PART 1

PERSONNEL

In no other profession are the penalties for employing untrained personnel so appalling and so irrevocable as in the military.

— General Douglas MacArthur

Command Climate: Leadership in the Galactic Empire

Although the Galactic Empire is military in organization, with an established chain of command, its leader, Darth Vader, is a Sith lord and, as such, is considered above and beyond the military rank structure. He reports only to Emperor Palpatine, who is also known as Darth Sidious.

In other words, Darth Vader holds no military rank, but he does command troops. His leadership and command at a senior level mean that his subordinates will watch his every move, assessing, gauging his moods, and most of all, being on guard and hoping they haven't upset him, because he is quick to use his signature weapon against them — the infamous Force-choke.

We must ask ourselves: Is Darth Vader an effective leader? And what can we learn about his management style?

A Perspective on Leadership

The U.S. Army defines leadership as "the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization. ... Confident, competent, and informed leadership intensifies the effectiveness of the other elements of combat power. ... Influencing entails more than simply passing along orders. Through words and personal example, leaders communicate purpose, direction, and motivation."

As an officer and unit commander, I've had the good fortune — and misfortune — of serving under officers of varying competence. In the end, it all boils down to this: as Xenophon of Athens observed, in 400 BC, "The true test of a leader is whether his followers will adhere to his cause from their own volition, enduring the most arduous hardships without being forced to do so, and remaining steadfast in the moments of greatest peril."

An Outstanding Commander

I recall one officer who took command of our battalion right before an important evaluation from higher headquarters. Because I previously had served under him, I knew him fairly well. He took over our battalion, took charge, and energized it. As a direct consequence of his leadership, the battalion did well on the evaluation.

Had it had been wartime, I would not have hesitated to follow him to the gates of hell. I would willingly have followed him, because he inspired us, believed in us, and would do everything he could to get the mission done and get as many of us as possible back home alive.

An Incompetent Commander

General Schwarzkopf wrote about an incompetent commander in It Doesn't Take a Hero:

Instead of executing the flanking attack the situation called for, he ordered a full frontal assault. When it became obvious this tactic was a disaster, the colonel came unglued. He started running up behind troops and shaking their canteens, saying, "Soldier, why don't you have any water?" ...

I'd have felt sorry for him, except that if we'd been at war, his brand of leadership would have gotten us all killed.

Morale

The acid test: Does the leader inspire leadership, or do his subordinates do his bidding because they fear him? In Darth Vader's case, it's fear. To make a mistake means risking instant death, because he often uses his Force-choke against those who displease him.

Case in point: In A New Hope, Darth Vader is on the Death Star, in a meeting with high-ranking military officers overseen by his boss, Grand Moff Tarkin. When Admiral Motti gives Vader the sharp edge of his tongue, belittling him in front of the other high-ranking officers on the Death Star, Motti has apparently forgotten that Vader's "sorcerer's ways" include the infamous Force-choke. Motti would have been well advised to get a grip on himself rather than have Vader do it for him. To his dismay, Motti finds himself being Force-choked by Vader, until Tarkin orders Vader to stop.

In another instance, in The Empire Strikes Back, Admiral Ozzel is subjected to a Force-choke, as others look on in horror, wondering which of them would later suffer the same ignominious fate.

* * *

The command climate created by Vader is such that no disagreement is allowed, and mistakes are dealt with too harshly. One wrong call on your part, and you're in deep Bantha poo. Better to hold your tongue than to speak and have your tongue protruding from your mouth as Vader chokes you.

That was the unspoken wisdom among Galactic Empire officers, who lived in perpetual fear when Vader was around.

Vader's officers were not the only ones who came to fear him. No matter where he went, his reputation, like his black flowing cloak, followed him. In A New Hope, for instance, Vader interrogated a rebel ship's officer and demanded, "Where are those transmissions you intercepted?" The...