The Leadership Iceberg | Salomons.Coach<\/title>\n <style>\n :root {\n --navy: #061d3b;\n --blue: #4f81bd;\n --blue-dark: #243f60;\n --ice: #d3dfee;\n --ice-light: #eef4fa;\n --gold: #e5b44a;\n --ink: #1c2b3a;\n --muted: #627386;\n --paper: #ffffff;\n --canvas: #f4f7fa;\n --line: #d9e2eb;\n --shadow: 0 18px 50px rgba(6, 29, 59, 0.10);\n }\n\n * {\n box-sizing: border-box;\n }\n\n html {\n scroll-behavior: smooth;\n }\n\n body {\n margin: 0;\n color: var(--ink);\n background: var(--canvas);\n font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\n font-size: 18px;\n line-height: 1.72;\n text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;\n }\n\n img {\n display: block;\n max-width: 100%;\n }\n\n .site-header {\n background: var(--paper);\n border-bottom: 3px solid var(--gold);\n }\n\n .header-inner {\n width: min(1120px, calc(100% - 40px));\n margin: 0 auto;\n padding: 24px 0 21px;\n }\n\n .brand-logo {\n width: min(340px, 78vw);\n height: auto;\n }\n\n main {\n overflow: hidden;\n }\n\n article {\n width: min(820px, calc(100% - 40px));\n margin: 0 auto;\n padding: 76px 0 96px;\n }\n\n .eyebrow {\n margin: 0 0 18px;\n color: var(--blue);\n font-size: 0.78rem;\n font-weight: 700;\n letter-spacing: 0.17em;\n text-transform: uppercase;\n }\n\n h1,\n h2,\n h3 {\n color: var(--navy);\n font-weight: 700;\n letter-spacing: -0.025em;\n }\n\n h1 {\n max-width: 780px;\n margin: 0;\n font-size: clamp(2.8rem, 7vw, 5.25rem);\n line-height: 0.98;\n }\n\n .deck {\n max-width: 700px;\n margin: 28px 0 0;\n color: var(--blue-dark);\n font-size: clamp(1.15rem, 2vw, 1.42rem);\n line-height: 1.45;\n }\n\n .title-rule {\n width: 86px;\n height: 4px;\n margin: 34px 0 44px;\n background: var(--gold);\n }\n\n .lead {\n color: var(--blue-dark);\n font-size: 1.22rem;\n line-height: 1.65;\n }\n\n p {\n margin: 0 0 1.3em;\n }\n\n h2 {\n position: relative;\n margin: 3.2em 0 0.9em;\n padding-top: 18px;\n font-size: clamp(1.8rem, 4vw, 2.55rem);\n line-height: 1.14;\n }\n\n h2::before {\n position: absolute;\n top: 0;\n left: 0;\n width: 58px;\n height: 3px;\n background: var(--gold);\n content: \"\";\n }\n\n h3 {\n margin: 2.25em 0 0.55em;\n font-size: 1.38rem;\n line-height: 1.25;\n }\n\n ul,\n ol {\n margin: 0.4em 0 1.8em;\n padding-left: 1.3em;\n }\n\n li {\n margin: 0.45em 0;\n padding-left: 0.25em;\n }\n\n li::marker {\n color: var(--gold);\n font-weight: 700;\n }\n\n blockquote {\n margin: 2.1em 0;\n padding: 24px 28px;\n color: var(--navy);\n background: var(--ice-light);\n border-left: 5px solid var(--gold);\n font-size: 1.2rem;\n font-style: italic;\n line-height: 1.55;\n }\n\n blockquote p:last-child {\n margin-bottom: 0;\n }\n\n .model-figure {\n width: min(1200px, calc(100vw - 32px));\n margin: 58px 0 72px 50%;\n transform: translateX(-50%);\n }\n\n .model-frame {\n overflow: hidden;\n background: var(--paper);\n border: 1px solid var(--line);\n border-radius: 18px;\n box-shadow: var(--shadow);\n }\n\n .model-frame img {\n width: 100%;\n height: auto;\n }\n\n figcaption {\n max-width: 900px;\n margin: 18px auto 0;\n color: var(--muted);\n font-size: 0.88rem;\n line-height: 1.55;\n text-align: center;\n }\n\n .coaching-sequence {\n margin: 2.2em 0;\n padding: 28px;\n background: var(--navy);\n border-radius: 14px;\n color: var(--paper);\n }\n\n .coaching-sequence strong {\n color: var(--gold);\n }\n\n .coaching-sequence p:last-child {\n margin-bottom: 0;\n }\n\n .hurdle {\n padding: 20px 0;\n border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line);\n }\n\n .hurdle:last-child {\n border-bottom: 0;\n }\n\n .hurdle h3 {\n margin-top: 0;\n }\n\n .hurdle p:last-child {\n margin-bottom: 0;\n }\n\n .questions {\n margin-top: 1.5em;\n padding: 26px 30px 22px 52px;\n background: var(--ice-light);\n border-radius: 14px;\n }\n\n .questions li {\n margin-bottom: 1em;\n }\n\n .questions strong {\n color: var(--navy);\n }\n\n .closing {\n margin-top: 4em;\n padding: 34px;\n background: var(--paper);\n border-top: 4px solid var(--gold);\n box-shadow: var(--shadow);\n }\n\n .closing h2 {\n margin-top: 0;\n }\n\n .closing h2::before {\n display: none;\n }\n\n .closing p:last-child {\n margin-bottom: 0;\n }\n\n .related-post {\n display: block;\n margin-top: 30px;\n padding: 26px 28px;\n color: var(--paper);\n background: var(--navy);\n border-radius: 14px;\n text-decoration: none;\n transition: transform 160ms ease, box-shadow 160ms ease;\n }\n\n .related-post:hover,\n .related-post:focus-visible {\n transform: translateY(-2px);\n box-shadow: var(--shadow);\n }\n\n .related-post small {\n display: block;\n margin-bottom: 6px;\n color: var(--gold);\n font-weight: 700;\n letter-spacing: 0.12em;\n text-transform: uppercase;\n }\n\n .related-post strong {\n display: block;\n font-size: 1.2rem;\n line-height: 1.35;\n }\n\n .site-footer {\n padding: 42px 20px;\n color: var(--ice);\n background: var(--navy);\n text-align: center;\n }\n\n .site-footer p {\n margin: 0;\n font-size: 0.9rem;\n letter-spacing: 0.04em;\n }\n\n @media (max-width: 700px) {\n body {\n font-size: 17px;\n }\n\n article {\n padding-top: 52px;\n }\n\n h1 {\n font-size: clamp(2.6rem, 15vw, 4.2rem);\n }\n\n .model-figure {\n margin-top: 42px;\n margin-bottom: 54px;\n }\n\n .model-frame {\n border-radius: 10px;\n }\n\n blockquote,\n .coaching-sequence,\n .closing {\n padding: 22px;\n }\n\n .questions {\n padding: 22px 22px 18px 42px;\n }\n }\n\n @media print {\n body {\n background: var(--paper);\n font-size: 11pt;\n }\n\n .site-header,\n .site-footer,\n .related-post {\n display: none;\n }\n\n article {\n width: 100%;\n padding: 0;\n }\n\n .model-figure {\n width: 100%;\n margin-left: 0;\n transform: none;\n }\n\n .model-frame,\n .closing {\n box-shadow: none;\n }\n\n h2,\n h3,\n .model-figure,\n blockquote {\n break-inside: avoid;\n }\n }\n <\/style>\n<\/head>\n<body>\n <header class=\"site-header\">\n <div class=\"header-inner\">\n <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"brand-logo\" src=\"salomons-coach-logo.png\" alt=\"Salomons.Coach\">\n <\/div>\n <\/header>\n\n <main>\n <article>\n <header class=\"article-header\">\n <p class=\"eyebrow\">Leadership coaching<\/p>\n <h1>De Leiderschapsijsberg<\/h1>\n <p class=\"deck\">What really drives behaviour and communication?<\/p>\n <div class=\"title-rule\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n <\/header>\n\n <p class=\"lead\">When people experience someone\u2019s leadership, they mainly see what happens above the surface.<\/p>\n\n <p>They notice what the leader says, how they react to difficult news, whether they listen, which decisions they make and whether they keep their promises. These visible moments influence trust, engagement and performance.<\/p>\n\n <p>But they are only the tip of the iceberg.<\/p>\n\n <p>Beneath every visible response lies a combination of assumptions, emotions, values, needs, beliefs, experiences and organisational pressures. In my leadership coaching, I use the iceberg model to help leaders understand how these internal processes shape what other people eventually see and hear.<\/p>\n\n <p>It enables us to move beyond the question, \u201cWhat should I do differently?\u201d and explore the more powerful question:<\/p>\n\n <blockquote>\n <p>\u201cWhat is happening beneath the surface that makes me respond this way?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/blockquote>\n\n <style>\n .sc-iceberg-figure {\n display: block !important;\n clear: both;\n float: none !important;\n position: relative;\n left: auto !important;\n width: 100% !important;\n max-width: 1200px !important;\n margin: 48px auto 64px !important;\n padding: 0 !important;\n transform: none !important;\n }\n\n .sc-iceberg-frame {\n width: 100%;\n overflow: hidden;\n background: #ffffff;\n border: 1px solid #d9e2eb;\n border-radius: 18px;\n box-shadow: 0 18px 50px rgba(6, 29, 59, 0.10);\n }\n\n .sc-iceberg-frame img {\n display: block !important;\n float: none !important;\n width: 100% !important;\n max-width: 100% !important;\n height: auto !important;\n margin: 0 auto !important;\n padding: 0 !important;\n object-fit: contain;\n }\n\n .sc-iceberg-figure figcaption {\n display: block;\n width: 100%;\n max-width: 900px;\n margin: 18px auto 0;\n padding: 0 16px;\n color: #627386;\n font-size: 15px;\n line-height: 1.55;\n text-align: center;\n }\n\n @media (max-width: 700px) {\n .sc-iceberg-figure {\n margin-top: 36px !important;\n margin-bottom: 48px !important;\n }\n\n .sc-iceberg-frame {\n border-radius: 10px;\n }\n }\n<\/style>\n\n<figure class=\"sc-iceberg-figure\">\n <div class=\"sc-iceberg-frame\">\n <img decoding=\"async\"\n src=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Leadership_Iceberg_Coaching_Model_Salomons_Coach_With_Logo.png\"\n alt=\"Leadership iceberg model showing behaviour and communication above the waterline and the internal leadership drivers below it.\"\n loading=\"lazy\"\n >\n <\/div>\n\n <figcaption>\n The Leadership Iceberg: visible behaviour and communication are shaped\n by deeper internal drivers. Coaching moves from observing impact to\n exploring underlying patterns and choosing a deliberate response.\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n <section id=\"above-the-waterline\">\n <h2>Above the waterline: what others experience<\/h2>\n\n <p>The visible part of the leadership iceberg contains two closely connected elements.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Behaviour and decisions<\/h3>\n\n <p>This includes what a leader does, or does not do:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>Setting priorities<\/li>\n <li>Making decisions<\/li>\n <li>Delegating responsibility<\/li>\n <li>Giving feedback<\/li>\n <li>Responding to mistakes<\/li>\n <li>Managing conflict<\/li>\n <li>Following through on commitments<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>These actions communicate what really matters. A leader may say that experimentation is encouraged, for example, but react critically when the first experiment fails. Employees will usually believe the visible behaviour more than the stated intention.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Communication and tone<\/h3>\n\n <p>Communication includes much more than words. Employees also notice:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>Whether the leader listens or interrupts<\/li>\n <li>Which questions they ask<\/li>\n <li>Their tone, facial expression and body language<\/li>\n <li>How transparently they communicate<\/li>\n <li>What they repeatedly emphasise<\/li>\n <li>What they avoid discussing<\/li>\n <li>How they respond under pressure<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>Even silence communicates. When a leader does not address an important concern, employees will often create their own explanation.<\/p>\n\n <p>Because leaders have formal authority, their behaviour and communication are amplified. A brief dismissive response can reduce psychological safety across an entire team. A calm and curious response to difficult news can encourage honesty and shared responsibility.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n <section id=\"beneath-the-waterline\">\n <h2>Beneath the waterline: what shapes the response<\/h2>\n\n <p>The larger part of the iceberg is less visible. Some of it may also be outside the leader\u2019s immediate awareness.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Interpretation and assumptions<\/h3>\n\n <p>Leaders do not respond directly to reality. They respond to their interpretation of it.<\/p>\n\n <p>A missed deadline might be interpreted as a lack of commitment, poor planning, insufficient capability or a sign that the workload is unrealistic. Each interpretation invites a different response.<\/p>\n\n <p>In coaching, I therefore help leaders separate observation from interpretation:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>What actually happened?