What made you successful in one environment may work against you in another. That’s when strengths can turn into weaknesses.
I’ve seen this across every industry I’ve worked in. Success isn’t just about experience or skills. It’s about the ability to adapt, unlearn and relearn.
In startups, speed, ownership and agility matter. In large corporations, structure, alignment and process often take precedence. Neither is right or wrong; they are simply different environments with different needs.
I’ve seen high performers struggle when they move between environments, not because they lack capability, but because they’re too attached to what made them successful before. The approaches they trust and the behaviours they have been rewarded for may no longer serve them in the same way.
This calls for behavioural plasticity, the capacity to adapt behaviour in response to changes within ourselves or in the environment around us. It means recognising when a familiar strength needs to be applied differently, rather than relying on it in every situation.
In a world shaped by AI and constant change, success increasingly depends on knowing when to adapt and when to let go of what once worked.
When hiring, don’t just assess what someone has done. Assess what they do and who they become when what worked stops working. How do they respond to unfamiliar situations
Past success alone is not enough to predict future performance. Adaptability matters.