Page 75 - Harnessing the Strengths

58 ■ Servant-Leadership in the Intercultural Practice

servant-leader always starts from his or her own strength
and quickly thereafter shifts to the other side that needs to
be developed.

Resolution
And what does all of this mean for Peter Webber? What now
would make him a servant-leader who is considered to have
an effective approach when it comes to intercultural differ-
ences? His preference is to get everyone involved in deci-
sions so that, later, in the implementation stage, he does not
have any problems. But those from the Middle East and the
Latin countries will think that this is nonsense. A leader has
guts and makes decisions. Peter Webber must, above all, be
authentic and not deny his natural character. Then, to begin,
he needs to listen long and hard. That works, in every cul-
ture. Afterward, he needs to process the information and,
together with a few trusted advisers, come to a decision that
he then presents as decided. In other words, Peter serves his
team best by listening fi rst and then, armed with the neces-
sary information, demonstrating strong leadership.

Notes
1 Peter F. Drucker, The Effective Executive (New York: Harper &
Row, 1967).
2 Away with the Pyramids! is the translated title of the Swedish
book by Jan Carlzon and Tomas Lagerstrom, Riv Pyramiderna!:
En Bok Om Den Nya Manniskan, Chefen Och Ledaren (Sweden:
Bonnier, 1985).
3 Lord Acton expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell
Creighton in 1887.
4 H. Mintzberg, “Patterns in Strategy Formation,” Management
Science, Vol. 24, No. 9, 1978.
5 Henry Mintzberg, “Crafting Strategy,” Harvard Business Review
(Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, July 1987).