<\/li>\n <li>What meaning did you give it?<\/li>\n <li>What did you assume about the other person?<\/li>\n <li>Which alternative explanations might also be possible?<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>This distinction can fundamentally change a conversation.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Emotions and triggers<\/h3>\n\n <p>Pressure, uncertainty and conflict activate emotional responses. A leader may feel anxious, frustrated, disappointed, threatened or powerless\u2014even when the only visible sign is a sharper tone, withdrawal or increased control.<\/p>\n\n <p>Emotions are not leadership failures. They provide information about what a person perceives to be important or at risk.<\/p>\n\n <p>When a leader can notice, \u201cI am becoming anxious, and my instinct is to take control,\u201d a small but important space appears between the trigger and the response. Inside that space, the leader has a choice.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Values and needs<\/h3>\n\n <p>Leaders are influenced by what they value and need. This might include fairness, achievement, stability, autonomy, recognition, belonging or trust.<\/p>\n\n <p>A strong desire for reliability may lead to useful structure and clarity. Under pressure, the same desire may become excessive monitoring. A commitment to harmony may help a leader build relationships, but it may also make necessary conflict more difficult.<\/p>\n\n <p>The value itself is usually not the problem. The question is whether the leader is expressing it consciously and constructively.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Identity and beliefs<\/h3>\n\n <p>At a deeper level, leaders carry beliefs about themselves, other people and leadership:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>\u201cA good leader always has the answer.\u201d<\/li>\n <li>\u201cShowing doubt will undermine confidence.\u201d<\/li>\n <li>\u201cIf I do not stay in control, quality will suffer.\u201d<\/li>\n <li>\u201cConflict damages relationships.\u201d<\/li>\n <li>\u201cPeople cannot be trusted until they have proved themselves.\u201d<\/li>\n <li>\u201cI am responsible for solving every problem.\u201d<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>These beliefs operate like internal leadership scripts. They influence which behaviours feel natural, uncomfortable or impossible.<\/p>\n\n <p>Leadership development becomes more sustainable when leaders learn to recognise and examine these scripts instead of automatically following them.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Purpose, experience and system context<\/h3>\n\n <p>At the base of the iceberg lie formative experiences, personal purpose and the environment in which the leader works.<\/p>\n\n <p>Previous successes and failures shape current expectations. Organisational culture, incentives, workload, hierarchy and senior-management pressure also influence behaviour.<\/p>\n\n <p>What appears to be an individual communication problem may therefore be partly sustained by the surrounding system. I use the iceberg model to explore this interaction\u2014not to psychoanalyse or blame the leader.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n <section id=\"coaching\">\n <h2>How I use the model in leadership coaching<\/h2>\n\n <p>I usually begin with a specific leadership moment: a difficult conversation, a decision that created resistance, feedback that was not well received or a situation in which the leader became more controlling or withdrawn.<\/p>\n\n <p>We first examine the visible layer:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>What did you do?<\/li>\n <li>What did you say?<\/li>\n <li>What did other people observe?<\/li>\n <li>What was the effect?<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>We then move beneath the waterline:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>What did you believe was happening?<\/li>\n <li>What were you feeling?<\/li>\n <li>What were you trying to achieve, protect or avoid?<\/li>\n <li>Which value or need was important to you?<\/li>\n <li>Which belief about leadership influenced your response?<\/li>\n <li>How did the organisational context contribute?<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>Finally, we return above the surface and consider a more deliberate response.<\/p>\n\n <div class=\"coaching-sequence\">\n <p><strong>Observe \u2192 Explore \u2192 Choose<\/strong><\/p>\n <p>This movement\u2014downward into awareness and back upward into choice\u2014is where much of the coaching value lies. Insight alone is not enough. The insight must eventually become visible through different behaviour and communication.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n <section id=\"hurdles\">\n <h2>The initial hurdles leaders need to overcome<\/h2>\n\n <p>Using the iceberg model can appear straightforward. In practice, however, looking beneath the surface asks something different of leaders.<\/p>\n\n <p>Leaders are usually accustomed to analysing external problems, making decisions and creating solutions. They may be less accustomed to examining their own internal processes. Several initial hurdles commonly emerge during coaching.<\/p>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Separating observation from interpretation<\/h3>\n <p>One of the first challenges is distinguishing what happened from the meaning the leader gave it.<\/p>\n <p>\u201cMy team is resistant\u201d is an interpretation. \u201cThree team members questioned the proposed timetable\u201d is an observation.<\/p>\n <p>When the two are treated as the same, assumptions quickly become facts. Coaching helps the leader slow down and consider other possible explanations.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Slowing down automatic reactions<\/h3>\n <p>Leadership often requires speed, but speed can also make habitual reactions difficult to see.<\/p>\n <p>A leader may move almost instantly from feeling challenged to defending a decision, or from sensing risk to increasing control. The iceberg model asks the leader to pause long enough to notice what happened between the trigger and the visible response.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Accepting vulnerability<\/h3>\n <p>Exploring fear, uncertainty, identity or unmet needs can initially feel uncomfortable. This is particularly true for leaders who believe that leadership requires constant confidence and certainty.<\/p>\n <p>Recognising anxiety or doubt does not make someone a weaker leader. It makes it possible to prevent those emotions from unconsciously directing their behaviour.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Moving beyond intellectual analysis<\/h3>\n <p>Some leaders understand the model conceptually but continue to approach it as another analytical exercise. They can explain a pattern without fully connecting with the emotion, physical response or underlying need involved.<\/p>\n <p>Coaching therefore needs to move beyond \u201cI understand why I do this\u201d towards \u201cI can recognise when it is happening and make a different choice.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Owning impact without becoming defensive<\/h3>\n <p>It can be difficult to accept that a positive intention produced a negative effect.<\/p>\n <p>A leader may have wanted to protect quality, create clarity or maintain momentum. Their team may nevertheless have experienced their behaviour as controlling, dismissive or impatient.<\/p>\n <p>The iceberg model does not invalidate the leader\u2019s intention. It helps them hold intention and impact together.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Avoiding self-judgement<\/h3>\n <p>Discovering a limiting belief or reactive pattern can lead to embarrassment or self-criticism. That usually reduces openness and learning.<\/p>\n <p>The aim is not to label the response as good or bad. It is to understand what the pattern was trying to achieve, whether it remains helpful and what alternative is now available.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Not using the model to diagnose other people<\/h3>\n <p>The iceberg model is most useful as a tool for self-reflection. Leaders may initially be tempted to speculate about what lies beneath another person\u2019s behaviour.<\/p>\n <p>Those assumptions should be converted into questions rather than presented as facts. Curiosity creates dialogue; amateur diagnosis usually closes it down.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Recognising the influence of the system<\/h3>\n <p>Not every leadership difficulty is caused by an individual belief or emotional trigger. Workload, competing targets, organisational culture, incentives and senior-management expectations can all reinforce certain behaviours.<\/p>\n <p>Effective coaching examines both the person and the environment in which the behaviour occurs.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Turning insight into visible change<\/h3>\n <p>A final hurdle is translating awareness into action.<\/p>\n <p>A leader may reach an important insight during coaching, but the people around them can only experience development when it becomes visible. The session therefore needs to end with a concrete behavioural experiment: a different question, a clearer conversation, a delegated decision or a new response to disagreement.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <p>The first objective is not to take the leader as deep as possible. It is to create enough safety, curiosity and precision for honest reflection\u2014while maintaining responsibility for the leader\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n <section id=\"example\">\n <h2>A recurring pattern in coaching<\/h2>\n\n <p>Consider a team that challenges an important change.<\/p>\n\n <p>A leader may interpret the questions as resistance. This triggers anxiety about losing momentum. The leader values decisiveness and believes that a strong leader should project certainty. They therefore cut the discussion short and communicate the decision more forcefully.<\/p>\n\n <p>Employees see impatience and limited openness. They become quieter, which the leader may then interpret as disengagement or a lack of ownership. The pattern reinforces itself.<\/p>\n\n <p>In coaching, we can slow this sequence down. A more conscious response might be:<\/p>\n\n <blockquote>\n <p>\u201cI notice that I am interpreting these questions as resistance. I feel pressure to move quickly, and that is making me less open. Let me clarify what has already been decided, what remains open and which risks you believe we need to consider.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/blockquote>\n\n <p>The leader has not surrendered authority. They have made their internal process more conscious and converted it into clearer leadership.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n <section id=\"outcomes\">\n <h2>Outcomes I have seen with clients<\/h2>\n\n <p>With some of my clients, working with the iceberg model has contributed to meaningful changes in how they lead.<\/p>\n\n <p>Leaders have become better able to:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>Recognise emotional triggers before reacting<\/li>\n <li>Distinguish facts from assumptions<\/li>\n <li>Handle disagreement without immediately becoming defensive<\/li>\n <li>Replace micromanagement with clearer expectations and accountability<\/li>\n <li>Delegate with greater confidence<\/li>\n <li>Address difficult issues earlier and more directly<\/li>\n <li>Explain the reasoning behind decisions more transparently<\/li>\n <li>Remain curious and present during challenging conversations<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>These individual changes can also affect the wider team. When leaders become less reactive and more transparent, employees are often more willing to speak openly, raise concerns and take responsibility. Conversations become more constructive, and disagreements are less likely to become personal or remain unresolved.