We can learn a lot about leadership from Master Yoda. As one of the oldest Jedi ever to live, Yoda spent hundreds of years mentoring Padawans and serving as the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. He took on several apprentices during his time as a Jedi Master including Dooku, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Luke Skywalker. As one of the most quotable characters in cinema history, there are a number of excellent Yoda leadership quotes. Here are 6 leadership quotes from Master Yoda!
6 Yoda Leadership Quotes
You must unlearn what you have learned.Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
When Luke Skywalker sought out Yoda to train him in the ways of the Force, he did not expect his training to be so difficult. He became frustrated when nothing was working and he felt that he was failing. This was Yoda’s way of letting Luke know that he needed to throw out what he had learned in order to move forward with an alternate way of thinking.
Sometimes we are so set in our ways that we cannot see alternate approaches to help us solve problems. As a leader, it is your job to help your employees unlearn their habits in order to forge new and better knowledge to help them thrive in their careers.
Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
The young Skywalker was very strong willed but lost his concentration easily. Luke also focused on what could not be done and this was where Yoda stepped in. This quote was Yoda’s attempt to make Luke understand that everything is within his control and all he had to do was put his mind to it without fear of failure.
When you are in a leadership role, it is important for you to help your employees overcome their fear of failure. The best way to do this is to make it so that failure is never blamed on one person alone. Failure is often all in the mind, if you think you will fail then you most certainly will.
That is why you fail.Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
When Luke tried and failed to raise his ship from the water on Dagobah, he took the failure very hard and told Master Yoda that he expected the impossible. Luke did not believe in himself in the first place so of course he failed. Yoda was not afraid to hurt Luke’s feelings and let him know that he was failing because he did not believe in himself.
As a leader, it is imperative that you do not shy away from telling it like it is. You need to be frank with your employees and provide your opinion in an honest and open way. Only then will your Padawans realize what they are doing wrong and you can help them to correct it.
Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
When Obi-Wan Kenobi came to Yoda for advice on how to find a planet that was not in the archive maps, Yoda very wisely asked the advice of the young Padawans that he was training. One of the children suggested that someone must have erased the planet from the archive memory. This was the most simple and logical assessment provided by the mind of a child who was able to think clearly and without reservation. He was, of course, correct and Yoda accepted his answer as the correct one.
As adults, we are often hindered by over-complicating our solutions to the problems at hand. A good leader helps their employees clear their mind so that they can break down problems in the most logical manner possible. A great leader seeks out the input of an unbiased third party, such as the mind of a child.
Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
This is one of the best Yoda leadership quotes and it was said at a time when Luke Skywalker had become very strong with the Force and he was nearing the end of his training. Yoda saw his strength and warned him against the allure of the power of the dark side.
It is important for anyone in a leadership position to raise their employees’ confidence but not to let them become full of themselves. Great leaders lead by example and you should set a positive example for your employees to follow. You should foster an environment of teamwork and camaraderie, not selfishness and competition.
Difficult to see, always in motion is the future.Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
When Luke was finishing his Jedi training on Dagobah, he was overwhelmed with visions of his friends in pain. He wanted to rush off and help them but Yoda suggested that what he saw was only one version of a possible future.
No one has a crystal ball and oftentimes we become overwhelmed with feelings of uncertainty about the future. As a leader, it is important for you to ensure your employees do not fear the future. What is to come is not always pleasant but it is the difficult times that make you appreciate the good times even more.
What is your favorite Yoda leadership quote? Let us know in the comments!