Almost everything I do for work and pleasure (there usually isn’t a line between the two) has an element of storytelling. My job as a photographer is to tell the customer’s story. My job as an actor is to tell the author’s story. My work as the over-zealous Stickman McTaggart in the wrestling world is to tell the story that leads to the match. My work promoting any of my businesses is to tell the story of how I got there – and relate that to the customer’s needs.
But recently I’ve been telling another story – the story of how I realised that I have ADHD.
I was initially reluctant to talk about ADHD at business networking events, but the funny thing is that it has come up naturally on numerous occasions.
Stories breed stories
A couple of conversations I had at Business Buzz Leicester this week have sparked me to write this blog, but the same thing has happened at numerous events, and I’m often not the first to bring it up.
Realising that I had ADHD made a lot of things in my life make sense – my poor working memory (if I’ve ever forgotten your name it’s nothing personal), my ability to get an entire day’s work done in a couple of hours when motivated, my inability to get a couple of hours’ work done in an entire week if I’m not motivated, my difficulty focussing in meetings, and the fact that am most productive when given a task and a deadline, and left alone to accomplish it.
One of the things that makes ADHD so difficult to identify is that a lot of the symptoms are things that every does occasionally.
From forgetting why you walked into a room to lacking motivation but not knowing why, most people will relate to the symptoms if expressed individually. This means that when I tell stories of how ADHD has affected me, it’s very easy for other people to relate and tell me a similar story of their own.
Uncovering ADHD
What has surprised me, however, is how many people have a story of someone in their own life that has ADHD or some other form of neurodiversity.
It seems that everyone has a family member, a partner, a friend or a work colleague that has ADHD or autism. In my business advisor job I have strongly suggested to at least three people that they speak to their GP about an ADHD assessment, as I have identified traits in them.
Sometimes there is an obvious link. For example, ADHD is often hereditary, so people who have children that are diagnosed with ADHD or autism may find that they have it too. Often when they are learning how to manage their child’s behaviour they will find a lot of information that rings true to them. From my experience, a lot of parents ignore this because it would be just another thing to deal with, in an often hectic and complicated life.
Other times it can present as low self-esteem or self-confidence, and a self-image of being unproductive, undisciplined, or incompetent. ADHD can make you feel like this, and if friends, family members and work colleagues add to this narrative, it can have an incredibly negative effect.
Diagnosis
Lots of people have stories of diagnosis too – either their own or their family members. The ADHD and autism diagnosis services in this country are massively underfunded. I waited six months for a letter from the service confirming my application, only to be told there would be at least a two-year wait before I could be seen.
Something that you aren’t told is that you can ask for your diagnosis request to be forwarded to a private supplier on the NHS Right-to-Choose scheme. This may speed your diagnosis referral up and have you seen within six or nine months instead.
Diagnosis can be life-changing because it can provide access to medication which usually isn’t possibly without it.
Personally, I have chosen not to go down the Right-to-Choose route because I am fine in myself and I am in no rush for a diagnosis. I’m also unsure whether or not I wish to take medication. I have spent all of my life putting systems in place that help me be as productive as I can, so I’m happy to wait and allow the people who are truly struggling to take the priority appointments.
Workplace impact
A key point about neurodiversity that often flies under the radar is that if you adapt your systems, processes and procedures to be accessible to people with both physical, mental and neurodiverse conditions, you are actually making them more accessible and user-friendly for everyone.
I read an example recently from an app developer. I can’t find the link but the upshot is that when most companies test an app, they often do it in optimal conditions. Great lighting, a quiet environment, and a big screen.
Consider this – how often do we use an app in optimal conditions? Look at how many videos use subtitles on social networks. Subtitles are no longer for hard-of-hearing or deaf/Deaf people. We use them when we watch videos in public places with the sound down, or when our partner is asleep and we don’t wish to disturb them.
The same is true for other functions. Most phone-based games now have interactive tutorials to help you get used to the controls before you start playing. It wasn’t that long ago that games came with a huge rule book listing all the control options. No wonder we never read them and simply learned by trial and error instead!
This also applies to your workplace. By making your systems and processes accessible to people that are neurodiverse, you’ll be making them more user-friendly for others too. There will of course be some change management needed – people are always resistant to change whether good or bad – but as someone that has designed an infinite number of admin systems for small businesses, I can say that the medium-to-long-term impact has always been worth the short-term pain.
Helping others
I can’t claim to be an expert in neurodiversity as I’ve only been exploring it in detail for 18 months or so (however that is an ADHD-hyperfocused 18 months, so probably 3-5 years of neurotypical study!) but I’m always happy to talk about my experiences, and the experiences of others I know that have been through the system.
If you think you or a family member might have neurodiversity and wish to discuss it confidentially, my door/email/DMs are always open. I also run a free LinkedIn group and Facebook group for neurodiverse freelancers and business owners.
Similarly, if you think your workplace/leadership team may benefit from some further training or understanding in this area, I’m available on a consultancy basis. Get in touch if you’d like to book a free, no-obligation discovery call to see how I might be able to help. Combining my systems knowledge with my understanding of neurodiversity and my training skills, I can assist in many situations.