<\/p>\n\n <p>The outcomes are not created by the model alone. The model provides a language and structure for the deeper reflection, experimentation and practice that development requires.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n <section id=\"questions\">\n <h2>Five questions leaders can use<\/h2>\n\n <p>Leaders can apply the iceberg model by asking themselves:<\/p>\n\n <ol class=\"questions\">\n <li><strong>What was observable?<\/strong><br>Describe the behaviour and communication without immediately judging them.<\/li>\n <li><strong>What interpretation did I make?<\/strong><br>Separate facts from assumptions and consider other possible explanations.<\/li>\n <li><strong>What was I feeling or protecting?<\/strong><br>Identify the emotion, need, value or perceived risk behind the response.<\/li>\n <li><strong>Which leadership belief was active?<\/strong><br>Ask what you believed you had to do, prove or prevent in that moment.<\/li>\n <li><strong>What response would better serve my purpose?<\/strong><br>Choose behaviour that fits both the situation and the leader you want to be.<\/li>\n <\/ol>\n <\/section>\n\n <section class=\"closing\" id=\"conclusion\">\n <h2>Leadership development happens below the surface<\/h2>\n\n <p>Visible behaviour matters. Leaders remain responsible for their actions, words and impact.<\/p>\n\n <p>But sustainable change rarely comes from correcting behaviour alone. Telling a leader to \u201clisten more,\u201d \u201cdelegate better\u201d or \u201cbe less controlling\u201d may address the symptom without changing the internal process that repeatedly produces it.<\/p>\n\n <p>The iceberg model adds the necessary depth. It helps leaders connect what they do with how they interpret, feel, believe and respond to their environment.<\/p>\n\n <p>The aim is not to eliminate emotion or perfectly understand every internal process. It is to become sufficiently aware of what is happening beneath the surface to make a more deliberate choice above it.<\/p>\n\n <p>For me, that is at the heart of mature leadership: not leading without pressure, assumptions or emotion, but recognising their influence\u2014and consciously choosing what happens next.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n <a class=\"related-post\" href=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/why-conversations-get-stuck\/\">\n <small>Related article<\/small>\n <strong>Why Conversations Get Stuck: The Three Layers of Communication<\/strong>\n <\/a>\n <\/article>\n <\/main>\n\n <footer class=\"site-footer\">\n <p>Salomons.Coach \u00b7 Leadership coaching<\/p>\n <\/footer>\n<\/body>\n<\/html>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wat leiders zeggen en doen is slechts het zichtbare tipje van de ijsberg. Dit bericht verkent de aannames, emoties, waarden en overtuigingen onder leiderschapsgedrag, en hoe coaching leiders helpt om dieper bewustzijn om te zetten in bewuste communicatie en blijvende verandering.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,195,193,199],"tags":[441,23,72,366,214,209,148,120,82,381],"class_list":["post-12982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-organizations-culture","category-self-personal-growth","category-tools-methods","tag-change","tag-coaching","tag-leadership","tag-leadership-behavior","tag-psychological-safety","tag-reflection","tag-self-awareness","tag-tools","tag-vuca","tag-vuca-leadership"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"salomons.coach\"\/>\n\t<meta name=\"google-site-verification\" content=\"-O4Usq8B4QhcjoRwcNVgdzzVlQNLiDAw2Hy2bNYQhTk\" \/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO Pro (AIOSEO) 5.0.0.1\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"nl_NL\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"salomons.coach - Leadership Development & Coaching\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FS1904_JanXLGrowth_216-Jan-Salomons-no-background.png\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:secure_url\" content=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FS1904_JanXLGrowth_216-Jan-Salomons-no-background.png\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-17T13:02:12+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-17T19:07:53+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Jan.salomons.75\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@salomons_coach\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@salomons_coach\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FS1904_JanXLGrowth_216-Jan-Salomons-no-background.png\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BlogPosting\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#blogposting\",\"name\":\"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach\",\"headline\":\"The Leadership Iceberg\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/author\\\/salomons-coach\\\/#author\"},\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Leadership_Iceberg_Blog_Hero_Salomons_Coach_V3.png\",\"width\":1672,\"height\":941},\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-17T14:02:12+01:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-17T20:07:53+01:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"nl-NL\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Blog, Organizations & Culture, Self & Personal Growth, Tools & Methods, change, coaching, leadership, leadership behavior, psychological safety, reflection, self-awareness, tools, VUCA, VUCA leadership\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/category\\\/self-personal-growth\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Self & Personal Growth\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/category\\\/self-personal-growth\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Self & Personal Growth\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/category\\\/self-personal-growth\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"The Leadership Iceberg\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Leadership Iceberg\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/category\\\/self-personal-growth\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Self & Personal Growth\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"salomons.coach Leadership Development & Coaching salomons.coach\",\"description\":\"Leadership Development & Coaching leadership development and coaching, change, culture, operations excellence\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/\",\"email\":\"jan@salomons.coach\",\"telephone\":\"+31653897567\",\"foundingDate\":\"2018-06-01\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":0,\"maxValue\":10},\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/Logo-salomons.coach_.png\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#organizationLogo\",\"width\":369,\"height\":152},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#organizationLogo\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/Jan.salomons.75\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/@salomons_coach\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/salomons.coach\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/jansalomons\"],\"address\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/#postaladdress\",\"@type\":\"PostalAddress\",\"streetAddress\":\"Jonathan 4\",\"postalCode\":\"6662 JK\",\"addressLocality\":\"Elst\",\"addressRegion\":\"Gelderland\",\"addressCountry\":\"NL\"},\"vatID\":\"NL858997198B01\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/author\\\/salomons-coach\\\/#author\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/author\\\/salomons-coach\\\/\",\"name\":\"salomons.coach\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/03\\\/Jan-Salomons.Coach-incl-logo-on-shirt-pocket.png\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/jansalomons\\\/\"],\"description\":\"\\u00a0 Jan Salomons is an executive coach, leadership development expert, and trusted advisor to senior leaders navigating complexity, change, and disruption. With more than 35 years of international leadership and management experience, Jan has held executive and managing director roles in complex, operationally intensive environments, including global logistics and high-tech manufacturing. He currently works at the intersection of leadership, transformation, and execution, combining strategic clarity with deep operational realism. Jan specializes in supporting leaders and leadership teams facing moments that matter: organizational change, increased pressure, loss of direction, declining trust, or career transitions such as redundancy. His work focuses on strengthening self-leadership, decision-making, accountability, and team effectiveness in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) contexts. Known for his calm presence and sharp questioning, Jan helps leaders move from reflection to action \\u2014 without simplification or theatrics. His approach is grounded in evidence-based coaching, real-world experience, and a strong belief that sustainable performance starts with leaders who can lead themselves. Jan is a fully trained Co-Active Coach. Jan is the founder of Salomons.Coach and a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. He regularly writes and speaks on leadership, resilience, and navigating work and careers in times of uncertainty.\",\"jobTitle\":\"Leadership Trainer\\\/Coach\",\"alumniOf\":[{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"Warwick University - Business School - Executive MBA\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wbs.ac.uk\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"Coaching Training Institute (CTI)\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coactive.com\\\/global\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"HBR Advisory Council\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hbr.org\\\/advisory-council\"},{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"Pedagogical Technical University (HBO)\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fontys.nl\\\/Home.htm\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach\",\"description\":\"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.