Page 186 - Harnessing the Strengths

Can We Measure Integrity? ■ 169

Are there some practical tips about how to start intro-
ducing servant-leadership into an organization? Defi nitely,
the fi rst point being that it is best to start with yourself,
regardless of your position in the company. In addition, it
is handy to follow the relatively abstract advice of Plato:
“There is nothing more practical than a good theory.”
In classic antiquity, Plato formulated four principles
that form the basis for a good life: wisdom, courage, mod-
eration, and justice. Servant-leadership goes right back to
this tradition. Let’s look at the four principles in terms of
practical advice for managers.

Wisdom

Plato was one of the most famous philosophers in ancient
Greece and he introduced the philosophical term “the love
of truth.” This philosophy requires that servant-leadership
is implemented in an organization in an intelligent manner
and is presented in a good way to everyone from the board
of directors to management and all the way to the indi-
viduals and teams themselves. It is wise to take a system-
atic approach from the top down, and keep in mind that,
wherever you are in an organization, there are many “tops.”
Start simply with your own “top.”
A very practical starting point is to know clearly what
the vision—including “higher goal” and mission—of the
organization is. In addition, another sign of wisdom is to
make a diagnosis of the state of the organization and to make
a business case for servant-leadership. It is not a coincidence
that Plato used the dialogue as a philosophical method in
order to get to the heart of the truth by bringing different
points of views together. In practical terms, this means that
you start by creating an overview of the organization’s most