May good management skills be with you Your Star Wars style

May good management skills be with you

What's your Star Wars management style?

by Mary Elizabeth Williams-Villano

Photo by CloudyPixel on Unsplash Autocratic managers rarely take council from anyone else, and when they do, they only approve previously-laid plans. This management style used to be pretty popular back in the day, but current workplace practices have shifted to something less authoritative.

Managerial styles can be difficult to

master, but with the right training on Dagobah (or a quick self-assessment with help from this article), anything is possible.

Finding the right management style makes it less likely you’ll walk into that board meeting announcing, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” And while Han Solo’s advice of, “Don’t get cocky” definitely applies, we’ve got good reason to believe that the Force, and good management skills, will always be with you. (So long as you’re not attempting to rule the galaxy.)

Let’s take a look at the Star Wars Universe to determine who was the best boss in that galaxy far, far away.

Darth Vader

Autocratic

You don’t become ruler of the Sith and the head honcho of the Galactic Empire without making a few enemies–or slaughtering hundreds of people with your lightsaber. Like Vader, autocratic managers rarely take council from anyone else, and when they do, they only approve previously-laid plans. Anything less than wholehearted support is met with serious consequences. Or, in Captain Lorth Needa’s case, a fatal Force-choke. Apology not accepted. This management style used to be pretty popular back in the day, but current workplace practices have shifted to something less authoritative. We can’t say we’re unhappy about it–we’re not interested in losing a hand.

“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” Episode IV: A New Hope

Emperor Palpatine Darth Sidious

Persuasive

Persuasive managers are some of the sneakiest. While it appears they want to hear from others, they exert most of their energy attempting to show their subordinates why their own plan was the right one all along. This can work well if a leader allows others to ask them questions and offer suggestions, but Palpatine wasn’t known for that kind of merciful persuasion. Instead, he uses his power to manipulate the Galactic Senate, eventually securing his role as dictator. It’s a slippery slope from persuasive to autocratic, and it took less than two films for Palpatine to arrive at the bottom of it.

“There is nothing I do not know. Nothing that is worth knowing, anyway.” Boba Fett: Pursuit

Qui-Gon Jinn

Laissez-faire

Coming from the French for “let them do it,” laissez-faire managers act more as mentors rather than overt superiors, allowing their employees function more like apprentices in practicing their craft. As such, Jedi Master QuiGon Jinn is a perfect fit. He’s level-headed and incredibly talented, but he allows Obi Wan to be involved in their missions. He offers the younger Padawan opportunities to prepare to eventually become a Master himself. While laissez-faire approaches don’t work in every situation, they can be a limited-time option for certain projects. They let less-experienced team members try their hand at something hard–like defeating a powerful Sith Lord by slicing him in half.

“I’m not testing you, Obi-Wan. Life tests you! Every day it brings you new chances for triumph or defeat. And if you pass the test, it doesn’t make you a Jedi. It makes you human.” Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Padmé Amadala

Democratic

Despite her title as Queen of Naboo, Padmé earned all of her titles, both royal and political, through democratic election. This pattern of power was reflected in her leadership skills. She traveled to distant planets and appeared before important rulers to save her country. When acting as Senator, she pledged her support to anti-violence measures against the Separatist uprising. Modern-day managers can apply her wise approach to leadership by refusing to allow important titles to shield them from helpful critiques and by asking those with important information to share their input for the good of their team. We’re just hoping the average democratic manager dresses just as fashionably as Padmé.

“All mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like. It’s the only way we grow.” Episode II: Attack of the Clones

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Yoda

Consultative

While consultative managers tend to ask their employees for input, the decision ultimately rests in their hands. In the case of Star Wars, those hands are tiny and green and only have three fingers. In Episodes I-III, Yoda sits as Grandmaster of the Jedi High Council. And while he takes advice from other members, his opinion always holds the most weight. Even after his death, Yoda still goes against considerations offered by others if he believes his idea is right; his choice to burn the tree holding the Sacred Texts in The Last Jedi came as a shock to Luke (and honestly, to the rest of us watching in the theatres).

“If no mistake have you made, yet losing you are… a different game you should play.” Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Photo by Jim Tegman on Unsplash While consultative managers tend to ask their employees for input, the decision ultimately rests in their hands.