Lead from within: why knowing yourself changes everything

Author and consultant Archana Mohan explains how leaders can enhance emotional agility, sharpen cognitive clarity, and unlock their leadership impact

 

“To lose the way is to learn the way.”

 

It sounds like a paradox. But if you have ever felt lost, you know how true it is. Sometimes, losing your way is exactly how you find a better way. I remember walking away from a role that looked perfect on paper. It had a title, a clear path, all the trappings of success. But something inside me knew I was off course. I did not fear failure. I feared waking up and no longer recognising myself. Small steps, taken one after another, had pulled me far from who I was. That loss, the loss of self, shook me.

 

We live in a world that rewards projection over intention. We learn to measure success by how fast we move, how much we do, how confident we seem. Leadership becomes a race to compare. Be more efficient, more polished, more productive. As we chase the external signs of success, we lose sight of our internal compass. We stop asking if we are still leading from who we are. That is how we lose our way.

 

Leadership does not begin with certainty. It begins with honesty. If you do not know yourself, how can others know you? How can they trust where you are taking them?

 

Organisational psychologist Tasha Eurich spent years studying self-awareness. She combined original research with a meta-analysis of over 50 years of psychological studies. Her findings were sobering. Most people think they are self-aware, but only 10 to 15 percent actually are. Many of us lead with good intentions but limited insight into ourselves and our impact.

 

Eurich identified two kinds of self-awareness: internal and external. Internal self-awareness means knowing your values, patterns, blind spots and fears. External self-awareness means understanding how others experience your tone, your energy, your presence. Both matter. Internal clarity gives you direction. External awareness gives you perspective. And as we rise in leadership, we hear the truth less often. Fewer people feel safe to tell us what they really think. That makes it even more vital to stay grounded in both forms of awareness.

 

Real leadership does not come from having all the answers. It comes from staying real, especially when it is hard. People often judge leaders by what they deliver: results, strategies, wins. But what they remember is not what you did. It is how you made them feel. Not what you said. Whether it rang true.

 

Of course, we wear masks. We try to look like we have it together. But behind the scenes, many of us feel stretched, uncertain or stuck. We think we need more answers. But what we really need are better questions. Who am I beneath the roles I play? What do I care about deeply? What fears shape my choices? What stories am I still carrying that no longer serve me?

 

When you ask those questions, your leadership shifts. You stop performing. You start connecting. You stop striving for perfection. You build trust instead. People do not follow perfection. They follow presence. They follow courage. They follow you when you show up as yourself.

 

Your Through Line runs through all of this. It is not a job title. It is not a brand. It is not a skillset or a toolkit. It is who you are when you are not trying to be someone else. When you lead from that place, people feel it. Your words land differently. Your choices carry weight. You do not need to prove yourself. Your presence speaks for you.

 

This is not about giving up ambition. It is about growing within it. The old model told us to be the expert, stay in control, never show weakness. But that model is crumbling. In its place, a different kind of leadership is emerging. Quieter. Braver. More human. This kind of leader listens before speaking. Admits mistakes. Builds trust through honesty. Connects who they are to how they lead. And in doing so, finds the way.

 

The beauty of knowing yourself is that you do not need a new plan. You just need to come back to your core. Not later. Not when things settle. Now. Your clarity gives others clarity. And your presence, when it is real, is your power.

 

The world does not need perfect leaders. It needs real ones. Grounded. Honest. Human. The kind who begin by asking: Who am I, really? What do I stand for? What do I want to leave behind? What am I ready to be(come)?

 

This is not soft work. It is strong work. Quiet work. Brave work. And it changes everything.

 

In losing your way, you can learn the way.

 

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Archana Mohan is a dynamic, multilingual Chief Operations and Technology Officer within the finance sector, with a passion for unlocking human potential. She is the author of The Through Line: How understanding who you are empowers how you lead

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and champpixs