Thread by @dustyexner

Hey do you have #ADHD and have you ever been / are you a manager? I have some tips for you! (Also add your tips to this thread)

Managing people with ADHD can be tough for a couple reasons. #1 ya gotta prioritize....which our brains kind of don't really do. #2 you have to delegate, and then YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER WHAT YOU DELEGATED TO WHOM

#3 you have to discipline people or hold them accountable, which means you CAnT bE eVErYbOdY's BeSt FrIEnD, and also it means you have to be accountable

So here are my tips! These are broadly applicable to almost any kind of management but I'm mostly envisioning small team management, like 25 or less people

#1. REMEMBER THAT RESOURCES EXIST. Sure, you were chosen as a manager because you clearly have some kind of talent but you can hone that talent, & your leadership, through resources. Read books abt effective team management, watch TEDtalks, whatever medium will work for your ADHD

Theres a great advice column called "Ask A Manager", etc - you get it. Dont just assume you *KNOW* how to manage. Keep learning. You do not need to reinvent the wheel.

#2 GET A MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY & WRITE IT SOMEWHERE THAT YOU WILL SEE IT
As you explore these resources, figure out what kind of manager you want to be, what kind of team or environment you want to cultivate, & write that down/post it somewhere (or multiple places) to not forget

With ADHD sometimes we lose sight of the big picture. Immediate things, urgent things take our focus and it can cause us to get distracted and move laterally or even away from our goals. Keeping a "big picture" view of who you want to be will help you problem solve in the moment

#3. GET YOUR OWN SUPPORT NETWORK preferably outside of work. Great if you have someone like an assistant manager or your manager but YOUR TEAM ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS. You may have to discipline or fire them someday. Nobody wants the boss crying to them about their breakup.

People with ADHD tend to struggle with boundaries and sometimes inappropriate social behaviours. Maintain strong boundaries around how you treat your staff. Be friendly, be kind but know they are not your buddies and you are not having a chummy hangout.

But what about outside of work? You ask. Look, I'm not gonna tell you how to live your life but don't come crying to me when shit gets really complicated during band practice cause your bassist is also the dude you demoted last week. Get other friends as backup, at least.

#4. CREATE A SYSTEM FOR TRACKING DELEGATION. If you ask Billy Bob to file those TPS reports and then you forget & the TPS Reports never get done, you're gonna look bad when you dont even know HOW they didnt get done. You also might ask Billy Bob & he might say "yeah I did them!"

Or maybe he did them but totally wrong and you're like, "these TPS reports are garbage, who did these?" But you have no idea, and times that by a million = you look like an inept manager. You might even stop delegating and put everything on your own plate cause it's just easier

Look, as a manager, you MUST delegate. You can't use up your time doing the unimportant stuff (unless unimportant stuff is fun in which case save a bit of it for yourself). But have a system. It could be a spreadsheet, a notebook, a calendar alarm or something

ie maybe you put in your calendar on next Tuesday, "follow up Billy Bob's TPS reports". When I hired people, I would schedule their 6 month reviews in right away. I had a daily spreadsheet staff needed to initial if they cleaned or stocked something.

That way, if stuff was still dirty or stocked wrong, I knew who to speak to about doing it right. You might need to occasionally change the system if you or the staff disengage from it.

#5 FIND WHAT YOU CAN BE ACCOUNTABLE WITH AND MAKE IT CLEAR TO STAFF. If you want to set an example by being on time every day do that, but make damn sure you're on time. If not dont! You're the manager & your work is different from your team's, so maybe its OK for you to be late

But staff still have to be on time. If that's the way it's going to be, be ok with it and don't be overly apologetic. But, whatever you DO decide you will be accountable on, keep your word. Maybe its participating in a certain sales goal or whatever. Make sure staff see you do it

And again, write it down somewhere or find a way to remind yourself that you don't have to kill yourself trying to be on time every day but you DO need to knock those sales targets out of the park. When you have #ADHD you often get into black and white, perfectionist thinking a

As the manager you won't have TIME to do EVERYTHING perfect, and YOU set the expectation with the team so decide once what is important and what isn't for your own accountability. Trying to do everything and be great at it to set the example will just lead to you burning out

And flailing and ultimately looking ineffective to staff.

Anyway that's what I got for ya! What other tips do you have for ADHD management? (see what I did there?)