People often ask us, “How can someone exhibit such stellar leadership qualities at one organization but then miss the mark at the next?” We often expect effective leadership qualities to transfer, independent of the environment. We teach leaders and aspiring leaders to do things a certain way; to “be” certain behaviors. We chase the leadership model of the month. Kurt Lewin, the father of social psychology, famously said, “Behavior is a function of a person in their environment.” He posited what personality research now confirms: our behaviors relate both to ingrained personality and our ability to adapt behaviors intentionally and…
