Becoming a Better Leader by Emulating a Jedi

Final Paper – Becoming a Better Leader by Emulating a Jedi

        Over the course of the semester I learned about many different leadership approaches and theories. As I thought about this final paper and integrating the different themes I learned to create my personal leadership theory, I concluded that there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach to leadership. Leadership is very situational and as a leader I must learn to adapt to the given situation in order to successfully lead people. A leader must be highly adaptable and have a high level of emotional intelligence to analyze situations and act appropriately. To summarize how some of the concepts I learned in class helped me to create my personal leadership theory, I analyzed the different leadership approaches of a few Star Wars characters and how it can influence me to become a better leader.    

Yoda

        Known as the wisest Jedi in the Star Wars universe, Master Yoda had a knack for raising up young Jedi to become leaders of the future. Yoda is the quintessential teacher. His leadership style is very inclusive and he generates innovation through it. Yoda leads by asking questions and not providing the answers. He provides guidance but never tells people what they should do. Yoda’s expert power comes from being alive for hundreds of years and as a Master Jedi he knows most, if not all, of the answers. Yet he dispenses his knowledge to his pupils, especially Luke, by asking questions so that Luke can come up with his own solutions. Yoda exhibits many of the characteristics of a Theory Y manager, as his leadership style is participative and democratic. Yoda also possesses a lot of referent power as he is highly regarded and trusted by other Jedi. The Jedi movement is characterized by having self-control and self-direction and that is what Yoda teaches Luke. Yoda’s Theory Y style of leadership prepared Luke to become a Jedi and eventually defeat Darth Vader.

        One of the biggest lessons I take away from Master Yoda is being committed to my team. Yoda commits fully to any task he is given and leaders must commit fully to their team and themselves. Yoda tells Luke, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” This is a great example of having the conviction to follow through with your actions until the end. Leaders may succeed or fail, but in having a fully committed mindset leaders will inspire others to believe in them and to work together towards a common goal.

The second lesson learned is having the humility to teach others without causing attrition. Yoda was highly emotionally intelligent and was able to effectively coach others to lead the Jedi movement making it ultimately stronger. As our world becomes even more globalized, working with different cultures is inevitable. I want to become a more emotionally intelligent leader by being more adaptable and self-aware. Adaptability is crucial in handling changes in today’s diverse work environment; leaders must be empathetic not only to others’ feelings but also different social norms and cues. In having a better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses, I can have a clearer vision of areas for improvements. By understanding my shortcomings, I will be more conscientious and can exercise self-control thus improving my relationship with my teams. I want to emulate Yoda in the sense of having more self-control and passing my knowledge to others in an effective way.

Darth Vader

        Darth Vader is the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet for the Galactic Empire and he yields all of the power his title grants him. He is not shy about abusing his legitimate power and because of this I concluded that the Galactic Empire would score very high in the “Power Distance” component of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model. As the de facto villain of the Star Wars saga, Darth Vader is an authoritarian leader and he creates a very toxic work culture. He uses his coercive power to threaten others to complete tasks; he even goes as far as choking people with the Force to suppress any dissent. His strict leadership style and hubris ultimately made him vulnerable as it led to a culture of agreeable people unwilling to challenge him. As a result, the Rebel Alliance found a flaw in the Death Star design and it was eventually destroyed.  

        As a person and as a leader, Darth Vader always demonstrated unwavering determination. Darth Vader was an orphan boy who rose up to a Supreme Commander position and this speaks volumes about his character. He channeled all of his energy to accomplish his goals. Being committed to achieving one’s goal is one of the personal competences of developing emotional competence as highlighted by Daniel Goleman in his book “Emotional Intelligence”. Darth Vader’s commitment is palpable when he discovered Luke had unique skills that would benefit the Galactic Empire and he worked tirelessly to bring Luke to the Dark Side. He was unsuccessful, however his ability to recognize talent and recruit it is a characteristic that great leaders must have. His methods of persuading Luke were unconventional but the skill was right, and as a leader this is a lesson I take away from Darth Vader. Recognizing talent is important in ensuring longevity to the company’s mission and as a committed leader I must learn to identify key contributors and groom them to replace me. In thinking about how I can start recognizing talent now, I plan on mixing assignments and people. Instead of continuously giving projects to the employees who have already proved themselves, I will start mixing it up so that everyone on the team has a chance to develop and shine. By casting a wider net the chances of success will be higher.

Although Darth Vader’s leadership style was unfavorable to many, it did yield results. Darth Vader was very flawed; however, it is undeniable that he was a very involved leader. He was never afraid of getting his hands dirty and doing whatever it took to finish the job, on many occasions he fought in the front lines with the Storm Troopers putting his life at risk. A great leader will pitch in to help their team get the job done when resources are thin; this inspires the respect of the team and shows how their work is valuable. As a leader, I constantly look for opportunities to help my team and Darth Vader helped to reiterate the importance of working alongside your team to reach our common goals.