They're often creative, able to think holistically, and make great leaders because of their resilience. With these strengths, people with ADHD make a great addition to any workforce. They thrive best in environments that play to their strengths, and support any challenges they may have.
“Employers should prioritize support for employees with ADHD because each individual possesses a unique skill set and strengths that other employees might not have. In general, people with ADHD tend to be highly creative and often work well in high-pressure situations.
In fact, people with ADHD often work harder than their colleagues in a desperate attempt to keep up. “Often, the patients I see are smart enough and capable enough to do their jobs, but they find they're not working up to their potential, and that their attention span seems to fluctuate,” says Novotni.
Hyper-focus, quality, and timeliness.
When focused on work that aligns with their interests and strengths, individuals with ADHD frequently draw upon their strength of hyper-focus and deliver results that easily offset any (often minimal) costs associated with accommodations.
Many adults with ADHD find joy in professions that allow them to work directly with children — in careers such as teaching or child care. These jobs rely on your dynamic personality and thoughtful creativity, though they may put your patience to the test.
He is one of the most successful and well-known entrepreneurs of modern times. Bill Gates the co-founder of Microsoft is known to have ADHD and has admitted to struggling with ADHD symptoms. He's also one of the wealthiest people in the world.
And many other people in similar situations struggle on the job. One national survey showed that only half of adults with ADHD were able to hold down a full-time job, compared to 72% of adults without the disorder. When they were able to secure a job, they tended to earn less than their peers without it.
This is why people with ADHD can hyperfocus on creative things or other similar tasks, but may have trouble with completing tasks that are not interesting to them. This heightened focus can make leaders great at performing their work duties because they will be able to put more effort into the task at hand.
People with ADHD face a number of issues in the workplace. They may include interpersonal conflict, tardiness, high absenteeism, high error rate, inability to change and lack of dependability. Consequences for these behaviors could include reprimands, suspensions, demotions, loss of pay, and termination.
Although ADHD symptoms can present some challenges when it comes to maintaining a steady job, there's no reason why you can't find success with employment. In fact, working can be highly beneficial for your life by: Increasing your financial freedom. Giving you a sense of purpose.
If all else fails, disclosure may be your only option. One thing you should know: An ADHD diagnosis alone, does not entitle an employee to services and/or accommodations. You must disclose your documented diagnosis, and show that ADHD "substantially limits a major life activity" — in this case, your job.
Go at a fast pace.
People with ADHD tend to get bored or distracted easily. The upside is that you may thrive in jobs with constant change and a quick pace. When every day at work feels different, you may feel more engaged and interested.
Conversational skills and humanity
Another study highlights that people with ADHD may have higher levels of social intelligence, humor, and recognition of feeling, or empathy. Study participants recognized their own ability to have a more positive mental approach, and in turn, more “social success.”
Many people with ADHD work brilliantly under pressure. We pull rabbits out of our hats — producing magic at the last minute to the amazement (and annoyance) of our teachers, bosses, peers, or family members. We delay beginning or completing tasks, even entire projects, until the night before a deadline.
ADHD impairs your executive functions, which enable you to plan, focus and juggle multiple tasks simultaneously, according to Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child. All of those are crucial for success in today's workplace. At one staff writing job, for example, I remember being overwhelmed constantly.
The researchers concluded that ADHD doesn't impair overall speed, but can make their processing speed less efficient when the tasks become more demanding. According to the study, impaired processing speed is likely due to inattention dimensions in ADHD rather than hyperactivity or impulsivity.
However, there is no correlation between this condition and intelligence. In fact, according to one study , ADHD affects people in the same way across high, average, and low IQ score ranges. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that can make it difficult for people to focus and to control impulsive behaviors.
A recent review of findings on ADHD and FFM personality suggests that, in general, ADHD has associations with the FFM traits of Neuroticism (positive), Agreeableness (negative) and Conscientiousness (negative).
Just because one partner has ADHD doesn't mean you can't have a balanced, mutually fulfilling relationship. The key is to learn to work together as a team. A healthy relationship involves give and take, with both individuals participating fully in the partnership and looking for ways to support each other.
Autism is very distinct from ADHD, but the core symptoms of ADHD-Combined type, i.e., attention deficit, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, would appear to also be features of autism. ASD and ADHD are neurobiological disorders characterized by similar underlying neuropsychological “deficits”.
If you have ADHD, it is probable that some of your ADHD strengths, like being an out of the box thinker, great problem solver and great in a crisis, just to mention a few, can also help you be a great manager. That's the good news. But are you the kind of leader you want to be?
For instance, among the 18 studies under scrutiny that did not explicitly state an IQ cut-off point the mean range of IQ among individuals with ADHD reported in the studies is from 102 to 110. Given that lower IQ is associated with ADHD this suggests that individuals with ADHD may be inaccurately represented.
Bill Gates, born in 1955 is the founder of Microsoft, and has a net worth of $103.2 billion. He also chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable foundation which has so far donated $35.8 billion to charity. Bill Gates, is known to have ADHD.
Indeed, 60 per cent of self-made millionaires have ADHD. This may make you think that we need these unique brains as a normal part of society. It may come as a surprise that various household names have overcome the societal and educational barriers put up against those who have ADHD and similar conditions.