Darth Vader Week – Leadership from the Dark Side – BSW #199

Vader's top 5 quotes on leadership: 1. “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” 2. “I am your Father…”. 3. “Don’t be too proud of this technological terror you’ve constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.” 4. “I am altering the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further.” 5. “Be careful not to choke on your aspirations.”

Inspired by the Darth Vader line “Apology accepted”, here's how to prepare brief senior leadership: Before You Walk into the Room (or Log in) 1. Identify the “crucial nodder.” 2. Know your boss’s “tells.” 3. Find out how the boss engages with the material. 4. Plan for gradations of success and failure. Identify what you need from a meeting before walking in the door. In the Room (or on the Video Conference Call) 1. Read the room, not your notes. 2. Stay laser focused on your task. 3. Practice the art of staying silent.

Although one would probably not think of Darth Vader for the next series of traits, "The Focused Leader" by Daniel Goleman identifies empathy or focusing on others. Most interestingly, he splits empathy into three tracts: (1) cognitive empathy; (2) emotional empathy and (3) empathic concern. “A focused leader is not the person concentrating on the three most important priorities of the year, or the most brilliant systems thinker, or the one most in tune with the corporate culture. Focused leaders can command the full range of their own attention: They are in touch with their inner feelings, they can control their impulses, they are aware of how others see them, they understand what others need from them, they can weed out distractions and also allow their minds to roam widely, free of preconceptions.” That is certainly a description of Darth Vader.

Here are a few tips to better develop compassion and wisdom as components of your leadership style. If your wisdom is strong but you still need to develop more compassion, here are a few things you can do: 1. Have more self-compassion: Having genuine compassion for others starts with having compassion for yourself. 2. Check your intention: Make a habit of checking your intention before you meet others. 3. Adopt a daily compassion practice: Compassion is a trainable skill. If your compassion is strong but you would like to increase your wisdom, here are a few helpful strategies: 1. Practice candid transparency: As leaders, it is our responsibility to provide the guidance people need, even if it is difficult for them to hear. 2. One daily direct interaction: If your natural inclination is more oriented towards compassion, being kind is your comfort zone. 3. Adopt a daily mindfulness training: Research shows that when we practice mindfulness, we gain greater wisdom and leadership competence.

If you are a manager, an executive, or a worker who seeks to promote a better meetings culture, this three-stage process can help you fix poor meeting habits and get the most out of your teamwork: Stage 1: Before the Meeting 1. Start with the desired outcome. 2. Get the relevant people only. 3. Decide the activities and the time needed. Stage 2: During the Meeting 1. Start with a check-in ritual. 2. Review the desired outcome. 3. Respect the time slot. 4. Do a wrap-up ritual. Stage 3: After the Meeting 1. Run an autopsy of your meeting.

According to Trend Micro’s Cyber Risk Index (CRI), organizations listed their Top Cyberthreats globally, which include: 1. Phishing and social engineering 2. Clickjacking 3. Ransomware 4. Fileless attacks 5. Botnets 6. Man-in-the-middle attacks Key concerns of organizations globally: 1. The loss of customer data 2. Access to IP and financial information 3. Customer churn 4. Stolen or damaged equipment The Top Security Risks within IT infrastructure include: 1. Organizational misalignment and complexity 2. Negligent insiders 3. Cloud computing infrastructure and providers 4. Shortage of qualified personnel 5. Malicious insiders