About Me

Why I decided to start The Unwritten Rules

I fell in love with organizational behavior in business school.

At the time, I had only worked for one company, so my understanding of work — both the written and unwritten rules — was shaped by a single organizational context. As I read articles and case studies for class, I was struck by something unexpected: despite differences in culture, leadership styles, industries, and external constraints like regulation or local norms, the same patterns kept appearing across organizations. Different settings, similar dynamics.

Those patterns weren’t random. They were predictable — and once understood, they could be used to navigate a career, influence change, and get things done more effectively.

That curiosity stayed with me. Over time, I became an observer of people — how individuals and groups behave in social and professional settings, how behavior shifts under stress or uncertainty, and how those behaviors ultimately show up in organizational outcomes. I’m also an observer of myself. Since becoming a people leader for the first time, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on my own decisions, my relationships with direct reports, and my role within the broader organization.

My progression from supervising individual contributors, to managing supervisors, to managing managers showed me that different skills are needed at each level. At the same time, it made clear that some underlying characteristics — how you build trust, make decisions, and show up for others — matter regardless of where you sit in the hierarchy.

Alongside this, I’ve always been a strong advocate for women in the workplace. I don’t believe gender should limit anyone’s ability to reach their full potential, but I’m also very aware that unconscious biases create invisible barriers that make progress more difficult. What I find most interesting is that these dynamics are rarely intentional. Many people genuinely believe they are “gender blind,” yet their instincts and assumptions still influence how they perceive, evaluate, and interact with others — often without their awareness.

This blog series is a collection of observations drawn from my career, but it’s not just opinion. Wherever possible, I rely on research and data to support what I’ve seen in practice. My hope is that these reflections resonate with you —  and that they’re useful as you navigate your own career, wherever it takes you.

About the Author

Ana Eisenhauer is a senior executive with more than 25 years of global experience across the energy, chemicals, engineering, and environmental services sectors. She has held P&L and leadership roles spanning operations, strategy, marketing, sales enablement, and transformation, with a career that includes Dow, KBR, TRC, and Brenntag.

Ana most recently served as Regional President for Brenntag in Mexico and Central America, and previously as Regional President for Brenntag’s Northeast U.S. region. Earlier roles include Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at TRC and Global Marketing and Strategy Director at KBR. She began her career as a process engineer and has worked across the Americas and Europe in both technical and commercial leadership positions.

Ana holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (Brazil), an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin, and completed executive education at Harvard Business School. She is an active mentor and advocate for women in the workplace and currently resides in Mexico City with her family.