In George Lucas’ second Star Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back, there’s a classic scene where Luke Skywalker receives Jedi lessons from Master Yoda. Luke is standing on his hands, with Yoda sitting on his feet. Yoda tells him to raise his X-Wing Fighter using only his mind. Luke protests, saying it’s impossible, but then tries. For a few dramatic seconds, the ship moves, but then sinks back into the swamp. A few moments later, Yoda, using only the Force, lifts the ship onto dry land, allowing Luke to leave the planet and save his friends.
Lesson Taught: Luke failed because he thought the task was impossible. He failed because he had the wrong attitude.
As a consultant to job seekers who want to know how to negotiate salary, I can’t claim to be a Yoda master. However, I run into the same challenge quite often. Time and time again I get a particular type of question where the questions as such are perhaps more important than the answers to them. They are questions like: What can I expect in the salary negotiation if I am unemployed? How far can I go if I don’t have a job, when will the employer kick me out of the bargain? Etc.
To these people I always answer the same thing: They are asking the wrong questions! By asking such questions, the employer has already won the wage negotiation, before it has even started. Or, referring to Luke and Yoda, you can never pick up your X-Wing Fighter with an attitude like that!
The reaction to my answer is usually frustration or even irritation. This is understandable from a psychological point of view. Once you get stuck in negative thoughts, it’s best to stick with them. A change in attitude causes anxiety.
However, a change of attitude is completely necessary in these cases. being unemployed is one fact to consider when estimating leverage and bargaining position in a salary negotiation. No tea made. If the unemployed job seeker takes this step from “the done” to “a done,” he has initiated a change from a losing attitude to a winning one. A winning attitude is a necessary condition for success when negotiating salary. It was when Luke Skywalker put on a winning attitude that he was able to defeat the Emperor and save his father.