The Cave of Evil: How Star Wars is like Case-in-Point | By Seth Bate

Increasingly, the CCSR Leadership Initiatives team and the Kansas Leadership Center faculty team use a teaching approach called “Case-in-Point.” It was developed by Ron Heifetz and Marty Linsky but I’m guessing it doesn’t always resemble exactly what they had in mind.

As Chris Green, project director of case studies describes it, Case-in-Point rests on a simple yet provocative idea: “Leadership, although difficult to teach, can be learned in a dynamic classroom setting when participants experience, in the moment, some of the very conditions that make exercising leadership so challenging and dangerous in the public sphere.” Chris wrote a brief guide for participants; I’d like to explore what Case-in-Point requires from the front of the room.

Preparing to walk in front of a roomful of people for a Case-in-Point conversation reminds me of the scene in the movie, The Empire Strikes Back in which Jedi Master Yoda instructs his trainee, Luke Skywalker, that it is time for Luke to enter a dark and scary place. True Star Wars geeks know that, in later books, this spot earned the name, “The Cave of Evil.”

Luke asks, “What’s in there?” “Only what you take with you,” Yoda replies.

On my best days, the Case-in-Point discussions I introduce create space for many ideas, observations and interpretations to enter the room. Some of them I start; many I hear and challenge; and others I just listen to. I follow Yoda’s advice to “keep your concentration here and now where it belongs.” I fulfill my role, which calls for me to be curious, unrattled and sometimes challenging, even in long moments of silent ambiguity.

If you know Empire, however, you know that Luke’s trip into the Cave of Evil was a terrifying failure. He grabs a blaster and a light saber. “Your weapons, you will not need them,” Yoda warns. Luke ignores him. He ends up blindly striking at the ominous figure he finds inside, using the weapons he has come to rely on.

Some days I give in to the ambiguity. I take the group’s discomfort personally. My selfish need to fulfill expectations gets in the way of my role.

Those days, my Case-in-Point relies on a utility belt full of gimmicks. I look for moments when I can soundly make a point, perhaps earning some respect for my expertise or reassuring the group that they are getting something out of our interaction. I rely on my weapons instead of trusting in the participants, the approach and the process.

Leadership development and Jedi training require more effectively managing self. This includes distinguishing your role from your self. Doing this may prove most difficult when fulfilling your role may scare you and the people around you.

“Decide you must,” Yoda said, “how to serve them best.”

One resource for learning more about Case-in-Point teaching and other approaches to leadership development is Leadership Can Be Taught by Sharon Daloz Parks.


This article was also posted today on the Kansas Leadership Center blog.