Lack of Focus: Quickly lose interest in long term project
Lack of Organization: Start multiple projects and finish few
Restlessness: Fidget and easily become distracted, especially during meetings
Difficulty Prioritizing: Allow unimportant issues to consume their time with the same level of
urgency as a burning bush in front of them
Procrastination: Become overwhelmed with tasks that require multiple steps so instead they
avoid them all together
This lack of ability to execute sends a chain reaction up the ranks although the ADD manager is
typically disciplined for their failure to deliver results, it is often the manager the next level up that is
penalized for their inability to “manage” (i.e. motivate/hold accountable/and inspire) the ADD
associate.
Ten (10) SOLUTIONS for dealing with an adult with ADD tendencies:
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Seat them in meetings so that they face a wall rather than an “open door” or window
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Pick specific times to talk to them rather than “talking on the fly”
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Make eye contact
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Ask the ADD adult to write down what they agreed upon
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Encourage the ADD adult to file information by categories rather than alphabetical (it will make more
sense to them)
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Encourage “color coding”---Many ADD individuals are visually stimulated (i.e. daily to-do’s are in the
red file/Mon.-blue/Tues.-green/Wed. yellow, etc.)
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Encourage structure and rituals
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Help them break large initiatives into smaller tasks
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Help them to prioritize
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Give them lots of encouragement (most ADD adults were not diagnosed as children and have therefore grown up “letting people down,” many struggle to keep up their self-esteem)
Remember:
The service industry ATTRACTS these people for very good and mutually beneficial reasons! Their behavior is not by choice---they are literally just WIRED differently! Engage them, manage them appropriately, and
watch their imaginations soar!
To read more about it, check out: ADD in the Workplace: Choices, Changes, Challenges