Page 50 - Harnessing the Strengths

Core Qualities ■ 33

a group, differences are surmountable. Looking for factors
that connect and stimulate a feeling of belonging is of great
importance for such a company. Power stems from the fact
that the whole is many times more than the sum of its parts.

4 More Passion as a Result of Control

In his description of “level 5 leaders,” Jim Collins mentions
that sometimes servant-leaders seem boring and less colorful
than, and in stark contrast to, “level 3 managers,” for exam-
ple, who are more expressive and come across as having a big
ego. These level 3 managers express their authority. Servant-
leaders do have passion. They just know how to show their
emotions at the right moments, in the context of controlled
humility. They are absolutely not cold, emotionless beings.

Humor

One of the ways in which a servant-leader can bring feeling
into a rational process is with humor. Humor is a typical
sign of a servant-leader because people tend to smile when
two irreconcilable logics both appear logical. In this way,
a servant-leader uses humor to discuss opposites in a team
and to bring together these qualities in order to increase
output. A servant-leader would never use humor at anoth-
er’s expense. Only a tasteful and intelligent humor can act
as a bridge.

5 Putting Parts into a Whole

A servant-leader has a helicopter overview. He or she is not
only capable of seeing the forest, however, but also able to
zoom in on the trees. This is the way that servant-leaders