90% Heart, 10% Skills

Rodger Dean Duncan’s Forbes piece centers on Mark Miller’s argument that leadership is not mainly about visible skill, but about the deeper character underneath it. Using the image of an iceberg, Miller says only about 10% of leadership is above the surface — the skills people can see — while 90% is below the waterline, where heart, character, and motive live.

He argues that great leaders do more than perform well; they serve, seeing the future, engaging and developing others, reinventing continuously, valuing both results and relationships, and, above all, embodying a leader’s heart. His sharpest line is also the article’s title: if your heart is not right, nobody cares about your skills.

That translates directly into work and life because people may admire competence for a while, but they trust character over time. A gifted employee or leader can impress others with intelligence, drive, and execution, yet still leave people cold if their motives feel self-serving. The workplace is full of technically strong people who struggle to build followership because they do not listen well, develop others, or carry themselves with humility and courage. In that sense, this is not just a leadership lesson; it is a life lesson.

Whether you are leading a team, joining one, or preparing for your next opportunity, people are always asking a deeper question than “Are you capable?” They are asking, “Can I trust your heart?”

So what should we do with that? On the field and off, Humility matters because leadership begins when you stop making everything about yourself. Building Relationships and Listening Intently matter because people want to be seen, not merely managed. Conviction matters because serving others does not mean being soft; it means being clear about what matters most and leading accordingly. And Accountability matters because strong character shows up in taking responsibility, not avoiding it.

A wise leader keeps asking: am I just sharpening my skills, or am I becoming the kind of person others actually want to follow?

Thanks!