11 Insights About Quality You Can Learn From Jedi Master Yoda

Nothing great is ever accomplished alone. Take a deep look. Behind every individual that achieved new levels of success, you will find a mentor. You should have one, too, to motivate you to stay on top of your game. One of my favorites mentors is Yoda. I find the lessons from our little green friend are insightful and relevant for quality leaders.

So, here is what Yoda is teaching us, are you ready to master the force of Quality?

“Do! Or do not! There is no try!”

Eyes on the target. Be determined. Give all you’ve got, not just a try. The word trying is deceptive, as there is no such thing as trying to do something. You either are, or you aren’t.

“The greatest teacher, failure is.”

Exercise 5-Why. Failure is a natural part of the flow of life and is a valuable learning opportunity. Invest your efforts to understand what you can’t see from the surface. Remember, there is no such thing as one cause of a failure, but a system of root causes.

“May the Force be with you.” 

Top management’s commitment to quality is an essential force that you need on your side. Part of your responsibility as a quality leader is to continuously sell quality to the organization, to get the power that comes with management support.

“Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.” 

You might be a gifted quality leader with a long list of certifications and acronyms beside your name. Still, the biggest mistake you can make is to think that you already know everything there is to know. Like Yoda, you should embrace the thoughts and opinions of others. Remember, you still have something to learn, and everyone you meet can teach you something new.

“Pass on what you have learned.” 

Become a mentor. Your knowledge and expertise are a gift; don’t keep them to yourself. Like Yoda, you should share your insights with others. There are many reasons why you should. Besides helping others grow, it will also motivate you to stay on top of your game and gain authority.

“Named must your fear be before banish it you can.”

Be proactive. Identify risks that can impact your product’s quality and process integrity. Shine a light so the entire organization can observe them too and actively deal with them.

“Size matters not.” 

It’s the quality, not the quantity, that counts. Even with a small quality team, you can still conquer organizational-wide initiatives. Ensure the quality team is engaging quality holistically across the organization, not only with the manufacturing or operation teams.

“Already know you, that which you need.” 

Have a vision for where you want to take the quality system in the coming 1, 2, and 3 years. Define clearly what you want to accomplish and how success looks like.

“You must unlearn what you have learned.”

Adjust yourself to the current business environment. Identify approaches and processes that are no longer relevant and unlearn them.

Patience a Virtue is.

Quality is a journey. Understand that progress, especially culture change, takes time. Don’t expect immediate results nor instant gratification. Use leading indicators to measure the progress of your efforts and get confident that results will arrive.

‘Clear your mind must be.’

Do not assume anything. Rely on data and evidence. When you make assumptions, you usually interpret situations from your unique perspective, making it hard to think and see clearly.