The Hidden Patterns Quietly Driving Your Leadership
"Why do intelligent, capable leaders keep repeating the same behaviours under pressure?"
One of the most thought-provoking moments in Session 4 of my Women's Leadership Programme came when we explored the Five Drivers from Transactional Analysis.
As each participant completed the questionnaire, something interesting happened.
People began laughing.
Not because the exercise was funny.
Because they recognised themselves.
One participant admitted she struggled to say no.
Another realised perfectionism was keeping her working long after everyone else had gone home.
Someone else recognised they rarely asked for help, even when they desperately needed it.
Different behaviours.
The same underlying process.
As leaders, we often believe we're making conscious decisions.
But under pressure, we frequently operate on autopilot.
Transactional Analysis calls these automatic patterns Drivers—deeply ingrained messages that influence how we think, behave and lead, particularly when stress begins to build. One or two Drivers usually become dominant under pressure, often pushing us towards perfectionism, people pleasing, overworking, rushing, or carrying everything on our own.
The surprising part?
Our Drivers are not weaknesses.
They are often the very qualities that helped us become successful.
A Be Perfect leader strives for excellence.
A Please Others leader creates trust and connection.
A Be Strong leader remains calm during a crisis.
A Hurry Up leader gets things moving.
A Try Hard leader brings energy, creativity and persistence.
These qualities are valuable.
In fact, they're often exactly what our teams appreciate most.
The problem isn't the Driver.
The problem is what happens when pressure becomes chronic.
That's when our greatest strength can quietly become our biggest limitation.
The perfectionist struggles to delegate.
The people pleaser can't say no.
The strong leader carries everything alone.
The energetic leader rushes decisions.
The persistent leader keeps trying long after a different approach is needed.
One sentence from the session seemed to resonate with everyone:
"Every Driver brings valuable leadership strengths. The key is recognising when a Driver is serving you—and when, under pressure, it begins to drive your behaviour instead of you consciously choosing how to lead."
That is where emotional intelligence begins.
Not by changing who we are.
But by becoming aware of the patterns that quietly take over when life becomes demanding.
Next week I'll share the Driver that has shaped much of my own leadership journey—and how recognising it changed the way I lead.
The next Women's Leadership Programme is starting on Wednesday 16th September, I invite you to join the journey.
Warmly,
Johanna
Further Reading
Kahler, T. (1975). Drivers: The Key to the Process of Scripts. Transactional Analysis Journal.
Hay, J. Organisational Transactional Analysis and Permissions – An Essay.