HR Lessons from Star Wars: Let the Wookie Win

Several weeks ago we visited with my father who is slowly clearing out our family home as he begins construction on a new house.  I spent several hours going through closets, cabinets, and storage spaces uncovering many things I had either forgotten about or didn’t even know existed.  When we came across the box of the old Star Wars figures that my brother and I spent hours and hours playing with as kids, my children thought we hit the Mother Lode.

The SWU invaded the MetroPark Zoo in 2008

So the Star Wars figures have been at our home every day since.  I must admit there is a fun sense of nostalgia watching my kids play with the toys and action figures I had when I was there age.

In honor of rediscovering the Star Wars of my youth, I thought I’d point out a key lesson learned from the canon of The Original Trilogy:  Let the Wookie Win.

For those unfamiliar or who need a slight refresher, as C-3PO and R2-D2 are engaging in a futuristic chess game with Chewbacca, R2 makes a fair move to take out one of Chewie’s pieces.  As the wookie expresses his unhappiness with the move, Han Solo points out wookies have not been known as good losers and can become violent, thus prompting 3PO to recommend a new game strategy:  Let the Wookie Win.

I found this clip on You Tube if you need a reminder of the scene and no, this was not something I made with the newly discovered action figures!

When it comes to sports and competition I always think you have to be in it to win it.  My kids now are just getting into competitive sports and I agree it is important early for kids to learn the fundamentals of the game and good sportsmanship, but we already see the competition creeping into Sydney’s games as the kids get older.

In life work and life, though, building and maintaining relationships is a key success factor and there can't always be "winners" and "losers" (sorry, Charlie Sheen).  As I’ve taken on my new role I’ve once again been reminded that the link you have with others in an organization is critical to your and the team’s success.  Relationships in these settings are often built on trust and compromise.  As I’ve talked to many leaders these past few weeks at my new employer and asked them what has been their key to long term success, many of them have mentioned their relationships with others as a big factor.

So in any relationship there is destined to be conflict.  How we handle that conflict and negotiate through areas where we disagree can determine the success or failure of our long term rapport.  In work situations where we are forced to interact it may mean the difference between wanting to have an active, engaging partnership to achieve mutual goals or timing when we go to the water cooler so we avoid each other.

Alright,  for three paragraphs now I’ve hit on a few themes but not really related this back to the lesson learned of letting a walking carpet win a space age chess match.   So here it goes:  Compromise is sometimes about knowing when to push the envelope with a group or person and knowing when you may have to back off on your agenda.  I’ve told colleagues, friends, and coworkers that sometimes the key to being a successful leader is knowing when to pick your battles.  It doesn’t mean you have to compromise your beliefs, just that when you are faced with an individual who clearly has an agenda (and is not headed down a path that is unethical, immoral, or illegal; key things in today’s world) from which they won’t budge, the better use of energy can be compromising and accepting the path which they are headed down and then focusing your efforts on achieving the best shared outcomes.

Too often I've seen people fail to reach goals because they are too busy holding their ground on the process.  A great way to address this is to regroup and re-establish the shared desired outcomes; when you have agreement there you may be able to shift the focus to the things that both parties or individuals share an interest in.

Know that in life you will face wookies.  Remember wookies will react negatively to certain things and their response will be to rip your arms off, so to avoid this know when to compromise, pick your battles, and implement tactics that will help you both achieve your shared goals.

Which sometimes means let the Wookie win.

Yes, Dad has influenced his daughter's interests a little!