Discovery · Tools and Strategies
Work Strategy “Only tell me if you want me to do something about it”
Michael Queenan, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Nephos Technologies, was diagnosed late in life with ADHD and Autism.
Michael Queenan, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Nephos Technologies, was diagnosed late in life with ADHD and Autism. In an interview with the FT he talked about ““I was just physically and emotionally exhausted all of the time”. The article goes on to say “The cycles of fatigue, which made him “much more direct, much more blunt”, proved a medical mystery until last October, when he received a formal diagnosis of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The burnout was due to sensory overload, including in social situations, and the effort involved in masking autistic traits”.
He spoke about telling “employees that to curb his tendency to micromanage they should only inform him of a work matter if they wanted him “to do something about it””.
What do you think of a recommendation to ask work colleagues to only talk to you about work issues that they actually want your significant input into?
Does this work for you?
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Ratings and comments come from people with ADHD sharing what helped them. They are experiences, not medical advice.
Not to be rude but people with ADHD are natural problem solvers so if someone is telling you something, we spend half the time trying to figure out how to solve the problem. So I would agree with only being told about things that people want you to do something about is true to an extent but we are all part of a team so people are allowed to vent at us too...it would just be really helpful if they were to start the conversation off by saying "I just need you to listen/I dont need you to do anything about this" and/or alternatively "I really need your help on this/this is going to impact your workload".
For me, I lose interest and focus if I perceive the conversation to be of no use. To stay engaged and ensure clarity, I find it helpful to ask open questions like, “Can you summarise the issue for me in one sentence?” or “What would you like me to do as a result of this?” I appreciate this approach can come across as blunt/rude, so I try to incorporate what I’ve already heard to show I’ve somewhat listened. For example, I might say, “I thought I heard you mention [specific point]; what would you like me to do?” This helps to re-gain my focus.
And then forgot to attach the link!!! Sorry!! Here it is: https://www.ft.com/content/3ce77408-34ab-4cbc-b12f-f8b2760c8552
Found the article, in case anybody wants to read it :)
the link to the article doesnt appear to work which is a shame as would have liked to have read it
PLEASE BE PERTINENT. Gawd don't waffle and don't waste my time with nonsense I don't need to know about. Totally agree with this strategy....only problem is that I've been known to waffle and go off an quite a lot of tangents so is a bit hard to be harsh on others on this.
I agree, but it can be seen as us being rude and antisocial. I know this from first hand experience. I think it boils down to the amount of ignorance there still is in the world on what ADHD and Autism really is. I find, if someone waffles on, I tend to phase out and then miss out on the important part of the message. The problem I have found that some people who have been alerted that I have ADHD, just don't understand what it means and react negatively towards me or treat me like I am some sort of idiot that has no brain. Each person that knows you have ADHD will treat you with regards to their own educated input as to how much they really know of what it means to be ADHD and their own bias towards it.
I agree, but it can be seen as us being rude and antisocial. I know this from first hand experience. I think it boils down to the amount of ignorance there still is in the world on what ADHD and Autism really is. I find, if someone waffles on, I tend to phase out and then miss out on the important part of the message. The problem I have found that some people who have been alerted that I have ADHD, just don't understand what it means and react negatively towards me or treat me like I am some sort of idiot that has no brain. Each person that knows you have ADHD will treat you with regards to their own educated input as to how much they really know of what it means to be ADHD and their own bias towards it.
PLEASE BE PERTINENT. Gawd don't waffle and don't waste my time with nonsense I don't need to know about. Totally agree with this strategy....only problem is that I've been known to waffle and go off an quite a lot of tangents so is a bit hard to be harsh on others on this.
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