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Based on qualitative data collected at the United States Military Academy (West Point), this research uses a qualitative grounded theory approach to contribute important theoretical insights to our understanding of how leaders construct leader identities in organizations (c.f., Ashforth & Schinoff, 2016). Our theoretical model moves beyond existing research on leader identity construction- which largely treats individuals as blank slates as they construct leader identities- by highlighting the critical role of preexisting leader identity content that individuals bring with them to new organizations. Our model suggests that as organizations utilize sensebreaking and sensegiving to help socialize and guide members towards their preferred prototype of leadership, individuals must figure out how to situate their preexisting leader identities in relation to that prototype. In this process, individuals may discard certain aspects of their …