We overlook our families too quickly. I’m referring here to your growth and insights as a leader. Yes, I use people and events from history that are either well-known or should be. However, I think we rely too much on other history and not on that of our family in learning to be better leaders. Your family–whether those still living or those gone on–is a wonderful source for real, meaningful, and inspirational history. Don’t let whatever shadows there are in your recollection of your family’s past prevent you from using this most vital first source. And after all, a good deal of what you do, who you are, and what you look and act like, comes from somewhere in that family past.