See through the lens of ADHD leaders, not forcing ours on them

Not all brilliant minds thrive in structure. That doesn't make them less capable.

Years ago, I worked with a founder as his fractional HR Lead. His scale-up was soaring in revenue but burning out behind the scenes.

What he thought was a manpower problem? It was actually a clash between his personal working style and what his growing organization needed: structure, planning, clarity.

His investors were growing frustrated. He sold them brilliant ideas, but execution kept falling short.

His challenges with time, focus, and follow-through were real. And they completely clashed with what I - someone who naturally thrives on planning and execution - thought were "basic."

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬:

When supporting someone with executive function challenges, logic alone isn't enough. You need to be compassionate. You need to see through their lens, not force yours.

You hold space with strategy, not ego. And you build from where they are, not where you wish they'd be.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 - by training formally as an ADHD Coach with ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA) and be credentialed as Certified ADHD Coach Practitioner (CACP) by the Professional Association of ADHD Coaches (PAAC) for emerging leaders struggling with executive function, ADHD or not.

This isn't a career pivot. It's a deepening of what I've always done: helping emerging leaders with a busy brain lead effectively without losing themselves.

It started with one founder who had the courage to confront his wiring for the good of his people.

I'm building on that courage now, from the other side of the table.