Yesterday, StarWars.com offered a first look at Christian Blauvelt's upcoming Be More Yoda, which is filled with teachings and lessons to put you on the path toward Jedi mindfulness. Today, we're excited to reveal a book that will teach you the ways of the dark side. (But for good reasons!)
Be More Vader, also coming October 2 from DK Publishing and written by Christian Blauvelt, offers wisdom from a different point of view: that of a Sith Lord. Now, we know what you might be saying. "Darth Vader was a bad guy!" Sure. Yet when it comes down to it, Vader was a pretty successful guy within the Empire. There's plenty to learn from him that can help you achieve that same success, but with maybe less extreme means.
Check out Be More Vader's cover and some pages below, along with five StarWars.com-exclusive tips from Blauvelt to kick off your journey to the dark side.
How to be more like Vader...at work:
Find a mentor
It doesn’t have to be a hood-wearer who shoots lightning out of his fingertips, either! But you need to learn the ropes of your field from someone with more experience, whether that’s through an internship or by becoming an apprentice to a galactic emperor. Nothing replaces on-the-job experience -- certainly no dusty sacred Jedi texts!
Don’t bring problems, bring solutions
If rebel fighters are swarming around your Death Star, you just don’t delegate and order your minions into battle. You hop in the cockpit of a TIE yourself and take charge. Even if the worst happens and your battle station still gets blown up at least no one can accuse you of not trying hard enough to stop it.
Present with confidence
If someone starts insulting you in front of colleagues, make it very clear you will not tolerate such disrespect. Position yourself and your projects so that no one can challenge your expertise and mastery -- and if somehow they still do, you’ll be within your right to find their lack of faith very disturbing indeed.
Refine your negotiation skills
Start from a position of strength -- preferably show up with a Star Destroyer and a squad of stormtroopers -- and then proceed from there. But don’t ask for everything at once. Achieve your first goal -- say, testing out a freezing process on a smuggler -- then move the goalpost. Have a line ready to go to show you mean business like “I am altering the deal, pray I don’t alter it further.”
Make your expectations clear
You’ve got quotas to meet, budgets to balance -- it’s important that you’re not doing it all on your own. Make sure you surround yourself with a competent team, then push them if you think they’re not living up to their potential. Invoke that you yourself answer to an even less forgiving boss. Morale may suffer in the short-term, but in the long run nothing boosts spirits like achieving big goals.
Be More Vader arrives October 2 and is available for pre-order now.
StarWars.com. All Star Wars, all the time.
