Page 37 - Harnessing the Strengths

20 ■ Servant-Leadership: In a Nutshell

You can look at it in another way. Instead of focus-
ing on differences, you can look instead at the similarities,
because these are undeniable. As John F. Kennedy said:

In the fi nal analysis, our most basic common
link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all
breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s
futures, and we are all mortal. 1

In that light, culture differences melt like snow in the burn-
ing sun.

Misunderstandings

The problem is that differences never really lessen. They
are still there—you just pretend not to see them. That is
a bit less damaging than the fi rst point of view, but cul-
tural relativism does not do justice to the colorful reality
in which people from different walks of life can live and
work together, with all the visible and invisible obstacles
that result.
The reality is that cooperating with people who, liter-
ally and fi guratively, speak different languages can be quite
a task. This is true not only for cultures that are very far
apart in terms of values and ideas, but also for cultures that
are seemingly very similar. It is relatively easier to prepare
the direct and transparent Dutchman for a trip to subtle,
indirect Japan than to get him ready for a trip to Antwerp.
In the latter case, you often hear, “No problem; we speak
the same language.” It is exactly this kind of underestima-
tion of the differences that has caused so many problems
in Belgian-Dutch communications. In many ways, the Bel-