🌱The Bad Good Girl™ | Being a leader shouldn’t cost you yourself | For high-performing women done with pleasing and proving | Nästa Perspeqtiv startar 24 april i Malmö

There are two ways to succeed as a leader: 
1. Keep holding it all together, pushing and proving. 
2. Lead yourself first, in a grounded and sustainable way. 

Most high-performing women end up in the first. 

Because that’s what brought you to where you are today. 

You're competent and trusted. Reliable and loyal. You lead, deliver and do what needs to be done - often without anyone needing to ask.

But inside, something’s starting to feel heavy. It’s the weight of always being good:

>Good at showing up.
>Good at staying calm and keep things smooth.
>Good at reading the room and managing feelings (everyone else’s).

But the way you’ve learned to succeed has started to cost you. 

Maybe you recognize these thoughts:
— Why does it feel like I’m giving everything, and still not feeling enough? 
— How do I keep delivering at this level without losing myself?
— Is there another way – and where do I even begin?

You think the problem is that you need more discipline and better productivity tools. But the problem is that you’ve stopped listening to yourself, and what you need. 

Now imagine this:
You lead yourself with the same compassion and commitment you bring to others. 
> You still deliver results, and have energy left after work. > You still support others, without losing yourself.
> You feel present, grounded and in charge of your own capacity.
> You have a career that works with your life – not against it. 

If you’re wondering how that shift happens, this is where we begin. This is what I do. 

I help high-achieving women strengthen self-leadership from the inside out – with boundaries, self-trust and practical tools for committed action. 

Whether you’re in my 1:1 coaching or in one of my programs, I help you see and unhook from the good girl patterns that are draining you. 

While you’ve been looking for solutions and approvals outside yourself, you’ve already had the answers within. 

I help you stop self-compromising and start listen and trust yourself, so you can lead with more presence and energy, and room to breathe again.  

With me, you get: 
🌱 A holistic approach combining coaching, self-leadership and neuroscience. 
🌱 A warm, steady partner who listens – and challenges you.
🌱 A certified ICF coach committed to your long-term capacity, not quick performance hacks.

If you’re tired of being the good girl holding it all together, and want a different way to lead yourself – and others – let’s talk. 

Send me a DM or email me at annika.mohlin@growu.se
Based in Sweden. Working globally.
Languages: Swedish & English

Annika Mohlin

Oh no.... I think I've broken one of LinkedIn's unwritten rules:

I've forgotten to announce a new certification😉

This is definetely something to celebrate:

🎉I've become a certified Process Communication Model® Trainer and Coach🎉

PCM®...?

It's a Leadership and Communication model that identifies people's communication styles, psychological needs and predictable stress behaviours. 

It helps leaders and team members build stronger relationships, communicate more effectively and, ultimately, collaborate better as a team. It’s based on observable behaviours that you learn to decode and then 'translate' into a sort of practical playbook.

Thank you Masha Ibeschitz and Marion Mihatsch for bringing me on as your Impact Partner for Think Beyond Group in Sweden 🙏🏼.

Thank you Jamie Remsberg for your wonderful support during the certification process, and also our other teachers 🙏🏼

And thanks Angela, Gia Helena, Oleg and Velia for being the best study buddies I could wish for 🙏🏼

I really look forward to using this to make a difference for current and future clients. If you're curious – let's talk!

* * * * *
📧 If you like my content, I also have a newsletter: 
https://lnkd.in/dxcXdtKb

Hur kommer det sig att vissa nästan skryter om att de

> bara sovit 5 timmar
> aldrig har tid att träna
> sitter uppe sent, sent och jobbar
> aldrig hinner äta lunch utan får ta något på språng?

Lite som att ju mer du offrar, desto mer engagerad, viktig eller till och med oersättlig är du.

Och du kanske inte är den som säger det högt. 
Men du hör det... känner normen... och anpassar dig lite. 

Stopp. Det finns ingenting att vara stolt över i att försumma sitt välbefinnande. 

