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Business Book Awards 2026 Shortlisted in Leadership category
As leaders, we navigate a multitude of lines – reporting lines, dotted lines, bottom lines, deadlines. Yet amidst this web, there is one line that defines our leadership journey: our through line.
What is a through line? Your through line is the psychological core of your leadership story, the golden thread that connects who you are with how you lead. It links your decisions with what matters to you. As you face forward, understanding it provides an anchor in the face of uncertainty. As you uncover it, you discover that understanding who you are is instrumental in unlocking the impact of how you lead.
Discover a three-part framework – reach in, reset, reach out – designed to uncover your through line. Through practical exercises, you’ll identify the essence of your leadership. Through case studies and scientific research you’ll understand why this matters. Armed with this clarity, you’ll navigate change with confidence, lead with intention and inspire those around you. Because intentional leadership begins with clarity, purpose, and the courage to lead from within.
‘This book is a great guide to rediscover, renew and celebrate the genuine.’ - Ruth Dearnley OBE, President and Founder, STOP THE TRAFFIK
'If you want to connect who you are with how you lead, this book offers the clarity and heart to get you there.’ HÉLÈNE BIANDUDI HOFER, Journalist
Archana Mohan, a dynamic Chief Operations and Technology Officer, blends her multicultural upbringing with a decade in teaching and 20 years in finance to drive collaboration and innovation. Recognized for her insights, Archana holds academic qualifications from Brown, Columbia, and Yale.
'The beauty of this book lies in how Archana invites us to pause and reexamine ourselves, our principles, values, and goals. She challenges us to consider new insights, adapt to the current environment, and reach out as true leaders who lead with care, inspiration, and purpose' - Amazon 5*
'The practical framework of the book...provides a structure that is easy to follow and gets you thinking every step of the way. Its more than just a narrative of what to do and not to do, its human and real. The reflective exercises really help you questions the kind of leader you want to be and then how to get the most from your team. Finally, a leadership book that connects your own values and who you are to your way of leadership!' - Amazon 5*
Archana Mohan, a dynamic Chief Operations and Technology Officer, blends her multicultural upbringing with a decade in teaching and 20 years in finance to drive collaboration and innovation. Recognized for her insights, Archana holds academic qualifications from Brown, Columbia, and Yale, reflecting her diverse expertise.
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Dedication
- About the author
- Introduction
- Why read this book?
- Finding a through line
- Uncertainty is the system
- If you don’t, who will?
- To lose your way is to learn the way
- Let’s begin
- Chapter 1: Crossing lines
- In a nutshell
- Hidden in plain sight
- See it to name it
- Use it
- Caring to notice
- Hope in uncertainty
- True colours
- Unearthing a truth
- Your turn
- Chapter 2: The through line: a blueprint for leadership
- In a nutshell
- All the world’s a stage
- Avoid flat packing
- Leadership structures and categories
- Know yourself
- Be consistent
- Storytelling with intent
- Integrate the stories
- Complicate the narrative: experience is not a prerequisite for impact
- One person, one story, six words
- Your turn
- Chapter 3: A line to understand: reach in
- In a nutshell
- Daring to feel
- Some questions to ask
- Decision-making in uncertainty
- An inside job
- How to tune out the static
- Excavate your lines
- Inner mastery
- Outer impact
- Your turn
- Chapter 4: A line to change: reset
- In a nutshell
- Sick and tired
- Surrender as a reset
- Change leadership
- Free solo
- Ease or discomfort
- The courage to keep revising
- Generative conversations
- A blank sheet of paper
- Your turn
- Chapter 5: A line to care: reach out
- In a nutshell
- A duty to care
- Company means connection
- An outside job
- Deep care
- The empty chair
- Caring innovation
- Design thinking
- Complicate the narrative: not every caring encounter is a resounding success
- Leadership is reaching out
- Your turn
- Chapter 6: A line to inspire: if you don’t, who will?
- In a nutshell
- What is inspiration?
- If you don’t inspire, who will?
- Training and development
- Mastery over success
- The Queasy Eagle
- From through line to inspiration
- Inspiration to change the world
- Your turn
- Chapter 7: A line to go further: what is next?
- Rewilding
- What is next?
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Acknowledgements
- Index