5 Yoda Quotes You Can Apply Today

In honor of May the Fourth, a.k.a., Star Wars Day, we’ve assembled the top five quotes from the great Jedi master Yoda that community FI technologists can use to guide their businesses forward and achieve technological success. May the force be with you.

“Always pass on what you have learned.”

How many times have you seen it in your own career? An organization grinds to a halt because “the keeper of the sacred knowledge” has moved on and taken all that knowledge with them. This isn’t always intentional, but it’s always a problem. Seek to actively impart your knowledge, experience and wisdom to those around you. If you’re a manager, train your employees to replace you. By the time they’re ready to do so, you’ll be ready for something much bigger.

“Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”

What do you fear losing in your career? Prestige? Power? Money? These things have very little to do with technological success. When this success was measured in years, there wasn’t much to be afraid of. There was always time to adjust. Today, success is measured in months or even weeks. In this environment, you need the courage to adapt quickly. As Yoda also famously said, “Do or do not. There is no try.” Now is the time to do.

“If no mistake you have made, losing you are. A different game you should play.”

Think of a project that went off without a hitch. Was it because you were smart or because you were lucky? Or both? Now think of a project that blew up in your face. Which experience taught you more? Mistakes are not only inevitable – they’re a necessary part of your professional growth. If you never make mistakes, you’re playing it too safe, and your financial institution will fall behind. This is not a call to be reckless; it’s a call to be brave.

“Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.”

Because that’s the way we’ve always done it. Everyone seems to know someone who thinks like that, but nobody ever admits to thinking like that themselves. The truth is, we all think like that sometimes. When things seem to be going well, it’s easy to become complacent. Today, technological success requires that you constantly look forward to ensure your financial institution is always ready for what’s next. That means staying nimble regardless of the size of your organization.

“To answer power with power, the Jedi way this is not. In this war, a danger there is, of losing who we are.”

It’s understandable that the megabanks are often the technological trailblazers. After all, they have more money to spend on their digital banking platform. For example, just this past January, JPMorgan Chase announced a technology budget of $12 billion. That’s a lot of money. And as the megabanks pour billions of dollars into technology, it only makes sense for community financial institutions to watch and see what they can learn. The key is to borrow good ideas from the megabanks while being careful not to start thinking like a megabank. Community financial institutions continue to thrive for one important reason: they’re community-based organizations that offer an attractive alternative to the megabanks. Don’t ever turn to the Dark Side.

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2024-09-13T08:32:11-07:00
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