Lead from Your Past
Description
From a distinguished MIT professor and leadership expert comes an eye-opening, research-backed exploration of how the patterns we develop in childhood-our "family ghosts"-shape our leadership, relationships, and success in the workplace.
As children, we develop attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and values shaped by our families. These traits help us navigate early life, but they don't stay in the past-they follow us into adulthood, influencing how we lead, collaborate, make decisions, and navigate workplace challenges. In this groundbreaking book, Deborah Ancona, a distinguished MIT professor and leadership expert, builds on the concept of "family ghosts," originally introduced in family systems theory, and brings it powerfully into the workplace.
Drawing on over a decade of research and more than 500 stories from global executives, Ancona identifies six dominant ghosts that drive both our successes and struggles:
• The Perfectionist - Strives for excellence but risks burnout and overcontrol.
• The Survivor - Resilient and self-reliant but struggles to trust and delegate.
• The People Pleaser - Builds harmony but often suppresses their own voice.
• The Go-Getter - Ambitious and driven but may overextend and push too hard.
• The Guardian - Deeply supportive of others but neglects self-care.
• The Legacy Keeper - Honors tradition but feels burdened by expectations.
These ghosts are not flaws to eliminate-they are powerful forces that have fueled your success. But when left unexamined, they can also limit your effectiveness, relationships, and growth. Through vivid storytelling, psychological insights, and a clear, actionable framework, Family Ghosts at Work helps you identify your ghosts and gives you practical tools to change those patterns in real time. The result is lasting transformation: clearer decisions, stronger relationships, and the ability to lead with intention rather than habit.
Whether you're a seasoned executive or just starting your career, this book offers a roadmap to deeper self-awareness-helping you break free from inherited patterns and become a more confident, effective, and better leader.
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Person
DEBORAH ANCONA is the Seley Distinguished Professor of Management and the Founder of the MIT Leadership Center at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She is the author of X-Teams: How to Build Teams that Lead, Innovate, and Succeed. Her research has been featured in publications such as the Financial Times, The Boston Globe, Fortune, Fast Company, and Harvard Business Review. Ancona is a cofounder of xLEAD, a professional training and coaching platform. Her clients have included Accenture, the Broad Institute, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Bose, and McKinsey & Co, among others. She holds a BA and an MS in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in Management from Columbia University.
