As I wrote in a previous post Darth Vader is an ultimate villain and one of the worst leaders ever on silver screen (second only to Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator). However he had some “star” leadership moments, especially in terms of personal brand building and crisis and project management…
Leadership teachings from the Lord of the Sith
1. Personal branding
Despite his integrity in terms of social responsibility was not in line with current “woke” culture Darth did have continuity in keeping his values and methods constant through various difficult situations and in interaction with different people/other life forms. For a leader it is important to show stability in defending the chosen level of values (no matter how high/low level may be) against all perils and temptations. This is also proven in many other movies where we admire “gentlemen” gangsters upholding their values (like Robert De Niro in Heat, Al Pacino in the Scarface…)
Darth’s communication is clear, authentic and without false promise leaving listeners (and cinema audiences) in awe.
Being a leader requires that your set of values and image is so strong and unmistakable that your reputation precedes you and people know what to expect of you from you in any circumstances . Such image/reputation of leader binds people together with common set of values and toward a common goal , which is, in case of Vader rather on the “Dark side”.
I would argue that in terms of personal branding/differentiation Lord Darth Vader is probably the most successful villain in the history of cinematography (if not the galaxy far far away).
2. Effective leadership in times of crises
Although coaching and developing leadership styles are certainly more productive in the long term sometimes leaders do not have luxury of time to lead by questions and inspiration. In times of crisis he is calm and focused, does not dwell or hesitate. His orders are short, clear and leave no room for interpretation allowing swift execution. He makes immediate (often difficult) decisions and does not try avoid or share responsibility. In circumstances of crises in business or in project gone awry risks are high and your subordinates know it. Staying calm and focused under pressure stabilizes and focuses your organisation (think also of Sean Connery in Hunt for Red October, calmly sipping tea as enemy torpedo is approaching his submarine in underwater canyon). This kind of management style is sometimes applicable in project management as respecting timeline and budgets seem to be more important than long term people relationships.
3. Walking the walk (Leading by example)
In times of crises Darth is leading from the front. In attack of rebellion on the Death Star he takes off in his Tie fighter to be with his pilots on the battlefield risking his own life. He also has no problem in getting own hands (or light saber) dirty. Leaders who sometimes choose to share the less appealing circumstances of the “front lines” not only earn higher degree of respect from their troops but also have opportunity to learn how things really work “down below” without the interference from multiple management layers distorting the message.
May the force be with you…
More on abrasive leader transformation Abrasive Leader Transformation – Expertive
More on leadership mentoring (1) Activity | Miroslav Klepac | LinkedIn