(Påminner det inte lite om hur man skröt om att man rökte när man var yngre? Tyckte att man var cool, fast.. var man det egentligen...?)

Det är precis så här den lojala, ansvarstagande ledaren börjar sudda ut sig själv. 

Det finns inget varken strategiskt eller smart i att driva sig själv på underskott. Tvärtom, det är så sämre beslut, kortare stubin och snävare perspektiv smyger sig in. 

Jag vet att det kan vara svårt att välja annorlunda, särskilt i kulturer där det nästan förväntas för att man ska känna sig som en i gemenskapen (been there, done that). 

Men ändå: 
Att gå och lägga sig i tid, ta en riktig lunch och stänga ner på kvällen – det är inte brist på driv. Det är professionell självrespekt. 

Och dessutom, om du oroar dig för hur du levererar: 
Det höjer kvaliteten i det du gör. 

Men ännu viktigare är att det gör att du kan dyka upp som den ledare du vill vara. Det kan du inte om du går på tomgång.

Och utöver kvaliteten i ditt ledarskap kommer det med en stor bonus: energi kvar att göra mer av det du älskar att göra ❤️

Jag är nyfiken – 
var märker du att normen och kulturen drar i dig, även om du egentligen vet bättre? 

📸 Regelbundna besök i gymmet. Ett favoritsätt för mig att ta hand om mig och mitt välmående.

No alternative text description for this image

Jag var 32 när någon för första gången sa att jag skulle bränna ut mig om jag fortsatte så här.

Jag skrattade lite åt honom och tänkte: vad vet han egentligen? Uppenbarligen känner han inte mig.

Så driven och kapabel som jag är klarar jag ju allt. Dessutom är jag grym på att strukturera, och effektiv som få. Vad är problemet?

⏩Fast forward 18 år.

Sen satt jag hos en psykolog som tittade allvarligt på mig och sa:
”Annika, du är med på att du har bränt ut dig?”

Det tog ett tag för det att sjunka in. 
Hur var det möjligt? 
Det är ju de klena som bränner ut sig, tänkte jag. 

🙈 Så fel jag hade. 

Idag vet jag att det är de drivna, ambitiösa, lojala och hjälpsamma som löper störst risk. De duktiga flickorna som alltid hittar ett sätt att få saker att fungera.

Och det kommer inte som en blixt från klar himmel. Det byggs upp av alla små, dagliga beslut som var för sig känns rimliga, och kommer ur viljan att göra ett bra jobb.

Det pratas ofta om signaler. 

Jag ignorerade dem, för jag förstod dem inte. Och jag fortsatte le lite överseende åt människor som ibland sa:
”Du kanske borde ta det lugnare.”

Jag? Alltså nej. Verkligen inte.

🙈 Så fel jag hade (igen). 

I efterhand har jag förstått att det inte var min ambition, kompetens eller förmåga det var fel på. Det var hur jag relaterade till ansvar, förväntningar och mina egna behov. 

Känner du igen dig? 

Beyond Good är för dig som vill fortsätta vara driven och kapabel, men utan att betala med din energi och välmående. 

✍🏼 Anmälan är öppen denna veckan. Vi börjar på tisdag. 
👀 Läs mer på min profil eller här: 
https://lnkd.in/dknmt_ht

”I’ve forgotten what I enjoy in life.”
That’s what one of the women shared last week when we kicked off Beyond Good. 

She sighed saying it, but there it was. The eyes around the room said that she wasn't alone.

Another said she’d spent years stepping in and setting the stage for others:

She was the one booking the meetings, writing the agendas, taking the notes. All the praise she got for it made it hard to stop.

A third talked about how the thought of stepping back felt like a small identity crisis: 

"Who am I if I'm not the one taking responsibility?"

What struck me is that the thing each of them thought was their struggle alone – it wasn't. Everyone sat with it. 

These are sharp, trusted, competent women. 

Over six weeks, we work on doing less: 

Less pleasing, less proving and less over-functioning (classic good girl behaviours) – so they can remain the high-performers they are, and also enjoy the life they’ve built.