\",\"inLanguage\":\"nl-NL\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#breadcrumblist\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/author\\\/salomons-coach\\\/#author\"},\"creator\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/author\\\/salomons-coach\\\/#author\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Leadership_Iceberg_Blog_Hero_Salomons_Coach_V3.png\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#mainImage\",\"width\":1672,\"height\":941},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#mainImage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-17T14:02:12+01:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-17T20:07:53+01:00\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/\",\"name\":\"salomons.coach\",\"alternateName\":\"salomons.coach\",\"description\":\"Leadership Development & Coaching\",\"inLanguage\":\"nl-NL\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/#organization\"}}]}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\r\n\t\t<title>The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach<\/title>\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach","description":"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.","canonical_url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/","robots":"max-image-preview:large","keywords":"","webmasterTools":{"google-site-verification":"-O4Usq8B4QhcjoRwcNVgdzzVlQNLiDAw2Hy2bNYQhTk","miscellaneous":""},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#blogposting","name":"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach","headline":"The Leadership Iceberg","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/author\/salomons-coach\/#author"},"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/#organization"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Leadership_Iceberg_Blog_Hero_Salomons_Coach_V3.png","width":1672,"height":941},"datePublished":"2026-08-17T14:02:12+01:00","dateModified":"2026-08-17T20:07:53+01:00","inLanguage":"nl-NL","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#webpage"},"articleSection":"Blog, Organizations & Culture, Self & Personal Growth, Tools & Methods, change, coaching, leadership, leadership behavior, psychological safety, reflection, self-awareness, tools, VUCA, VUCA leadership"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl#listItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/category\/self-personal-growth\/#listItem","name":"Self & Personal Growth"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/category\/self-personal-growth\/#listItem","position":2,"name":"Self & Personal Growth","item":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/category\/self-personal-growth\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#listItem","name":"The Leadership Iceberg"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl#listItem","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#listItem","position":3,"name":"The Leadership Iceberg","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/category\/self-personal-growth\/#listItem","name":"Self & Personal Growth"}}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/#organization","name":"salomons.coach Leadership Development & Coaching salomons.coach","description":"Leadership Development & Coaching leadership development and coaching, change, culture, operations excellence","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/","email":"jan@salomons.coach","telephone":"+31653897567","foundingDate":"2018-06-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":0,"maxValue":10},"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Logo-salomons.coach_.png","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#organizationLogo","width":369,"height":152},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#organizationLogo"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Jan.salomons.75","https:\/\/x.com\/@salomons_coach","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/salomons.coach\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jansalomons"],"address":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/#postaladdress","@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"Jonathan 4","postalCode":"6662 JK","addressLocality":"Elst","addressRegion":"Gelderland","addressCountry":"NL"},"vatID":"NL858997198B01"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/author\/salomons-coach\/#author","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/author\/salomons-coach\/","name":"salomons.coach","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Jan-Salomons.Coach-incl-logo-on-shirt-pocket.png"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jansalomons\/"],"description":"\u00a0 Jan Salomons is an executive coach, leadership development expert, and trusted advisor to senior leaders navigating complexity, change, and disruption. With more than 35 years of international leadership and management experience, Jan has held executive and managing director roles in complex, operationally intensive environments, including global logistics and high-tech manufacturing. He currently works at the intersection of leadership, transformation, and execution, combining strategic clarity with deep operational realism. Jan specializes in supporting leaders and leadership teams facing moments that matter: organizational change, increased pressure, loss of direction, declining trust, or career transitions such as redundancy. His work focuses on strengthening self-leadership, decision-making, accountability, and team effectiveness in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) contexts. Known for his calm presence and sharp questioning, Jan helps leaders move from reflection to action \u2014 without simplification or theatrics. His approach is grounded in evidence-based coaching, real-world experience, and a strong belief that sustainable performance starts with leaders who can lead themselves. Jan is a fully trained Co-Active Coach. Jan is the founder of Salomons.Coach and a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. He regularly writes and speaks on leadership, resilience, and navigating work and careers in times of uncertainty.","jobTitle":"Leadership Trainer\/Coach","alumniOf":[{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"Warwick University - Business School - Executive MBA","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.wbs.ac.uk\/"},{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"Coaching Training Institute (CTI)","sameAs":"https:\/\/coactive.com\/global\/"},{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"HBR Advisory Council","sameAs":"https:\/\/hbr.org\/advisory-council"},{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"Pedagogical Technical University (HBO)","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.fontys.nl\/Home.htm"}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/","name":"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach","description":"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.","inLanguage":"nl-NL","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#breadcrumblist"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/author\/salomons-coach\/#author"},"creator":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/author\/salomons-coach\/#author"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Leadership_Iceberg_Blog_Hero_Salomons_Coach_V3.png","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#mainImage","width":1672,"height":941},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#mainImage"},"datePublished":"2026-08-17T14:02:12+01:00","dateModified":"2026-08-17T20:07:53+01:00"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/#website","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/","name":"salomons.coach","alternateName":"salomons.coach","description":"Leadership Development & Coaching","inLanguage":"nl-NL","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/#organization"}}]},"og:locale":"nl_NL","og:site_name":"salomons.coach - Leadership Development & Coaching","og:type":"article","og:title":"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach","og:description":"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.","og:url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/","og:image":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FS1904_JanXLGrowth_216-Jan-Salomons-no-background.png","og:image:secure_url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FS1904_JanXLGrowth_216-Jan-Salomons-no-background.png","og:image:width":1024,"og:image:height":683,"article:published_time":"2026-08-17T13:02:12+00:00","article:modified_time":"2026-08-17T19:07:53+00:00","article:publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Jan.salomons.75","twitter:card":"summary_large_image","twitter:site":"@salomons_coach","twitter:title":"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach","twitter:description":"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.","twitter:creator":"@salomons_coach","twitter:image":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FS1904_JanXLGrowth_216-Jan-Salomons-no-background.png"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"12982","title":"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach","description":"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.","keywords":null,"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"Leadership Iceberg model","score":0,"analysis":[]},"additional":[{"keyphrase":"Leadership coaching","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Leadership behaviour and communication","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Self-awareness for leaders","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Leadership development","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Emotional triggers in leadership","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Leadership beliefs and assumptions","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Conscious leadership","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Executive coaching","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Psychological safety in leadership","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Sustainable leadership change","score":0}]},"primary_term":{"category":193},"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"BlogPosting","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"seo_analyzer_scan_date":"2026-08-17 19:08:09","breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"reviewed_by":"0","open_ai":null,"ai":{"faqs":[],"keyPoints":[],"schemas":[],"titles":[],"descriptions":[],"socialPosts":{"email":{"subject":"","preview":"","content":""},"linkedin":[],"twitter":[],"facebook":[],"instagram":[]}},"created":"2026-08-07 18:58:51","updated":"2026-08-17 19:08:09","focus_keyword":"Leadership Iceberg model","additional_keywords":[{"word":"Leadership coaching","score":92,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":9},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":9},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":9}}},{"word":"Leadership behaviour and communication","score":83,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":9},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":9}}},{"word":"Self-awareness for leaders","score":68,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}},{"word":"Leadership development","score":73,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":9}}},{"word":"Emotional triggers in leadership","score":68,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}},{"word":"Leadership beliefs and assumptions","score":78,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":9},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}},{"word":"Conscious leadership","score":73,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":9}}},{"word":"Executive coaching","score":68,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}},{"word":"Psychological safety in leadership","score":68,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}},{"word":"Sustainable leadership change","score":68,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}}],"truseo_locale":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/category\/self-personal-growth\/\" title=\"Self & Personal Growth\">Self & Personal Growth<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\tThe Leadership Iceberg\n<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl"},{"label":"Self & Personal Growth","link":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/category\/self-personal-growth\/"},{"label":"The Leadership Iceberg","link":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12982"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13062,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12982\/revisions\/13062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\n \n \n \n The Leadership Iceberg | Salomons.Coach<\/title>\n <style>\n :root {\n --navy: #061d3b;\n --blue: #4f81bd;\n --blue-dark: #243f60;\n --ice: #d3dfee;\n --ice-light: #eef4fa;\n --gold: #e5b44a;\n --ink: #1c2b3a;\n --muted: #627386;\n --paper: #ffffff;\n --canvas: #f4f7fa;\n --line: #d9e2eb;\n --shadow: 0 18px 50px rgba(6, 29, 59, 0.10);\n }\n\n * {\n box-sizing: border-box;\n }\n\n html {\n scroll-behavior: smooth;\n }\n\n body {\n margin: 0;\n color: var(--ink);\n background: var(--canvas);\n font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\n font-size: 18px;\n line-height: 1.72;\n text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;\n }\n\n img {\n display: block;\n max-width: 100%;\n }\n\n .site-header {\n background: var(--paper);\n border-bottom: 3px solid var(--gold);\n }\n\n .header-inner {\n width: min(1120px, calc(100% - 40px));\n margin: 0 auto;\n padding: 24px 0 21px;\n }\n\n .brand-logo {\n width: min(340px, 78vw);\n height: auto;\n }\n\n main {\n overflow: hidden;\n }\n\n article {\n width: min(820px, calc(100% - 40px));\n margin: 0 auto;\n padding: 76px 0 96px;\n }\n\n .eyebrow {\n margin: 0 0 18px;\n color: var(--blue);\n font-size: 0.78rem;\n font-weight: 700;\n letter-spacing: 0.17em;\n text-transform: uppercase;\n }\n\n h1,\n h2,\n h3 {\n color: var(--navy);\n font-weight: 700;\n letter-spacing: -0.025em;\n }\n\n h1 {\n max-width: 780px;\n margin: 0;\n font-size: clamp(2.8rem, 7vw, 5.25rem);\n line-height: 0.98;\n }\n\n .deck {\n max-width: 700px;\n margin: 28px 0 0;\n color: var(--blue-dark);\n font-size: clamp(1.15rem, 2vw, 1.42rem);\n line-height: 1.45;\n }\n\n .title-rule {\n width: 86px;\n height: 4px;\n margin: 34px 0 44px;\n background: var(--gold);\n }\n\n .lead {\n color: var(--blue-dark);\n font-size: 1.22rem;\n line-height: 1.65;\n }\n\n p {\n margin: 0 0 1.3em;\n }\n\n h2 {\n position: relative;\n margin: 3.2em 0 0.9em;\n padding-top: 18px;\n font-size: clamp(1.8rem, 4vw, 2.55rem);\n line-height: 1.14;\n }\n\n h2::before {\n position: absolute;\n top: 0;\n left: 0;\n width: 58px;\n height: 3px;\n background: var(--gold);\n content: \"\";\n }\n\n h3 {\n margin: 2.25em 0 0.55em;\n font-size: 1.38rem;\n line-height: 1.25;\n }\n\n ul,\n ol {\n margin: 0.4em 0 1.8em;\n padding-left: 1.3em;\n }\n\n li {\n margin: 0.45em 0;\n padding-left: 0.25em;\n }\n\n li::marker {\n color: var(--gold);\n font-weight: 700;\n }\n\n blockquote {\n margin: 2.1em 0;\n padding: 24px 28px;\n color: var(--navy);\n background: var(--ice-light);\n border-left: 5px solid var(--gold);\n font-size: 1.2rem;\n font-style: italic;\n line-height: 1.55;\n }\n\n blockquote p:last-child {\n margin-bottom: 0;\n }\n\n .model-figure {\n width: min(1200px, calc(100vw - 32px));\n margin: 58px 0 72px 50%;\n transform: translateX(-50%);\n }\n\n .model-frame {\n overflow: hidden;\n background: var(--paper);\n border: 1px solid var(--line);\n border-radius: 18px;\n box-shadow: var(--shadow);\n }\n\n .model-frame img {\n width: 100%;\n height: auto;\n }\n\n figcaption {\n max-width: 900px;\n margin: 18px auto 0;\n color: var(--muted);\n font-size: 0.88rem;\n line-height: 1.55;\n text-align: center;\n }\n\n .coaching-sequence {\n margin: 2.2em 0;\n padding: 28px;\n background: var(--navy);\n border-radius: 14px;\n color: var(--paper);\n }\n\n .coaching-sequence strong {\n color: var(--gold);\n }\n\n .coaching-sequence p:last-child {\n margin-bottom: 0;\n }\n\n .hurdle {\n padding: 20px 0;\n border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line);\n }\n\n .hurdle:last-child {\n border-bottom: 0;\n }\n\n .hurdle h3 {\n margin-top: 0;\n }\n\n .hurdle p:last-child {\n margin-bottom: 0;\n }\n\n .questions {\n margin-top: 1.5em;\n padding: 26px 30px 22px 52px;\n background: var(--ice-light);\n border-radius: 14px;\n }\n\n .questions li {\n margin-bottom: 1em;\n }\n\n .questions strong {\n color: var(--navy);\n }\n\n .closing {\n margin-top: 4em;\n padding: 34px;\n background: var(--paper);\n border-top: 4px solid var(--gold);\n box-shadow: var(--shadow);\n }\n\n .closing h2 {\n margin-top: 0;\n }\n\n .closing h2::before {\n display: none;\n }\n\n .closing p:last-child {\n margin-bottom: 0;\n }\n\n .related-post {\n display: block;\n margin-top: 30px;\n padding: 26px 28px;\n color: var(--paper);\n background: var(--navy);\n border-radius: 14px;\n text-decoration: none;\n transition: transform 160ms ease, box-shadow 160ms ease;\n }\n\n .related-post:hover,\n .related-post:focus-visible {\n transform: translateY(-2px);\n box-shadow: var(--shadow);\n }\n\n .related-post small {\n display: block;\n margin-bottom: 6px;\n color: var(--gold);\n font-weight: 700;\n letter-spacing: 0.12em;\n text-transform: uppercase;\n }\n\n .related-post strong {\n display: block;\n font-size: 1.2rem;\n line-height: 1.35;\n }\n\n .site-footer {\n padding: 42px 20px;\n color: var(--ice);\n background: var(--navy);\n text-align: center;\n }\n\n .site-footer p {\n margin: 0;\n font-size: 0.9rem;\n letter-spacing: 0.04em;\n }\n\n @media (max-width: 700px) {\n body {\n font-size: 17px;\n }\n\n article {\n padding-top: 52px;\n }\n\n h1 {\n font-size: clamp(2.6rem, 15vw, 4.2rem);\n }\n\n .model-figure {\n margin-top: 42px;\n margin-bottom: 54px;\n }\n\n .model-frame {\n border-radius: 10px;\n }\n\n blockquote,\n .coaching-sequence,\n .closing {\n padding: 22px;\n }\n\n .questions {\n padding: 22px 22px 18px 42px;\n }\n }\n\n @media print {\n body {\n background: var(--paper);\n font-size: 11pt;\n }\n\n .site-header,\n .site-footer,\n .related-post {\n display: none;\n }\n\n article {\n width: 100%;\n padding: 0;\n }\n\n .model-figure {\n width: 100%;\n margin-left: 0;\n transform: none;\n }\n\n .model-frame,\n .closing {\n box-shadow: none;\n }\n\n h2,\n h3,\n .model-figure,\n blockquote {\n break-inside: avoid;\n }\n }\n <\/style>\n<\/head>\n<body>\n <header class=\"site-header\">\n <div class=\"header-inner\">\n <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"brand-logo\" src=\"salomons-coach-logo.png\" alt=\"Salomons.Coach\">\n <\/div>\n <\/header>\n\n <main>\n <article>\n <header class=\"article-header\">\n <p class=\"eyebrow\">Leadership coaching<\/p>\n <h1>De Leiderschapsijsberg<\/h1>\n <p class=\"deck\">What really drives behaviour and communication?<\/p>\n <div class=\"title-rule\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n <\/header>\n\n <p class=\"lead\">When people experience someone\u2019s leadership, they mainly see what happens above the surface.<\/p>\n\n <p>They notice what the leader says, how they react to difficult news, whether they listen, which decisions they make and whether they keep their promises. These visible moments influence trust, engagement and performance.<\/p>\n\n <p>But they are only the tip of the iceberg.<\/p>\n\n <p>Beneath every visible response lies a combination of assumptions, emotions, values, needs, beliefs, experiences and organisational pressures. In my leadership coaching, I use the iceberg model to help leaders understand how these internal processes shape what other people eventually see and hear.<\/p>\n\n <p>It enables us to move beyond the question, \u201cWhat should I do differently?\u201d and explore the more powerful question:<\/p>\n\n <blockquote>\n <p>\u201cWhat is happening beneath the surface that makes me respond this way?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/blockquote>\n\n <style>\n .sc-iceberg-figure {\n display: block !important;\n clear: both;\n float: none !important;\n position: relative;\n left: auto !important;\n width: 100% !important;\n max-width: 1200px !important;\n margin: 48px auto 64px !important;\n padding: 0 !important;\n transform: none !important;\n }\n\n .sc-iceberg-frame {\n width: 100%;\n overflow: hidden;\n background: #ffffff;\n border: 1px solid #d9e2eb;\n border-radius: 18px;\n box-shadow: 0 18px 50px rgba(6, 29, 59, 0.10);\n }\n\n .sc-iceberg-frame img {\n display: block !important;\n float: none !important;\n width: 100% !important;\n max-width: 100% !important;\n height: auto !important;\n margin: 0 auto !important;\n padding: 0 !important;\n object-fit: contain;\n }\n\n .sc-iceberg-figure figcaption {\n display: block;\n width: 100%;\n max-width: 900px;\n margin: 18px auto 0;\n padding: 0 16px;\n color: #627386;\n font-size: 15px;\n line-height: 1.55;\n text-align: center;\n }\n\n @media (max-width: 700px) {\n .sc-iceberg-figure {\n margin-top: 36px !important;\n margin-bottom: 48px !important;\n }\n\n .sc-iceberg-frame {\n border-radius: 10px;\n }\n }\n<\/style>\n\n<figure class=\"sc-iceberg-figure\">\n <div class=\"sc-iceberg-frame\">\n <img decoding=\"async\"\n src=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Leadership_Iceberg_Coaching_Model_Salomons_Coach_With_Logo.png\"\n alt=\"Leadership iceberg model showing behaviour and communication above the waterline and the internal leadership drivers below it.\"\n loading=\"lazy\"\n >\n <\/div>\n\n <figcaption>\n The Leadership Iceberg: visible behaviour and communication are shaped\n by deeper internal drivers. Coaching moves from observing impact to\n exploring underlying patterns and choosing a deliberate response.\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n <section id=\"above-the-waterline\">\n <h2>Above the waterline: what others experience<\/h2>\n\n <p>The visible part of the leadership iceberg contains two closely connected elements.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Behaviour and decisions<\/h3>\n\n <p>This includes what a leader does, or does not do:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>Setting priorities<\/li>\n <li>Making decisions<\/li>\n <li>Delegating responsibility<\/li>\n <li>Giving feedback<\/li>\n <li>Responding to mistakes<\/li>\n <li>Managing conflict<\/li>\n <li>Following through on commitments<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>These actions communicate what really matters. A leader may say that experimentation is encouraged, for example, but react critically when the first experiment fails. Employees will usually believe the visible behaviour more than the stated intention.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Communication and tone<\/h3>\n\n <p>Communication includes much more than words. Employees also notice:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>Whether the leader listens or interrupts<\/li>\n <li>Which questions they ask<\/li>\n <li>Their tone, facial expression and body language<\/li>\n <li>How transparently they communicate<\/li>\n <li>What they repeatedly emphasise<\/li>\n <li>What they avoid discussing<\/li>\n <li>How they respond under pressure<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>Even silence communicates. When a leader does not address an important concern, employees will often create their own explanation.<\/p>\n\n <p>Because leaders have formal authority, their behaviour and communication are amplified. A brief dismissive response can reduce psychological safety across an entire team. A calm and curious response to difficult news can encourage honesty and shared responsibility.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n <section id=\"beneath-the-waterline\">\n <h2>Beneath the waterline: what shapes the response<\/h2>\n\n <p>The larger part of the iceberg is less visible. Some of it may also be outside the leader\u2019s immediate awareness.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Interpretation and assumptions<\/h3>\n\n <p>Leaders do not respond directly to reality. They respond to their interpretation of it.<\/p>\n\n <p>A missed deadline might be interpreted as a lack of commitment, poor planning, insufficient capability or a sign that the workload is unrealistic. Each interpretation invites a different response.<\/p>\n\n <p>In coaching, I therefore help leaders separate observation from interpretation:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>What actually happened?<\/li>\n <li>What meaning did you give it?<\/li>\n <li>What did you assume about the other person?<\/li>\n <li>Which alternative explanations might also be possible?