Intrinsic Motivation

The through line connects your values, experiences, and motivations, helping you rediscover your purpose, reignite intrinsic motivation, and understand the leader you're becoming.

- ARCHANA MOHAN, AUTHOR, THE THROUGH LINE

In a world defined by rapid change, complexity, and constant demands, many leaders find themselves drifting away from what truly motivates them.

This article introduces the concept of the through line—a personal narrative thread that connects our values, experiences, and motivations—and explores how reconnecting with it can reignite intrinsic motivation. Drawing on the Self-Determination Theory and real-world examples, the piece explains how a clear through line helps leaders navigate change, prevent burnout, and lead with greater clarity, resilience, and authenticity. It offers practical reflection tools to help readers uncover and lead from their own inner compass.

In today's fast-paced, hyper-connected world, it's easy to feel unsteady. We respond to constant demands, chase goals that don't reflect who we truly are, and pursue success defined by others. In the process, we often lose touch with what genuinely drives us. Our sense of intrinsic motivation, that deep inner spark that fuels meaning, growth, and connection, starts to fade.

Yet, intrinsic motivation is what sustains performance over the long run. It keeps us going long after bonuses lose their appeal, and external recognition stops feeling fulfilling.

It fuels resilience during change, creativity in uncertainty, and commitment when the finish line moves farther away. So, how do we reconnect with it?

In my work and in my book The Through Line, I explore this question. At its heart lies a simple, powerful idea: each of us has a through line. A steady thread that weaves together our values, experiences, and interests. It's not a fixed goal or singular calling, but a narrative compass. One that helps us understand who we are and how we want to show up in the world- consistent, even as it shifts around us.