Page 13 - Harnessing the Strengths

xii ■ Background

wrong. Instead of servant’s being a modifi er of the main
word, leadership, servant-leader has a core meaning in itself.
Together the words form a completely new compound noun,
with both words making up an integral part of the same
noun.
The fundamental equality of the two words has sig-
nifi cant consequences. This is a departure from linear logic
or one-way traffi c of thought. Leadership can start with a
desire to serve others, but it can just as easily be the other
way around: the leading servant.

Simplicity

There is one more point to be made about the intersection
of servant-leadership; namely, it is not complicated. Its
strength, in fact, stems from the simplicity of the concept.
The distinctiveness of this concept is not in the form, but
rather in the content. A servant-leader combines two ideas
within him- or herself that, conceptually, lie miles apart.
The result: an extremely unique combination—and not only
unique but also extremely strong. People set the concepts of
serving and leading into motion as a result of a deep inner
drive. Servant-leadership is a question of inner motivation,
of a deeply felt mission, and everyone can become a servant-
leader, regardless of where the person is, because the com-
bination of opposites lies within everyone’s reach. It gives
perspective to anyone who is wrestling with the problem of
cultural differences, no matter what level he or she occupies
within an organization.
What applies to the concept of servant-leadership is also
applicable to cultural differences: it is possible to combine
opposing values. The servant-leader excels at this because
he or she is used to build a bridge between two differing