Feeling well and performing well aren't opposites. 

On the contrary, the women who figure this out don't just feel better. They show up differently, and lead differently – both themselves and others.

The good girl strategies that got you here worked for a long time. At some point they just started costing more than they gave back.

✍🏼 When did you last stop to ask whether it's still worth it?

💌 If this resonates, read more in The Bad Good Girl Newsletter. Subscribe here: 
https://lnkd.in/dxcXdtKb

Visst är det lite störigt när någon säger "Vad var det jag sa?"
Den känslan fick jag förra veckan.

På ett bra sätt. 

Jag läste en studie från Jönköping University om att ledarskap utvecklas bäst i vardagen – inte i klassrum eller på kurs. 

Det är när lärandet anpassas till den egna verksamheten som det faktiskt fastnar. När man reflekterar kring det som händer, tar in nya perspektiv och tränar på riktiga situationer.

Det fick mig att tänka på David A. Kolb. 
"Vad var det han sa?"

Det är hans modell för erfarenhetsbaserat lärande som ligger till grund för Perspeqtiv. 

En cykel där erfarenhet följs av reflektion, som ger nya insikter och därefter ett nytt sätt att göra. Vilket ger nya erfarenheter... o s v. 

Därför arbetar vi med tre parallella spår i programmet:
→ Samtalen i rummet – reflektion och nya perspektiv tillsammans med gruppen. 
→ Arbetet mellan träffarna – där nya sätt att leda testas i den egna verksamheten. 
→ Individuell coachning – som fördjupar lärandet och självkännedomen.

När gruppen möts nästa gång har de med sig nya erfarenheter. Situationen från förra månaden har fått en fortsättning. Någon testade ett annat sätt att hålla ett svårt samtal. En annan började ställa fler nyfikna frågor i sitt team.

Program + vardag = sant ❤️

Precis som han sa 😉

💬 När sa du senast "Vad var det jag sa?" Eller när hörde du det senast? 

✍🏼 Blir du nyfiken på Perspeqtiv, så fyll i en helt obindande intresseanmälan – så hör vi av oss för ett snack: 
https://lnkd.in/e647B_JC

For many years I pushed myself to the edge trying to do everything and be everything. 

Looking back, I could've used this carousel as a checklist. 

Want to become your worst self? 

➡️ Start here. 

None of it will feel very dramatic at first. That's the trick. But the effect will compound.

Small, daily decisions driven by the will to do a good job, to be professional and not disappoint. 

Apply these consistently and you'll get there: 
Tired, irritable, disconnected and wondering where the real you went... 

That's how it happened for me.

If you recognize yourself a little too easily as you flip through this, we should talk.

Sustainable leadership requires a different relationship to responsibility, expectations and your own needs.

That's the work we do inside Beyond Good. It's a 6-week program for women in demanding roles who want to keep their ambition – and feel alive in it. 

✍🏼 Registration opens today. 
🔗 Link to more info in the comments and here: 
https://lnkd.in/dknmt_ht

12 ways for good girls to dilute themselves and their leadership

Du behöver inte vara på väg in i väggen för att detta ska vara relevant.

Beyond Good är för kvinnor som är bra på det de gör: ambitiösa, drivna, ansvarsfulla och leveranssäkra. Och som vill fortsätta vara det. 

Men kanske du:
> Tar ansvar för saker som inte är dina.
> Anpassar dig efter andras förväntningar istället för din egen kapacitet.
> Har svårt att landa i “good enough” när du vet att du kan mer.
> Dubbelkollar sånt som andra hade släppt för längesen.
> Är den som ser till att det är god stämning och alla mår bra. 
> Får dåligt samvete om du tar det lugnt när du vet att andra jobbar.
> Känner att du ligger som ett steg efter dig själv – fast allt flyter på så fint. 

Utåt fungerar allt.

