Page 187 - Harnessing the Strengths

170 ■ Getting Started with Servant-Leadership

important business dilemmas, like the various ones we have
presented in this book. Without an awareness of the dilem-
mas’ tension at play, the need for servant-leadership won’t
be recognized or felt.

Courage

Servant-leadership requires not only commitment but also the
ability to make yourself vulnerable—vulnerability is the high-
est form of courage. In practical terms, it shows courage when
a leader is open to what the employees have to say. How do
they see the situation? The fi rst thing a servant-leader will do
in order to try to fi nd ways that lead to resolving dilemmas is,
wisely, to ask questions. Questions also help servant-leaders
to see in which ways they can help others to reconcile their
dilemmas. There is also a Dilemma Reconciliation Process
(DRP), which was developed to aid the leader in transform-
ing weaknesses into strengths. It is a six-step process that
ensures that servant-leaders can transform the dilemma ten-
sion into creative energy. In this way courage is connected
with caution.

Moderation

However, no one gains if you overdo it. As the saying goes,
“Everything is healthy, in moderation.” Therefore, modera-
tion is also an important principle. An overdose of servant-
leadership runs the risk that employees will soon have had
enough and start looking for the next leadership principle.
Moderation is another demonstration of wisdom.
In practice, the introduction of servant-leadership means
that people also need to become directed on a number of