10. Nepotism doesn’t work

Vader isn't a very good recruiter. @egerlach

9. If your culture sucks, referrals don’t work

"We also give recruitment referral bonuses... That General Solo guy would make a great member of our team, too."

8. Don’t ask your employees to kill their offspring (or anything else that extreme/illegal/dramatic/etc)

Your employees might resent it... or throw you into the reactor shaft of the Death Star.

7. Motivating with fear leads to poor performance

How many Admirals did Darth Vader force choke in his career? Did the next ones perform any better? Maybe they were so afraid of meeting the same fate they could never focus on their jobs.

6. Give your employees freedom to learn what they need to

It wasn’t until Luke left the Rebel fleet to learn with Yoda that he became a true Jedi.

5. Money isn’t the only motivator

Han Solo got his payment for delivering Luke & Leia to the rebellion successfully. And off he went. But it was his dedication to his colleagues and the cause that brought him back in the nick of time to save Luke from Darth Vader in his Tie Fighter.

4. Invest in technology - it helps with employee performance

How could Luke have survived Jabba’s Palace and his encounter with Sarlak if R2-D2 and C-3PO hadn’t been there to help? Not to mention the lightsaber that R2-D2 returned to him. Those were vital pieces of technology in Han Solo’s rescue.

3. People can screw up under pressure, but that's no reason to give up on them

Lando Calrissian caved to Darth Vader and had his friend trapped in carbonite, but he still was essential to the successful attack on the second death star.

2. Trust your employees - they’ll often find new solutions to problems

"Luke, you've turned off your targeting computer" "Use the force, Luke". The targeting computers had already failed the Y-Wings. Plus, would Luke have developed into a Jedi if some General had shouted him down the first time he tried to use the Force?

1. Hiring the right team and getting the right culture is vital to success.

The Rebels had the right people in place, and were working in a culture of optimism and hope, the right one for their mission. The Imperials hired a bunch of faceless drones and were working in fear. Guess who won when they clashed?

May the 4th be with you.