in 1977, with Star Wars (Episode IV: A New
Hope), and continuing with The empire
Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi,
the series presents the old war between good and evil, set up in a far future,
in a multi-species galaxy, ruthlessly lead by the tyrannical Galactic Empire,
where the “Force”, with its good and dark sides (i.e. supernatural abilities),
is a reality and one of the central issues of the story.
The trilogy follows the adventures
of Luke Skywalker, a young man that is accidentally involved in the war between
the Empire and the rebels. Together with captain Han Solo, Chewbacca and the
droid aids, he manages to save Princess Leia, to destroy two Death Stars and to
finally free the people of the Galaxy, by getting the Emperor and his right
hand, Darth Vader (Luke’s father) killed. All these turn an ordinary man into
an efficient fighter and the Universe’s top hero.
However, this could not have been
achieved without the outstanding training and advice provided by Obi-Wan Kenobi
and, especially, the sage Master Yoda.
Jedi
Leadership Lessons from Master Yoda
Perhaps, one of the best (and most
popular) examples of successful leadership strategies comes from Yoda. Even if
it would seem unlikely, at a first glance, the small alien is the Grand Master
of the Jedi Order and a top military leader. What are his secrets?
Trust in
the Apprentice
Yoda is, definitely, not the main
hero of the series. When it comes to heroic actions and saving the day, Obi-Wan
Kenobi and Luke are the main characters. However, the main inspiring force is
the Grand Master.
This example underlines that a great
leader not only accepts the possibility for his followers to be more successful
than he is, but he does his best to make sure this will happen.
For a good leader, believing in the
other’s capabilities and preparing him to achieve the maximum success possible
are essential (“7 Leadership Lessons from Yoda”, 2012).
Belief
Luke: “I can’t believe it.”
Yoda: “That is why you fail.”
A good leader should have confidence
in his own capacities and in the success of his own actions. Furthermore, he
should also train his followers into being confident (Yusoontorn, 2012). A Jedi
must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind.
Commitment
Deep commitment and seriousness are
essential to becoming a Jedi, in Yoda’s opinion, and they are essential to
being a good leader in real life, too. No project can be successful without a
serious approach (Cohen, 2012).
Own Original
Leading Style
“Ohhh. Great warrior… Wars not make
one great”, the Master says, when Luke requests the help of a “great warrior”.
Based more on humility and service than
power, Yoda’s style is original, but effective. It often brings about the misunderstanding
and underestimation of the others. The lesson here is that, if your leadership
methods work, you should hold on to them, no matter what others say (“7
Leadership Lessons from Yoda”, 2012).
No Trying.
Action
“Do or do not; there is no try.”
This is what Yoda tells Luke when he
is unable to get his spaceship out of the swamp, by using the force. Trying is
often an excuse to limiting your actions. You tried, so it is not your fault
that it did not work.
When you plan on doing something,
you should do it, not try to do it. Trying is worthless, since it is just an
easy way out (Lalonde, 2012, Yusoontorn, 2012).
Positive
Thought
“Anger, Fear, and Aggression. The
dark sides of the Force are they.”
Negative thought leads to the dark
side of the Force or at least to frustration and failure. Positive thinking is
crucial for successful leadership (Lalonde, 2012).
Acknowledging
Failure
The “Force” has two faces: Luke is
Yoda’s apprentice, but so is his father, Anakin (i.e. Darth Vader). “Twisted by the Dark Side,
young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is… Consumed by Darth
Vader”.
Whenever a leader mentors somebody,
there is a chance that person will turn bad. A great leader knows how to accept
such mistakes and learn from them. They assume responsibility and draw the
necessary conclusions for when they will train the next generation (“7
Leadership Lessons from Yoda”, 2012, Yusoontorn, 2012).
Knowing
to Use Available Resources
“Mudhole? Slimy? My home this is!”
When it comes to resources, some are
luckier than others. However, the meaning of leadership is, above all, knowing
to achieve maximum results with the resources available, limited as they may be
(“7 Leadership Lessons from Yoda”, 2012, Yusoontorn, 2012).
Leading
Is up to You
“You will find only what you bring
in.”
The outcomes depend on what you
decide to do, and this is also true for leadership: whatever results you desire
from your followers, it is your responsibility to lead them into achieving them
(“Yoda on Leadership”, 2013).
Mentoring
as an Unending Job
Yoda is incredibly old when he
begins training Luke (almost a millennium). Not to mention that he even
continues providing moral support after dying (“7 Leadership Lessons from Yoda”,
2012, “Yoda on Leadership”, 2013).
Raising
a New Generation of Leaders
Yoda lived for an incredibly long
time. But, just like in real life, nobody lives forever. And no organization
needs an “eternal” leader, since it will just fall apart after he is no more.
One of the duties of a great leader
is to think of his organization on a long term. This means inspiring and
training future leaders (Mazur, 2013).
Involvement
While, in the original series, Yoda
is just mentoring the hero, in Episode
II: Attack of the Clones, he does not hesitate to take the lightsaber and
fight the opponents himself.
Leadership is not only about making
decisions and enforcing them. It is often about getting seriously involved and
giving an example (Woody, 2008, “7 Leadership Lessons from Yoda”, 2012).
Making
the Right Decision
Going into exile on the muddy planet
and investing time in training a rookie might have seemed as doubtful options at
the moment. However, a great leader does not see things that way. All decisions
need to be carefully considered and planned for obtaining long term results (“7
Leadership Lessons from Yoda”, 2012).
Knowing
Your Fears
Fear is natural. However, in order to
be an efficient leader, you need to overcome your fears, and, to do so, you
must know exactly what they are. In Yoda’s words: “Named your fear must be
before banish it you can.” (Lalonde, 2012).
Letting Apprentices
Find Their Way
There is no better way of learning
something than through direct experience. Success and failure always improve
your knowledge, as long as you are willing to learn. This is how Yoda teaches
Luke to use the Force and become a Jedi, and this is how a good leader should
train his apprentices (Woody, 2008, Perlman, 2013).
Patience
One of Yoda’s most astonishing
traits is his infinite patience. He is willing to spend lots of time in order
to teach Luke a single trick. And, not only that he is patient, but he also
teaches patience to his disciple (Woody, 2008).
Adaptability
“If no mistake have you made, yet
losing you are … a different game you should play.”
A leader is not always successful.
However, a good one should know how to deal with failure and adapt himself in
order to achieve success (“Yoda on Leadership”, 2013”.
To conclude, Master Yoda is the
universal leader. He trains and educates his mentor, but also prepares him for
life’s challenges, teaches him how to handle his own feelings and fears, to
accept failure and turn it into victory, to pay attention to what is going on
around him and react accordingly.
Yoda is an example of patience,
wisdom and virtue, the kind of mentor / leader every disciple would want and
need, not only in matters related to the Force, but in everyday life and
businesses alike.
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