Inuti känns det som att du står i ständig givakt för att svara, rycka in eller bara lösa något 'lite snabbt'. Du tänker inte på det, för du har så mycket att du inte hinner känna efter, men du är alltid påkopplad. Det har blivit ditt default-läge. 

Kanske tänker du att sakta ner innebär att du måste dra ner på dina ambitioner – och det vill du inte. 

Det behöver du inte heller. 

Du kan lära dig ett självledarskap som gör att du både mår bra och presterar bra, i längden (i själva verket är det ena en förutsättning för det andra). 

Beyond Good är ett 6-veckors program för precis det. 

Anmälan är öppen fram till fredag kväll. 
Läs mer och anmäl dig här: 
https://lnkd.in/dknmt_ht

För två år sedan pratade jag med en kvinnlig ledare som kände att något i hennes liv inte längre stämde. Inget var akut fel, men hon ville göra en förändring. Det skulle bara lugna ner sig lite först. 

När vi hördes igen nyligen såg det mesta likadant ut.
Hon väntar fortfarande på att det skulle lugna ner sig. Hon har inte kommit till skott.

Nu är vi snart förbi februari (helt otroligt). Januari är som alltid fylld av goda intentioner. Sen kommer februari och livet...fortsätter.

Det här händer så lätt, kanske särskilt för oss som är vana att ta mycket ansvar och tänka på andra. Vi skjuter upp oss själva utan att tänka på det. Vi bara löser och levererar i vanlig ordning.

Och tiden går. Ibland två år.

Det är såklart inget fel om du inte kommit så långt som du tänkte med dina intentioner för 2026. Men att ha medkänsla med sig själv behöver inte betyda att stå helt still 💛

Jag skriver mer om det här i dagens nyhetsbrev, och ger ett par tips på hur du kan tänka. 

Och nästa vecka kommer något för kvinnor i krävande roller som är trötta på att kompromissa med sig själva, och vill leda sig själv med samma medkänsla och tydlighet som de leder andra. 

Blir du nyfiken så titta bland kommentarerna eller här:
https://lnkd.in/dNGbMbjR

I'm still struggling with the fact that February is over tomorrow. How about you? January is loud with intention. February is where reality clears its

Open article: When good intentions meet real life (and then what to do next) by Annika Mohlin • 3 min read

When good intentions meet real life (and then what to do next)

Vi tror ofta det är våra svagheter som ställer till det som ledare. Lika ofta är det våra styrkor — som för en av deltagarna i Perspeqtiv. 

Hon driver egen butik och leder ett ungt team.

Hennes styrkor var också hennes fallgropar: 

Flexibel och inlyssnande 
> hon anpassade scheman och såg till att alla hade det bra.

Ansvarstagande 
> för verksamheten förstås, och minst lika mycket för allas känslor.

Driven och lösningsorienterad
> hon klev ofta in själv för att få allt att fungera.

Baksidan av hennes sätt att leda var att hon ofta jobbade mer själv, la mycket tid på pusslande och fick mindre och mindre energi över till sig själv. 

Samtidigt hade hon en tydlig ambition att expandera sin verksamhet. Men hennes tid och ork räckte inte till.

Genom samtalen och arbetet i Ledarprogrammet Perspeqtiv började hon se både sig själv och sitt ledarskap klarare. 

Hon beskrev det så här:
– Hon tar inte längre ansvar för andras känslor
– Hon lägger mindre energi på sådant som inte spelar roll
– Hon är tydligare med vad som gäller
– Hon har slutat trycka ner sig själv

En viktig förflyttning handlade om identitet: från att vara "hönsmamma" till sin unga personal, till att vara chefen som möter dem i ögonhöjd. 

Men kanske var den viktigaste insikten denna: 
"Jag behöver fokusera på mitt mående. Har jag inte det faller allt annat." 

Där har vi den – kärnan i Ledarprogrammet Perspeqtiv.
Ett ledarskap som börjar inifrån, med att leda sig själv först. 

Så att du mår bra, håller, och kan leda så som du vill leda. 
Och inte minst: har ork och kraft till mer. 

