How do CEOs’ unique early-life experiences—particularly those shaped by formative influences such as military training—impact their subsequent strategic decision-making in green innovation? By integrating upper-echelon theory, imprinting theory, and the green innovation literature, this paper explores whether and when a CEO’s military background influences a firm’s adoption of green innovation practices, specifically within an emerging market context. Analyzing a sample of 1419 Chinese listed firms over the period from 2007 to 2016, our results reveal a significant positive effect of a CEO’s military experience on the firm’s green innovation performance. Furthermore, we find that a firm’s positive financial performance amplifies the influence of the CEO’s military imprint on green innovation outcomes. However, the intensity of government environmental regulation moderates this effect, weakening the relationship between the CEO’s personal values and the firm’s green innovation performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Existing literature on leader narcissism reveals conflicting evidence due to the paradoxical nature of narcissistic traits- narcissistic admiration and rivalry. Additionally, a bipolar view of self-interest, rooted in the concept of dual behavior may help in clarifying this paradox. Therefore, the study examines how narcissistic admiration and rivalry affect leader narcissism and workplace deviance, with self-interested behavior acting as a mediating factor. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using a sample of 313 responses from Prolific, an online academic platform. Grounded in self-determination theory and trait activation theory, the framework is tested through the PLS-SEM approach in the U.S. population sample. Both narcissistic traits-admiration and rivalry shape leadership narcissism, further shaping deviant behavior. Further, self-interested behavior as a mediator refines the narcissistic tendencies of individuals in leadership roles and shapes deviant behavior. sequential mediation also confirms a strong interplay between grandiose narcissistic traits and deviant outcomes through self-interesting behavior and leader narcissism. The study emphasizes that narcissistic traits and extrinsic factors shape self-centered behavior. It further concludes that narcissistic admiration and rivalry both lead individuals to embrace dark aspects of leadership characteristics that spill detrimental effects on the workplace. This contradicts the optimistic perspective of narcissism literature, especially in the case of narcissistic admiration.