If you are a leader in the business world, odds are good that you’ve been conditioned to think of your strengths as unassailable assets. And in all reality, that’s probably true. But what if the very qualities that propel your career forward also hold the potential to derail it? Strengths and weaknesses are often two sides of the same coin, and psychological research into the "dark side" of personality reveals that our greatest strengths, when overused or applied under stress, can become significant liabilities.

Imagine a company with no managers, no promotions, and no job titles. It sounds like a recipe for chaos, but for at least one company, it's the formula for groundbreaking innovation. The thing that keeps the multi-billion dollar company moving isn’t the CEO’s force of will, market savvy, or a unique approach to vertical integration. Instead, it is a shared commitment to common vision and values – purpose – that creates a culture of trust across all levels of the organization.

Can we as leaders (or even parents) use lessons of the family fridge and its function as a container not just for food, but for meaning, to improve our relationships, our team’s performance, and the motivations of all the people around us?

The ability and willingness to care, normally a positive, can be stretched out of shape to become a negative. When we stop caring about the team’s success as part of a collective effort, we start caring for them – instead of them, even. Organizational psychologists like those at Hogan Assessment Systems would call this a “de-railer”; coaches with different backgrounds sometimes instead refer to these maladaptive traits and behaviors as “saboteurs.” If this is happening to you, you probably need a change.