<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>This distinction can fundamentally change a conversation.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Emotions and triggers<\/h3>\n\n <p>Pressure, uncertainty and conflict activate emotional responses. A leader may feel anxious, frustrated, disappointed, threatened or powerless\u2014even when the only visible sign is a sharper tone, withdrawal or increased control.<\/p>\n\n <p>Emotions are not leadership failures. They provide information about what a person perceives to be important or at risk.<\/p>\n\n <p>When a leader can notice, \u201cI am becoming anxious, and my instinct is to take control,\u201d a small but important space appears between the trigger and the response. Inside that space, the leader has a choice.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Values and needs<\/h3>\n\n <p>Leaders are influenced by what they value and need. This might include fairness, achievement, stability, autonomy, recognition, belonging or trust.<\/p>\n\n <p>A strong desire for reliability may lead to useful structure and clarity. Under pressure, the same desire may become excessive monitoring. A commitment to harmony may help a leader build relationships, but it may also make necessary conflict more difficult.<\/p>\n\n <p>The value itself is usually not the problem. The question is whether the leader is expressing it consciously and constructively.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Identity and beliefs<\/h3>\n\n <p>At a deeper level, leaders carry beliefs about themselves, other people and leadership:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>\u201cA good leader always has the answer.\u201d<\/li>\n <li>\u201cShowing doubt will undermine confidence.\u201d<\/li>\n <li>\u201cIf I do not stay in control, quality will suffer.\u201d<\/li>\n <li>\u201cConflict damages relationships.\u201d<\/li>\n <li>\u201cPeople cannot be trusted until they have proved themselves.\u201d<\/li>\n <li>\u201cI am responsible for solving every problem.\u201d<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>These beliefs operate like internal leadership scripts. They influence which behaviours feel natural, uncomfortable or impossible.<\/p>\n\n <p>Leadership development becomes more sustainable when leaders learn to recognise and examine these scripts instead of automatically following them.<\/p>\n\n <h3>Purpose, experience and system context<\/h3>\n\n <p>At the base of the iceberg lie formative experiences, personal purpose and the environment in which the leader works.<\/p>\n\n <p>Previous successes and failures shape current expectations. Organisational culture, incentives, workload, hierarchy and senior-management pressure also influence behaviour.<\/p>\n\n <p>What appears to be an individual communication problem may therefore be partly sustained by the surrounding system. I use the iceberg model to explore this interaction\u2014not to psychoanalyse or blame the leader.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n <section id=\"coaching\">\n <h2>How I use the model in leadership coaching<\/h2>\n\n <p>I usually begin with a specific leadership moment: a difficult conversation, a decision that created resistance, feedback that was not well received or a situation in which the leader became more controlling or withdrawn.<\/p>\n\n <p>We first examine the visible layer:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>What did you do?<\/li>\n <li>What did you say?<\/li>\n <li>What did other people observe?<\/li>\n <li>What was the effect?<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>We then move beneath the waterline:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>What did you believe was happening?<\/li>\n <li>What were you feeling?<\/li>\n <li>What were you trying to achieve, protect or avoid?<\/li>\n <li>Which value or need was important to you?<\/li>\n <li>Which belief about leadership influenced your response?<\/li>\n <li>How did the organisational context contribute?<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>Finally, we return above the surface and consider a more deliberate response.<\/p>\n\n <div class=\"coaching-sequence\">\n <p><strong>Observe \u2192 Explore \u2192 Choose<\/strong><\/p>\n <p>This movement\u2014downward into awareness and back upward into choice\u2014is where much of the coaching value lies. Insight alone is not enough. The insight must eventually become visible through different behaviour and communication.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n <section id=\"hurdles\">\n <h2>The initial hurdles leaders need to overcome<\/h2>\n\n <p>Using the iceberg model can appear straightforward. In practice, however, looking beneath the surface asks something different of leaders.<\/p>\n\n <p>Leaders are usually accustomed to analysing external problems, making decisions and creating solutions. They may be less accustomed to examining their own internal processes. Several initial hurdles commonly emerge during coaching.<\/p>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Separating observation from interpretation<\/h3>\n <p>One of the first challenges is distinguishing what happened from the meaning the leader gave it.<\/p>\n <p>\u201cMy team is resistant\u201d is an interpretation. \u201cThree team members questioned the proposed timetable\u201d is an observation.<\/p>\n <p>When the two are treated as the same, assumptions quickly become facts. Coaching helps the leader slow down and consider other possible explanations.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Slowing down automatic reactions<\/h3>\n <p>Leadership often requires speed, but speed can also make habitual reactions difficult to see.<\/p>\n <p>A leader may move almost instantly from feeling challenged to defending a decision, or from sensing risk to increasing control. The iceberg model asks the leader to pause long enough to notice what happened between the trigger and the visible response.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Accepting vulnerability<\/h3>\n <p>Exploring fear, uncertainty, identity or unmet needs can initially feel uncomfortable. This is particularly true for leaders who believe that leadership requires constant confidence and certainty.<\/p>\n <p>Recognising anxiety or doubt does not make someone a weaker leader. It makes it possible to prevent those emotions from unconsciously directing their behaviour.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Moving beyond intellectual analysis<\/h3>\n <p>Some leaders understand the model conceptually but continue to approach it as another analytical exercise. They can explain a pattern without fully connecting with the emotion, physical response or underlying need involved.<\/p>\n <p>Coaching therefore needs to move beyond \u201cI understand why I do this\u201d towards \u201cI can recognise when it is happening and make a different choice.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Owning impact without becoming defensive<\/h3>\n <p>It can be difficult to accept that a positive intention produced a negative effect.<\/p>\n <p>A leader may have wanted to protect quality, create clarity or maintain momentum. Their team may nevertheless have experienced their behaviour as controlling, dismissive or impatient.<\/p>\n <p>The iceberg model does not invalidate the leader\u2019s intention. It helps them hold intention and impact together.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Avoiding self-judgement<\/h3>\n <p>Discovering a limiting belief or reactive pattern can lead to embarrassment or self-criticism. That usually reduces openness and learning.<\/p>\n <p>The aim is not to label the response as good or bad. It is to understand what the pattern was trying to achieve, whether it remains helpful and what alternative is now available.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Not using the model to diagnose other people<\/h3>\n <p>The iceberg model is most useful as a tool for self-reflection. Leaders may initially be tempted to speculate about what lies beneath another person\u2019s behaviour.<\/p>\n <p>Those assumptions should be converted into questions rather than presented as facts. Curiosity creates dialogue; amateur diagnosis usually closes it down.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Recognising the influence of the system<\/h3>\n <p>Not every leadership difficulty is caused by an individual belief or emotional trigger. Workload, competing targets, organisational culture, incentives and senior-management expectations can all reinforce certain behaviours.<\/p>\n <p>Effective coaching examines both the person and the environment in which the behaviour occurs.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"hurdle\">\n <h3>Turning insight into visible change<\/h3>\n <p>A final hurdle is translating awareness into action.<\/p>\n <p>A leader may reach an important insight during coaching, but the people around them can only experience development when it becomes visible. The session therefore needs to end with a concrete behavioural experiment: a different question, a clearer conversation, a delegated decision or a new response to disagreement.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <p>The first objective is not to take the leader as deep as possible. It is to create enough safety, curiosity and precision for honest reflection\u2014while maintaining responsibility for the leader\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n <section id=\"example\">\n <h2>A recurring pattern in coaching<\/h2>\n\n <p>Consider a team that challenges an important change.<\/p>\n\n <p>A leader may interpret the questions as resistance. This triggers anxiety about losing momentum. The leader values decisiveness and believes that a strong leader should project certainty. They therefore cut the discussion short and communicate the decision more forcefully.<\/p>\n\n <p>Employees see impatience and limited openness. They become quieter, which the leader may then interpret as disengagement or a lack of ownership. The pattern reinforces itself.<\/p>\n\n <p>In coaching, we can slow this sequence down. A more conscious response might be:<\/p>\n\n <blockquote>\n <p>\u201cI notice that I am interpreting these questions as resistance. I feel pressure to move quickly, and that is making me less open. Let me clarify what has already been decided, what remains open and which risks you believe we need to consider.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/blockquote>\n\n <p>The leader has not surrendered authority. They have made their internal process more conscious and converted it into clearer leadership.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n <section id=\"outcomes\">\n <h2>Outcomes I have seen with clients<\/h2>\n\n <p>With some of my clients, working with the iceberg model has contributed to meaningful changes in how they lead.<\/p>\n\n <p>Leaders have become better able to:<\/p>\n\n <ul>\n <li>Recognise emotional triggers before reacting<\/li>\n <li>Distinguish facts from assumptions<\/li>\n <li>Handle disagreement without immediately becoming defensive<\/li>\n <li>Replace micromanagement with clearer expectations and accountability<\/li>\n <li>Delegate with greater confidence<\/li>\n <li>Address difficult issues earlier and more directly<\/li>\n <li>Explain the reasoning behind decisions more transparently<\/li>\n <li>Remain curious and present during challenging conversations<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n\n <p>These individual changes can also affect the wider team. When leaders become less reactive and more transparent, employees are often more willing to speak openly, raise concerns and take responsibility. Conversations become more constructive, and disagreements are less likely to become personal or remain unresolved.