ADHD in the Boardroom: Harnessing Hyperfocus for Hypergrowth
Living with ADHD often feels like the lifelong square peg, perpetually trying and failing, to fit into the round hole of social norms. From the classroom to the boardroom, individuals with ADHD are frequently labeled as "disruptive," because their minds dance to a different rhythm.
Many with ADHD can’t understand why they aren’t able to just "fix it” – no amount of willpower can create the changes others want. A sense of helplessness can shadow many with ADHD, eclipsing the incredible potential within. Yet, what if the traits seeming to hold people back were actually their greatest strengths? The narrative around ADHD is ripe for disruption – from viewing it as a barrier to recognizing it as a superpower.
By embracing ADHD's unique gifts and adapting our approaches, we can cultivate fertile ground for innovation. Here are four ways we can meet people with ADHD where they are.
1. Navigating the Rapids of Impulse Control
One of the hallmarks of ADHD is the challenge of impulse control, which often manifests as interruptions or impatience. These individuals aren't trying to steal the spotlight. Their ADHD blesses them with a firehose of ideas, while making it very difficult to contain them and manage the brain-mouth filter.
How can we help? Create structure that allows them to channel the firehose productively. For example, a person with ADHD might tend to overpower in a verbal brainstorm where conversational turn-taking is unscripted and improvisational. Consider accommodating their needs by asking everyone to write their ideas first, then structure the verbalization of those ideas with organized turn-taking. This not only curtails impulsive interruptions but also ensures that the firehose of ideas can be harnessed.
2. Tuning-Into the Unspoken Symphony
People with ADHD often have difficulty reading nonverbal communication. This can make subtle cues like discomfort or hesitation fly under the radar, potentially causing distress in the working group. This isn't about someone with ADHD lacking empathy; it's about the different ways they perceive and process information.
To help accommodate people with ADHD, consider an environment where nonverbal communication can be made more explicit. For example, let the group create their own ground rules, where a larger nonverbal gesture can stand in for a subtle one. In other words, if we all agree to rub the top of our own head if we feel uncomfortable, we can emphasize meaning via a more obvious nonverbal gesture. Part 2 of the ground rule – the person who was speaking must candidly acknowledge the head-rubbing, and openly discuss with the head-rubber what made them uncomfortable. This helps individuals with ADHD read nonverbal signals in the moment, while cultivating a culture of transparency and trust.
3. Riding the Wave of Emotional Dysregulation
Emotional dysregulation is another key trait, often manifesting as outsized emotional reactions that feel to others as unwarranted. Feelings may be expressed in bigger, louder, less-predictable ways – passionate outbursts or mood swings. For those with ADHD, this isn't a choice. It’s simply their brain processing emotions differently. Emotional regulation is one of my own most difficult ADHD challenges, and I’ve seen it negatively impact my own interactions in relationships, the workplace and daily life.
What can we do to help? While the emotional “bigness” can certainly feel overwhelming, it's also a testament to the deep investment that people with ADHD have for the problem they are trying to solve. Others can use their own gift of enhanced emotional regulation to step back, be patient, give grace, and recognize that this "bigness" and "loudness" are not the terrible flaws of a “bad person,” but expressions of their intense desire to help.
We can provide more structure by giving everyone equal airtime, creating an affirmation-centric environment, and using enhanced nonverbal cues, such as the head-rubbing example above. These accommodations help reduce instances of emotional dysregulation by de-stressing the environment. They also help people with ADHD become aware of the moments when they’re making others uncomfortable, helping everyone feel better in the moment, while supporting long-term behavior change.
4. Mastering the Maze of Executive Dysfunction
Executive dysfunction refers to a person with ADHD’s challenges organizing things. I have a recurring dream where I need to check out of a hotel quickly, in order to make a flight. However, I’m never able to get all my things packed, and I miss the flight every time. This never fails to wake me up at 1am in the grip of anxiety.
Executive dysfunction may impact a person with ADHD’s ability to organize their thoughts and articulate them verbally. This can lead to rambling and tangent-chasing, ultimately robbing others of their own airtime. I’ve seen firsthand how high-pressure environments can actually make this worse, where people with ADHD struggle even more to compose and articulate their thoughts directly because of a stress-filled situation.
Yet here's where ADHD can be a superpower: the ability to make leaps in thinking and connect disparate ideas. I’ve always liked the old Pearl Jam lyric “thoughts arrive like butterflies.” As quickly as one thought flies in, I can connect it to another, and another, and another – and find something new and compelling 4 links down the chain.
To help accommodate for differences in executive function, we can design environments that value written and visual communication alongside verbal. Tools like mind maps, Miro, or even the lowly post-it note, can help individuals with ADHD better organize their thoughts, enabling them to contribute their unique insights more succinctly, giving more airtime back to others, and de-pressurizing the environment for all.
Improving innovation isn't about removing the “disruptive” people from the room, or making someone with ADHD change who they are. It's about adapting our own awareness and meeting people where they are. Approach ADHD with grace and forgiveness. Respond with empathy rather than judgment. This helps foster a sense of acceptance and belonging, which is essential for individuals with ADHD to feel valued in their communities, workplaces and relationships.
By doing so, we don't just accommodate a different ability; we unleash a wellspring of creativity that can propel us all forward. Within the challenges of ADHD lie opportunities – to think differently, to innovate boldly, and to collaborate in ways that turn someone’s latent superpowers into tangible successes for everyone on the team.
