On leadership among the Dutch. Link

Quotes:

For centuries, the Dutch have rejected strong leaders. Indeed, the notion of leadership itself is problematic in a country where Calvin taught that every individual should read the Bible and decide its meaning for himself. In Holland, the ideal decision is a unanimous one agreed by a group. No decision in business or politics is ever taken without endless rounds of discussions and meetings to reach consensus. A tradition going back to the regenten — the cabals of wealthy men who run the Dutch Republic — decrees that Dutch leaders shun the limelight and act in the name of the collective.

How does anything every get done? Jan Benthem, one of the country’s most effective and influential architects, has a reputation for being able to maneuver his giant projects — such as the redesign of Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam’s Central Station — through the morass of Dutch bureaucracy and consultation. “Part of the trick is not talking about it. Never discuss your method. I especially don’t discuss it with journalists in public. You do things somewhere in the background and let someone else enjoy the success. When your head is above the level of the grass, it will be cut off in the Netherlands. We have a lot of grass here, and we always have to cut it. It is very Dutch not to like people who really excel in something.