The Real ADHD Challenges facing the Global Creative

WSJ ran an article in early April 2010 on adults and ADHD.  It was informative and accurate but hardly useful for the typical WSJ reader.  The title, “Mind Games: Attention-Deficit Disorder Isn’t Just for Kids. Why Adults Are Now Being Diagnosed, Too”, implies that the diagnosis of adults is a recent phenomenon.  It is neither recent nor a phenomenon.  While I appreciate seeing educational articles about ADHD reach WSJ readers, the author Melinda Beck, had a unique opportunity to share the ADHD experience of professionals, executives and leaders in high stakes work environments.  It’s time for a new dialogue about the challenges and opportunities facing professionals struggling with ADHD.

Luckily we at Global Creative have unearthed the missing paragraphs that hopefully we will see in articles in the future.  So you are welcome to insert this anywhere in Ms. Beck’s article (psst! You too Melinda!)

The dynamic and intense work environment of the typical WSJ reader poses added challenges.  But with thoughtful planning and implementation, one can also make high impact gains. Two factors in particular can wreak havoc on a professional’s best laid intentions: transitions and overwhelm.

On the Outside: Transitions

Think about the number of demands, actions, requests a creative professional cycles thru each day.  Moving from one task to another an individual must pivot and change direction and their mode of work.  Shifting from strategic planning to rapid action completions to deep dives into complex projects requires flexibility, dexterity and a keen sense of timing.  These pivot points are temporal, organizational and spatial in nature.

Transitions are particularly challenging when one has an executive function system that shifts attention too quickly or locks on to a task for too long (hyper-focus).  Individuals with ADHD can expend huge sums of energy to activate for a task and then move on to a new task.  In addition, a transition is a process and for many Global Creatives processes can have chameleon-like properties, very difficult to discern from the general background.

On the Inside: Overwhelm

Where transitions fall into the category of a ‘necessary move’, overwhelm is a state of dire consequences.  Overwhelm is a phenomenon you don’t hear a lot about in general ADHD literature.  Yet overwhelm is a very real and challenging condition that will hobble the best laid plans.  It is unique for every individual but typically it occurs when one has too much on their plate and they are not adequately addressing basic ADHD management practices.  With too many inputs to field, overworked Global Creatives can reach a tipping point sending the pre-frontal cortex into shut down mode.  The victim then must resort to ‘latest and loudest’ tactics and be vulnerable to their cave man brain.  No learning. No insights.  Just basic emotional responses to the important inputs that make up a workday.  Pressure and stress are huge players in contributing to overwhelm too.

So  note the essential transitions in your workday and keep an eye on overwhelm.  Prioritizing projects, timely completions and communicating, collaborating and delegating with key individuals will go a long way to limit the damaging effects of overwhelm and bring a sense of success in the workday.  Reestablishing self-care practices such as exercise, sleep and eating well will help manage the stress which in turn helps to manage the ADHD symptoms.  Look for more tips on managing transitions and overwhelm in the near future.

Cameron Gott PCC

ADHD Coach

Washington DC, Virginia and The World