Tusen tack K för att du varit med och stort lycka till med din nya verksamhet. Den kommer bli smashing! ✨

🔭 Nästa grupp i Ledarprogrammet Perspeqtiv startar i april. 
📧 Nyfiken? Hör av dig! 
✍🏼 Eller gör en helt obindande intresseanmälan:

https://lnkd.in/dg5GNT2N

COO at SisuSemi | New Ideas Into Results | Expert in R&D, Product dev and Program mngt | High Tech Leader | ex Chief Eng. @ SCHOTT | ex Dir @ MSFT | Empower Others and be Better | Look Out More for Leadership & Growth

In deep-tech environments, progress is expected long before certainty exists.

I started my career in technical physics and quickly moved from engineering into leading programs and R&D teams.

What drew me there was not control. It was clarity.

My strength has always been helping teams answer simple but critical questions:
What truly matters right now?
What does not?
What must happen first so the next decision becomes easier?

In semiconductor and hardware-driven environments, ambiguity is normal.
Time pressure is constant.
Open technical questions are unavoidable.
Governance grows as uncertainty grows.

The real leadership challenge is not eliminating ambiguity. It is creating enough structure to move forward, without locking teams into rigidity.

As COO and Co-Founder, my work sits at the intersection of strategy, execution, and growth.

I focus on:
- Turning strategic intent into operational meaning
- Building prioritization frameworks that reflect real risk appetite
- Creating shared clarity across technical and business teams
- Enabling ownership without adding unnecessary controlI am particularly interested in how deep-tech organizations scale innovation while maintaining alignment and predictability.

If you operate in complex technical systems and care about execution as much as innovation, we probably think about similar problems.

Let’s connect.

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬:  Leadership • Strategic Planning • Program Management • Product Development • Operations • Semiconductors • Photonics • Technology Management • AR/VR Hardware • Manufacturing Scale-Up

Pasi Pietilä

There’s a special challenge for mid level managers. (What ever their title is.)
You can’t change things above you. 

Things might look chaotic from your perspective. 
* Decisions are ad-hoc. 
* Meetings start without preparation.
* Work gets invented in the room instead of reviewed.

As a middle manager, this is the hardest position to sit in.
* You don’t set the strategy.
* You don’t control the broader system.
 
But you are still accountable for delivery.

1st, let's align with clarity of reality:
* You cannot remove global ambiguity.
* You can’t change others. 
  
But you can stop amplifying it locally.

Here's a few actions... 

When direction feels broad, translate it into a small number of concrete outcomes for your team. 
Define what “done” actually means. 
Protect that definition.

When meetings drift into improvisation, shift the expectation quietly. 
Ask for written context beforehand. 
If it doesn’t come, move the topic. 
Over time, people adjust to the standard you consistently hold.

When new urgent work appears, don’t resist it. 
Clarify sequencing. 
Make the trade-off visible. 
Capacity is real whether acknowledged or not.

None of this requires authority over the whole company.
It requires discipline over your own operating system.

Most stalled teams don’t lack talent.
They lack structured clarity. 

And middle managers shape more of that reality than they think.

I’m working with a book to discuss how to build on top of clarity instead of control. That is not only helping you to lead others but also helping you to navigate in the ambiguous environment. 
In the book I'll go deeper into these root-causes of friction and introduce methods to bring clarity, alignment and action.

COO & Co-Founder | Deep-Tech Scaling (Semiconductors, Photonics, AR/VR) | Strategy → Execution → Growth | MSc | eMBA Candidate ’27

Meeting ends... Topics were discussed and people were nodding.
In the next meeting, the loop repeats.

The same topic returns... Maybe from a slightly different angle.
More discussion follows. More agreement.... and more nodding.

But there is one thing the team does not discuss:
progress.
Because there is very little to show.


This is what a breakdown of clarity and alignment looks like in practice.

