Lotus Leadership: A Modern Playbook of Ancient Wisdom

"A refreshing, long-overdue playbook about leadership for everyone. I wish Lotus Leadership had been around decades ago; It's grounded in the best kind of wisdom: the kind that scales."
--Reid Hoffman, cofounder of LinkedIn and bestselling author of Superagency

"The way yoga gave the West a new way to breathe, relieve stress, and balance our lives, so too will Lotus Leadership and the powerful Hindu goddess stories in this book give everyone a new way to lead with balance, compassion, and of course, Radical Candor."
--Kim Scott, bestselling author of Radical Candor and Radical Respect

A former tech leader's modern playbook for success, culled from the inspiring stories of a largely unrecognized cadre of luminary women of Indian heritage.

We've been ignoring the surging force of Indian women in American business for far too long. Not anymore. In this one-of-a-kind book, Silicon Valley tech executive Kamini Ramani tells the story of these women for the first time; highlighting not just their successes, but unveiling how they got there. And the answer is powerful. Notably, it wasn't by following the same playbook of (white or Indian) men, and it wasn't by "leaning in."

Instead, these women--often unconsciously--drew on the learned wisdom of their heritage, and specifically the stories of the main Hindu goddesses they were raised with. At the core of this is an embrace of duality similar to the tenants of Yoga that encourages harmony rather than dissonance; an emphasis on the collective over the individual; and the ability to own your power with calm and resilience.

Ramani spent a year interviewing more than thirty of the top women of Indian heritage in American business. In Lotus Leadership she distills their paths into a framework likened to a "yoga for business" practice that can be followed by everyone, no matter where they are from.

In her no-nonsense "Auntie" style, Ramani unveils--petal by petal--a new way of leading based on five principles:

Embracing both your so-called feminine and masculine sides in harmony, and using one or the other as the situation demands.

With inspiring stories and practical advice, Lotus Leadership is a pioneering guide to blossoming in business and in life.

Kamini Ramani is a native of Bombay, India who attended Yale and Stanford Universities, followed by a four-decade career as a technology marketing leader. She has advised legends like Steve Jobs, and as Chief Marketing Officer established Mayfield, a top tier venture capital firm, as a first stop for founders. As a founding member of the South Asian women's network Neythri, she has worked closely with Silicon Valley leaders. Her passions include forest bathing, storytelling, and swapping book recommendations with her two adult daughters. She and her husband Omar Khan are thirty-five-year residents of San Francisco.