Page 137 - Harnessing the Strengths

120 ■ Servant-Leadership in the Intercultural Practice

your e-mails from home. Servant-leaders strive beyond the
compromise to a real solution. In this case, the servant-leader
is always looking for how to integrate work and life. That
means that your work helps you to function better at home
and a harmonious home life allows you to achieve a better
performance at work. An example of this is “quality time,”
where you choose moments where you want to next focus.

A “Moment in Time” Versus the Truth
In Japanese restaurants the waiters and waitresses have a
knack of appearing at just the right moment to ask if you
would like some more sake or if the wasabi/soy sauce ratio
is all right. It seems as if they are counting every sip, because
their appearance is always remarkably timely. This style of
service is in stark contrast with that of the Netherlands,
where avoiding the eyes of the client at the crucial moments
has all but become a national sport. If you get quality ser-
vice, it is always for the things that you don’t need. For
some, the service in American stores is almost as irritating.
The staff storm toward you as soon as you enter their store
to ask how they can be of help, while you have not yet even
had a chance to see what they have to offer.
Apparently it is an art to be able to offer something just
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at the right moment: “the moment of truth.” This expres-
sion was introduced by Jan Carlzon of SAS airlines. What he
meant to express with it is that it is important for people in
business to “go deep” at just the right moment. By properly
assessing when it is important to “go the extra mile,” you
can exponentially increase your margins. Just exactly when
this “right moment” is, is largely determined by culture.
The expectations around service standards are without
doubt influenced by culture. Westerners are often shocked