A leader tells me in a coaching session that in meetings under time pressure she regularly becomes impatient, almost aggressive, even though she does not want to. She knows it. She has observed it several times. And yet it happens again. She has tried techniques, breathing deeply, counting to three internally, reminding herself beforehand. It helps sometimes. But the reaction stays, as if it were stronger than any intention.

It is. For as long as its origin remains unknown.

What Self Science has to do with this

Prof. Sandro Formica, Ph.D., developed the Self Science approach at Florida International University, a structured model of self-leadership that connects inner factors such as needs, values, talents, beliefs and emotional patterns with concrete decisions and actions. The starting point is a simple but far-reaching observation: people most of the time do not act from their conscious intentions. They act from what is operating inside them, often without knowing it.

This does not mean being at the mercy of one's reactions. It means that change has to start where the reaction originates, not only where it becomes visible. Whoever tries to change only the behaviour without understanding which need lies behind it or which belief is driving it is working on the surface. That can work in the short term. Over time it is simply exhausting.

What this means in practice

In my work with leaders I observe again and again that reactions under AI pressure are not new. They are old. The colleague who tends towards control in change processes has probably always done so, it was just less visible before. The leader who becomes poor in communication under pressure has learned that silence is safe, at some point, somewhere in their history.

Self Science asks: what drives me? What is truly important to me? What blocks me, even when I do not show it? And which routines help me to stay grounded when things become difficult? These are not therapeutic questions. They are leadership questions. Whoever does not know the answers leads from their patterns. Whoever knows them has a choice.

Why this matters particularly under AI pressure

AI implementations generate a very specific form of pressure: comparability increases, pace increases, tolerance for uncertainty is put to the test. In this climate, the gaps between who someone wants to be and how they actually react become larger and more visible. For some this becomes an opportunity to understand something they have long sensed. For others it becomes a source of shame and withdrawal.

What makes the difference is not strength. It is self-knowledge. Not as self-optimisation, not as a perfection project, but as the straightforward ability to look at oneself honestly. And from there to decide.