Our family loves Star Wars!

Every once in a while, the other night our family made pizza and sat down to watch Episode 1. It had been a while since we spent some time with young Anikin!

We had watched it before, but I came to a conclusion this time. That Mr. Lucas made Star Wars Episode 1 with some awkward and difficult moments. I was paying closer attention because of something a friend of mine had said a few weeks prior.

“Ever notice how midi-chlorian counts and Jar Jar Binks never made much of a mention or appearance after the first movie? There’s a reason!“

He was right.

Why couldn’t The Force just be enough? Millions of people understood the concept through Episodes 4-6. (The original three movies in case you didn’t know.) Why make The Force all scientific and complicated now? The Force was working!

Furthermore, I don’t think I need to get into why Jar Jar Binks was a bad idea. After the film initially came out, fans verbally assault Lucas Films for months over that character. He was awkward…and odd.

As I was pondering all of this, something important came to mind!

There’s a leadership lesson here!

Star Wars Episode 1 can teach us a few things about leadership. Sometimes, we need something new. We search around for ideas on what to launch. Yet, we should be cautious on how new and out there are fresh idea is.

If we’re not keeping ourselves grounded, when creating no projects or programs, we could really miss the mark. Like George Lucas, we could start making things way too complicated. Or worse, we could start creating things that are just downright annoying.

Perhaps you’re not a Star Wars fan?

That’s okay, the concept still applies. Continue to seek out fresh, new ideas for your church, ministry, small business, etc. Ultimately, these new ideas lead to growth. This is a good thing.

Just be cautious that you don’t spend so much time thinking about and planning a new idea, that it becomes your perfect, untouchable baby. Have people around you that you trust. People who can break the news to you that, “It’s a bad idea.” Maybe start a code-word around the office: “That’s a Jar Jar Binks!“?

I’ve had my share of Jar Jar Binks!

The one that sticks out in my mind was a college ministry event called, “Trick or What?” In my mind, it sounded hilarious and a tonne of fun. We would dress up for Halloween in the Spring and go out Trick-Or-Treating. We would have prizes for all the crazy stuff that the students would end up with.

In my mind, it was awesome!

People definitely were confused and they weren’t laughing. They were just really annoyed and the students paid for it. I should have thought that event through a little longer. Maybe spoke to some homeowners as test subjects.

Afterward, one student actually said to me, “That wasn’t Trick or What, that was Trick or Flop!” It stung and still stings, but he was right!

Join the Conversation; Share Your Thoughts

Have you ever created a Jar Jar Binks?
Have you ever introduced an idea that was a flop?
How did you and the people around you react?