Clarity erodes through small, ground-level frictions:
* assumptions left unspoken
* different interpretations of the same decision
* vague ownership of the next step

Nothing dramatic... But highly impactful because the team assumes agreement means alignment.

But agreement without shared clarity rarely leads to action.
And the loop continues.

Breaking this cycle starts earlier than most leaders think.
It starts with creating real clarity before execution begins.

When teams build from clarity --> alignment --> action, progress becomes visible.

Without that foundation, meetings repeat while momentum quietly disappears.

This pattern is something I explore more deeply in my upcoming book on leadership in complex deep-tech environments.

𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑦.
𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠?

This is the most frustrating leadership moment.

The roadmap is clear.
The roles are defined.
The objectives are agreed.

And still... 
- Team is not doing decisions.
- Energy feels low.
- Deadlines slide without visible resistance.
- Smart people stay busy without making real progress.

At this point, most leaders tighten control...
More check-ins.
More tracking.
More pressure.

It feels responsible - But none is good. 
Because alignment is not the same as clarity.

There is a third layer of clarity most teams never fully establish - Clarity of reality.
It’s not:
* What we’re building.
* Who owns what.

It’s whether the team sees reality clearly enough to act decisively.

Reality clarity means:
✅ Explicit trade-offs
✅ Visible constraints
✅ A shared understanding of consequences
✅ Brutal honesty about the gap between ambition and capacity

When that layer is missing, execution becomes polite fiction.
Everyone agrees.
No one escalates.
The system absorbs delay.
And leaders compensate with control.
 
But control cannot create momentum. 
Only clarity can.
 
In my upcoming book, I describe a discipline I use with technical leadership teams to restore momentum with help of clarity-alignment-action arc.

It starts with three things:
1️⃣ What problem are we actually solving and Why?
2️⃣ What evidence proves it matters?
3️⃣ What part of the system must change so progress becomes irreversible?

When those answers become concrete (not political) energy shifts.

Not because pressure increased. But because ambiguity decreased.

Momentum is not driven by intensity. It is driven by clarity at the right level.

If your organization feels “aligned but stuck,” you are not missing effort.

You are missing one layer of clarity.
I’m have a few open beta-reader spots. More diversity gives better feedback. 
 Comment “book” or send me a DM if this topic matters in your world.

In the meanwhile, share your thoughts in the comments.

It’s a draft. A book draft.

For past months I have been writing about stalled progress.
Clarity vs control.
Roadmaps that don’t translate into execution.
Smart teams that stay busy - but don’t move.

That hasn’t been accidental. That has been on purpose. 

I’m now working on a book focused on one core problem in deep-tech environments: Why capable leaders with strong teams still struggle to create visible progress - and how to build real momentum with help of clarity instead of taking control.

This isn’t a motivational leadership book.
It’s a structured, practical framework for leaders who:
✅ Carry accountability without full authority
✅ Operate in cross-functional complexity
✅ Try to find direction in the middle of ambiguity
✅ Need progress, not theory

The first phase was messy... really messy – raw drafts, rewrites, research, argument testing.

Now I’m moving into next phase with beta readers stress-testing clarity and usefulness.

I already have a beta-reader group.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈’𝐦 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩-𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠.
If that’s you, message me.

More to come.

Why do capable teams still struggle to create visible progress?
In deep-tech, the problem isn’t competence.

Teams are strong.
Leaders are smart.
Roadmaps exist.
Metrics are tracked.

And yet progress feels slower than it should.
 🛑 Reviews circulate.
 🛑 Secondary priorities absorb attention.
 🛑 Critical decisions stall.

It’s not because people lack effort. 
People operate within the constraints they see.
 
The issue is structural.
Clarity, alignment, and execution drift apart under complexity.

When that happens:
 🛑 Ambiguity accumulates.
 🛑 Decisions slow down.
 🛑 Trade-offs remain implicit.
 🛑 Leaders compensate with control.
 🛑 Momentum erodes.
 
Over the past months, I’ve been structuring a manuscript around this recurring pattern.