<\/p>\n\n <p>The outcomes are not created by the model alone. The model provides a language and structure for the deeper reflection, experimentation and practice that development requires.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n <section id=\"questions\">\n <h2>Five questions leaders can use<\/h2>\n\n <p>Leaders can apply the iceberg model by asking themselves:<\/p>\n\n <ol class=\"questions\">\n <li><strong>What was observable?<\/strong><br>Describe the behaviour and communication without immediately judging them.<\/li>\n <li><strong>What interpretation did I make?<\/strong><br>Separate facts from assumptions and consider other possible explanations.<\/li>\n <li><strong>What was I feeling or protecting?<\/strong><br>Identify the emotion, need, value or perceived risk behind the response.<\/li>\n <li><strong>Which leadership belief was active?<\/strong><br>Ask what you believed you had to do, prove or prevent in that moment.<\/li>\n <li><strong>What response would better serve my purpose?<\/strong><br>Choose behaviour that fits both the situation and the leader you want to be.<\/li>\n <\/ol>\n <\/section>\n\n <section class=\"closing\" id=\"conclusion\">\n <h2>Leadership development happens below the surface<\/h2>\n\n <p>Visible behaviour matters. Leaders remain responsible for their actions, words and impact.<\/p>\n\n <p>But sustainable change rarely comes from correcting behaviour alone. Telling a leader to \u201clisten more,\u201d \u201cdelegate better\u201d or \u201cbe less controlling\u201d may address the symptom without changing the internal process that repeatedly produces it.<\/p>\n\n <p>The iceberg model adds the necessary depth. It helps leaders connect what they do with how they interpret, feel, believe and respond to their environment.<\/p>\n\n <p>The aim is not to eliminate emotion or perfectly understand every internal process. It is to become sufficiently aware of what is happening beneath the surface to make a more deliberate choice above it.<\/p>\n\n <p>For me, that is at the heart of mature leadership: not leading without pressure, assumptions or emotion, but recognising their influence\u2014and consciously choosing what happens next.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n <a class=\"related-post\" href=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/why-conversations-get-stuck\/\">\n <small>Related article<\/small>\n <strong>Why Conversations Get Stuck: The Three Layers of Communication<\/strong>\n <\/a>\n <\/article>\n <\/main>\n\n <footer class=\"site-footer\">\n <p>Salomons.Coach \u00b7 Leadership coaching<\/p>\n <\/footer>\n<\/body>\n<\/html>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wat leiders zeggen en doen is slechts het zichtbare tipje van de ijsberg. Dit bericht verkent de aannames, emoties, waarden en overtuigingen onder leiderschapsgedrag, en hoe coaching leiders helpt om dieper bewustzijn om te zetten in bewuste communicatie en blijvende verandering.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,195,193,199],"tags":[441,23,72,366,214,209,148,120,82,381],"class_list":["post-12982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-organizations-culture","category-self-personal-growth","category-tools-methods","tag-change","tag-coaching","tag-leadership","tag-leadership-behavior","tag-psychological-safety","tag-reflection","tag-self-awareness","tag-tools","tag-vuca","tag-vuca-leadership"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"salomons.coach\"\/>\n\t<meta name=\"google-site-verification\" content=\"-O4Usq8B4QhcjoRwcNVgdzzVlQNLiDAw2Hy2bNYQhTk\" \/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO Pro (AIOSEO) 5.0.0.1\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"nl_NL\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"salomons.coach - Leadership Development & Coaching\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FS1904_JanXLGrowth_216-Jan-Salomons-no-background.png\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:secure_url\" content=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FS1904_JanXLGrowth_216-Jan-Salomons-no-background.png\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-17T13:02:12+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-17T19:07:53+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Jan.salomons.75\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@salomons_coach\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@salomons_coach\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FS1904_JanXLGrowth_216-Jan-Salomons-no-background.png\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BlogPosting\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#blogposting\",\"name\":\"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach\",\"headline\":\"The Leadership Iceberg\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/author\\\/salomons-coach\\\/#author\"},\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Leadership_Iceberg_Blog_Hero_Salomons_Coach_V3.png\",\"width\":1672,\"height\":941},\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-17T14:02:12+01:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-17T20:07:53+01:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"nl-NL\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Blog, Organizations & Culture, Self & Personal Growth, Tools & Methods, change, coaching, leadership, leadership behavior, psychological safety, reflection, self-awareness, tools, VUCA, VUCA leadership\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/category\\\/self-personal-growth\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Self & Personal Growth\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/category\\\/self-personal-growth\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Self & Personal Growth\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/category\\\/self-personal-growth\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"The Leadership Iceberg\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Leadership Iceberg\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/category\\\/self-personal-growth\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Self & Personal Growth\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"salomons.coach Leadership Development & Coaching salomons.coach\",\"description\":\"Leadership Development & Coaching leadership development and coaching, change, culture, operations excellence\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/\",\"email\":\"jan@salomons.coach\",\"telephone\":\"+31653897567\",\"foundingDate\":\"2018-06-01\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":0,\"maxValue\":10},\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/Logo-salomons.coach_.png\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#organizationLogo\",\"width\":369,\"height\":152},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#organizationLogo\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/Jan.salomons.75\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/@salomons_coach\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/salomons.coach\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/jansalomons\"],\"address\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/#postaladdress\",\"@type\":\"PostalAddress\",\"streetAddress\":\"Jonathan 4\",\"postalCode\":\"6662 JK\",\"addressLocality\":\"Elst\",\"addressRegion\":\"Gelderland\",\"addressCountry\":\"NL\"},\"vatID\":\"NL858997198B01\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/author\\\/salomons-coach\\\/#author\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/author\\\/salomons-coach\\\/\",\"name\":\"salomons.coach\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/03\\\/Jan-Salomons.Coach-incl-logo-on-shirt-pocket.png\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/jansalomons\\\/\"],\"description\":\"\\u00a0 Jan Salomons is an executive coach, leadership development expert, and trusted advisor to senior leaders navigating complexity, change, and disruption. With more than 35 years of international leadership and management experience, Jan has held executive and managing director roles in complex, operationally intensive environments, including global logistics and high-tech manufacturing. He currently works at the intersection of leadership, transformation, and execution, combining strategic clarity with deep operational realism. Jan specializes in supporting leaders and leadership teams facing moments that matter: organizational change, increased pressure, loss of direction, declining trust, or career transitions such as redundancy. His work focuses on strengthening self-leadership, decision-making, accountability, and team effectiveness in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) contexts. Known for his calm presence and sharp questioning, Jan helps leaders move from reflection to action \\u2014 without simplification or theatrics. His approach is grounded in evidence-based coaching, real-world experience, and a strong belief that sustainable performance starts with leaders who can lead themselves. Jan is a fully trained Co-Active Coach. Jan is the founder of Salomons.Coach and a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. He regularly writes and speaks on leadership, resilience, and navigating work and careers in times of uncertainty.\",\"jobTitle\":\"Leadership Trainer\\\/Coach\",\"alumniOf\":[{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"Warwick University - Business School - Executive MBA\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.wbs.ac.uk\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"Coaching Training Institute (CTI)\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/coactive.com\\\/global\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"HBR Advisory Council\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hbr.org\\\/advisory-council\"},{\"@type\":\"EducationalOrganization\",\"name\":\"Pedagogical Technical University (HBO)\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fontys.nl\\\/Home.htm\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach\",\"description\":\"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.