The focus is specific:
How mid-level and emerging leaders create measurable progress - without relying on authority, reorgs, or micromanagement.

If you have experienced the gap between strong teams and slow progress, you will recognize the problem this book is trying to solve.

Writing a book without a plan is surprisingly easy.

You just start writing.
Ideas flow. Chapters appear. Pages accumulate.
And eventually… the structure becomes a mess. 

For me this happened with the 1st chapters of the book. 

Right now my book is with beta readers (huge thanks to everyone helping at this stage!!!).
That makes this a good moment for a small behind-the-scenes reflection.

One part of writing a non-fiction book is building the backbone:
• What ideas belong in the book
• What research supports them
• Where stories illustrate the concepts
• How chapters connect
• How the argument develops from start to finish

In fiction this is called the story arc.

In non-fiction each chapter needs its own clear purpose - but together they must still build one coherent message.

Here’s the irony.
I started writing before the backbone was fully defined.
That lead the editing phase became heavy for the 1st chapters.

I had to cut sections simply because concepts were introduced too early.
Some parts had to be reframed so the argument would unfold in the right order.
Other sections needed to move entirely.

You could call that the creative process.
But the engineer, program manager, and leader in me sees it differently: It was simply working without a plan.

Plans create structure.
They clarify what belongs where and why.
They make it easier to connect the pieces into something coherent.

The funny part?
I’m writing a book about clarity - and initially ignored clarity in my own process.
Yeah... I see some irony here.

But lesson learned - And I share that with you as well:

If you choose to skip the planning and clarity phase, you should also be prepared to deal with the messy outcome later.

You walk into the review confident.

The slide deck is clear.
The logic is solid.
You know the topic well.

Yet within minutes something feels off.

Someone questions an assumption you thought was obvious.
Another challenges a conclusion that felt self-evident.
A third person struggles to connect two slides that clearly belong together.

You start explaining.
* More context.
* More details.
Still, the discussion circles.

Gradually the conversation opens.

Different perspectives emerge.
People explain how they interpreted the material.

And a realization forms.
The issue wasn’t the slides.

And it wasn’t just missing details.

It was clarity friction.

Two kinds show up often:
* Assumed thinking – you expect others to see the problem the way you do.
* Hidden internal ambiguity – questions reveal gaps in your own thinking.

That leads to an interesting paradox.

You need internal clarity to create shared clarity.
Yet shared discussion is often what exposes the limits of your internal clarity.

Good reviews therefore create a loop:
Internal clarity --> shared discussion --> refined internal clarity...
And finally shared clarity.

And over the time both move closer to something more important... clarity of reality.

That’s when alignment and real progress begins.

I'm covering this topic deeper in the upcoming book.

Most of deep-tech leaders start as engineers.
That shapes how they think - both in good and bad.

Here's a few examples...

Engineers are trained to solve problems.
Leaders must first define which problems are worth solving.

Engineers build systems that work.
Leaders bring people together so systems can work.


At first glance, the difference feels small.
In practice, it changes everything.

Engineering work is grounded in answers.
You analyze, test, and converge toward a correct solution.
And many times, focus is being correct. Finding the optimum, the best solution. 

Leadership operates under different constraints.

You rarely start with clear answers.
You are expected to create direction without them.


And direction alone is not sufficient.
In engineering, a correct solution can stand on its own.
In leadership, progress depends on shared understanding.

That requires alignment.

And even alignment is not the end state.
Teams only move when alignment translates into coordinated action...  and finally into sustained momentum.

This is where many technically strong leaders get stuck.
They apply problem-solving thinking to situations that require clarity creation instead.

Clarity in this context is about making sure people understand:
* what matters
* what is uncertain
* and what needs to happen next

This shift is rarely taught.
It is something most leaders have to learn through friction.

It is also one of the reasons I started writing about leadership in complex, cross-functional environments and ultimately, why I am writing the book from clarity.

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The Battle

Annika Mohlin

Pasi Pietilä

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Annika Mohlin's LinkedIn Performance

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