\",\"inLanguage\":\"nl-NL\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#breadcrumblist\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/author\\\/salomons-coach\\\/#author\"},\"creator\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/author\\\/salomons-coach\\\/#author\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Leadership_Iceberg_Blog_Hero_Salomons_Coach_V3.png\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#mainImage\",\"width\":1672,\"height\":941},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/the-leadership-iceberg\\\/#mainImage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-17T14:02:12+01:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-17T20:07:53+01:00\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/\",\"name\":\"salomons.coach\",\"alternateName\":\"salomons.coach\",\"description\":\"Leadership Development & Coaching\",\"inLanguage\":\"nl-NL\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/salomons.coach\\\/nl\\\/#organization\"}}]}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\r\n\t\t<title>The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach<\/title>\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach","description":"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.","canonical_url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/","robots":"max-image-preview:large","keywords":"","webmasterTools":{"google-site-verification":"-O4Usq8B4QhcjoRwcNVgdzzVlQNLiDAw2Hy2bNYQhTk","miscellaneous":""},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#blogposting","name":"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach","headline":"The Leadership Iceberg","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/author\/salomons-coach\/#author"},"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/#organization"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Leadership_Iceberg_Blog_Hero_Salomons_Coach_V3.png","width":1672,"height":941},"datePublished":"2026-08-17T14:02:12+01:00","dateModified":"2026-08-17T20:07:53+01:00","inLanguage":"nl-NL","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#webpage"},"articleSection":"Blog, Organizations & Culture, Self & Personal Growth, Tools & Methods, change, coaching, leadership, leadership behavior, psychological safety, reflection, self-awareness, tools, VUCA, VUCA leadership"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl#listItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/category\/self-personal-growth\/#listItem","name":"Self & Personal Growth"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/category\/self-personal-growth\/#listItem","position":2,"name":"Self & Personal Growth","item":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/category\/self-personal-growth\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#listItem","name":"The Leadership Iceberg"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl#listItem","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#listItem","position":3,"name":"The Leadership Iceberg","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/category\/self-personal-growth\/#listItem","name":"Self & Personal Growth"}}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/#organization","name":"salomons.coach Leadership Development & Coaching salomons.coach","description":"Leadership Development & Coaching leadership development and coaching, change, culture, operations excellence","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/","email":"jan@salomons.coach","telephone":"+31653897567","foundingDate":"2018-06-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":0,"maxValue":10},"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Logo-salomons.coach_.png","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#organizationLogo","width":369,"height":152},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#organizationLogo"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Jan.salomons.75","https:\/\/x.com\/@salomons_coach","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/salomons.coach\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jansalomons"],"address":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/#postaladdress","@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"Jonathan 4","postalCode":"6662 JK","addressLocality":"Elst","addressRegion":"Gelderland","addressCountry":"NL"},"vatID":"NL858997198B01"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/author\/salomons-coach\/#author","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/author\/salomons-coach\/","name":"salomons.coach","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Jan-Salomons.Coach-incl-logo-on-shirt-pocket.png"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jansalomons\/"],"description":"\u00a0 Jan Salomons is an executive coach, leadership development expert, and trusted advisor to senior leaders navigating complexity, change, and disruption. With more than 35 years of international leadership and management experience, Jan has held executive and managing director roles in complex, operationally intensive environments, including global logistics and high-tech manufacturing. He currently works at the intersection of leadership, transformation, and execution, combining strategic clarity with deep operational realism. Jan specializes in supporting leaders and leadership teams facing moments that matter: organizational change, increased pressure, loss of direction, declining trust, or career transitions such as redundancy. His work focuses on strengthening self-leadership, decision-making, accountability, and team effectiveness in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) contexts. Known for his calm presence and sharp questioning, Jan helps leaders move from reflection to action \u2014 without simplification or theatrics. His approach is grounded in evidence-based coaching, real-world experience, and a strong belief that sustainable performance starts with leaders who can lead themselves. Jan is a fully trained Co-Active Coach. Jan is the founder of Salomons.Coach and a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council. He regularly writes and speaks on leadership, resilience, and navigating work and careers in times of uncertainty.","jobTitle":"Leadership Trainer\/Coach","alumniOf":[{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"Warwick University - Business School - Executive MBA","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.wbs.ac.uk\/"},{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"Coaching Training Institute (CTI)","sameAs":"https:\/\/coactive.com\/global\/"},{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"HBR Advisory Council","sameAs":"https:\/\/hbr.org\/advisory-council"},{"@type":"EducationalOrganization","name":"Pedagogical Technical University (HBO)","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.fontys.nl\/Home.htm"}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/","name":"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach","description":"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.","inLanguage":"nl-NL","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#breadcrumblist"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/author\/salomons-coach\/#author"},"creator":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/author\/salomons-coach\/#author"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Leadership_Iceberg_Blog_Hero_Salomons_Coach_V3.png","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#mainImage","width":1672,"height":941},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/#mainImage"},"datePublished":"2026-08-17T14:02:12+01:00","dateModified":"2026-08-17T20:07:53+01:00"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/#website","url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/","name":"salomons.coach","alternateName":"salomons.coach","description":"Leadership Development & Coaching","inLanguage":"nl-NL","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/#organization"}}]},"og:locale":"nl_NL","og:site_name":"salomons.coach - Leadership Development & Coaching","og:type":"article","og:title":"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach","og:description":"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.","og:url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/","og:image":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FS1904_JanXLGrowth_216-Jan-Salomons-no-background.png","og:image:secure_url":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FS1904_JanXLGrowth_216-Jan-Salomons-no-background.png","og:image:width":1024,"og:image:height":683,"article:published_time":"2026-08-17T13:02:12+00:00","article:modified_time":"2026-08-17T19:07:53+00:00","article:publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Jan.salomons.75","twitter:card":"summary_large_image","twitter:site":"@salomons_coach","twitter:title":"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach","twitter:description":"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.","twitter:creator":"@salomons_coach","twitter:image":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FS1904_JanXLGrowth_216-Jan-Salomons-no-background.png"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"12982","title":"The Leadership Iceberg: What Drives Behaviour | Salomons.Coach","description":"Discover the Leadership Iceberg model and how coaching helps leaders uncover the beliefs, emotions and assumptions driving behaviour and communication.","keywords":null,"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"Leadership Iceberg model","score":0,"analysis":[]},"additional":[{"keyphrase":"Leadership coaching","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Leadership behaviour and communication","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Self-awareness for leaders","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Leadership development","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Emotional triggers in leadership","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Leadership beliefs and assumptions","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Conscious leadership","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Executive coaching","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Psychological safety in leadership","score":0},{"keyphrase":"Sustainable leadership change","score":0}]},"primary_term":{"category":193},"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"BlogPosting","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"seo_analyzer_scan_date":"2026-08-17 19:08:09","breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"reviewed_by":"0","open_ai":null,"ai":{"faqs":[],"keyPoints":[],"schemas":[],"titles":[],"descriptions":[],"socialPosts":{"email":{"subject":"","preview":"","content":""},"linkedin":[],"twitter":[],"facebook":[],"instagram":[]}},"created":"2026-08-07 18:58:51","updated":"2026-08-17 19:08:09","focus_keyword":"Leadership Iceberg model","additional_keywords":[{"word":"Leadership coaching","score":92,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":9},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":9},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":9}}},{"word":"Leadership behaviour and communication","score":83,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":9},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":9}}},{"word":"Self-awareness for leaders","score":68,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}},{"word":"Leadership development","score":73,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":9}}},{"word":"Emotional triggers in leadership","score":68,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}},{"word":"Leadership beliefs and assumptions","score":78,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":9},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}},{"word":"Conscious leadership","score":73,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":9}}},{"word":"Executive coaching","score":68,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}},{"word":"Psychological safety in leadership","score":68,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}},{"word":"Sustainable leadership change","score":68,"items":{"introductionKeyword":{"score":3},"keyphraseLength":{"score":9},"keyphraseDensity":{"score":4},"metaDescriptionKeyword":{"score":3},"functionWordsInKeyphrase":{"score":9},"textCompetingLinks":{"score":9},"imageKeyphrase":{"score":6}}}],"truseo_locale":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/category\/self-personal-growth\/\" title=\"Self & Personal Growth\">Self & Personal Growth<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\tThe Leadership Iceberg\n<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl"},{"label":"Self & Personal Growth","link":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/category\/self-personal-growth\/"},{"label":"The Leadership Iceberg","link":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/the-leadership-iceberg\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12982"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13062,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12982\/revisions\/13062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salomons.coach\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}