Dear Reader, ​ This month is ADHD awareness month, so for this week's newsletter, we're exploring ADHD. ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a form of neurodivergence affecting 3-6% of the working population, yet fewer than 20% of adults with ADHD are even aware they have it. That's potentially millions of professionals who've developed extraordinary coping strategies, excelling in ways they don't fully understand while working twice as hard as their neurotypical colleagues to manage tasks others find routine. What makes ADHD particularly fascinating from a talent perspective is how it creates exceptional abilities in crisis management, creative problem-solving, and innovative thinking - exactly the skills organisations desperately need - alongside specific challenges with time management and attention regulation that, with support, can become manageable. Perhaps most significantly, your highest-performing creative problem-solvers, your best emergency responders, and your most innovative team members might be undiagnosed ADHD individuals who've learned to leverage their neurological differences as strengths. The question isn't just how we support known ADHD employees - it's how we create environments where undiagnosed ADHD talent can thrive.

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What's the Reality for ADHD Talent?

ADHD affects how the brain regulates attention, manages impulses, and controls activity levels. But here's the critical misconception to challenge: ADHD is NOT about having too little attention. It's about attention that works differently, regulated in unique ways that can become remarkable assets in the right conditions.

Research from a systematic review of ADHD in employment shows that ADHD employees demonstrate determination, resilience, multitasking abilities, creativity, hyperfocus, and emotional intelligence. When individuals with ADHD find work that genuinely engages them, they can enter "flow states" of concentration that can exceed neurotypical focus, producing exceptional quality outcomes.

Studies consistently demonstrate that individuals with ADHD excel at divergent thinking, generating multiple creative solutions to complex problems. They're natural innovators who make connections others miss, approaching challenges from unconventional angles when traditional methods fail. Research shows that they demonstrate heightened creativity and novelty-seeking, with an enhanced ability to aggregate knowledge across different fields and adapt strategies to achieve their goals.

Perhaps most remarkably, while many people's performance declines under stress, ADHD individuals often perform at their peak in high-pressure situations. The urgency and stimulation that overwhelms others can provide exactly what ADHD brains need to activate optimal focus. This is why ADHD individuals are overrepresented in emergency services, crisis management, entrepreneurship, and fast-paced industries requiring rapid decision-making.

However, traditional workplace systems often inadvertently exclude this talent. Rigid 9-5 schedules disadvantage employees whose brains work optimally at different times. Open-plan offices create constant distraction for those struggling to regulate attention. Lengthy written processes favour linear thinkers over creative problem-solvers. Performance systems that emphasise consistent routines over breakthrough innovation may undervalue contributions from individuals with ADHD.

The accommodation reality is surprisingly straightforward. Flexibility in when and how work gets done, clear structure and prioritisation, alignment of roles with strengths like creativity and crisis management, and understanding around time perception differences - these adjustments cost little yet transform productivity. Research shows that employees with ADHD tend to thrive in remote working environments and with flexible arrangements that allow them to work during their peak periods of focus.

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Stories from the workplace

This week, in recognition of ADHD Awareness Month, I'm sharing my own story. I spent 10 years at EY and 20 years in corporate, repeatedly an exceptional performer, yet constantly wondering why tasks that seemed easy for others felt impossibly hard. This story is part of my why - why I do this work.

Six years ago, I was tasked with leading a high-profile operating model project under the oversight of a senior-level steering committee. The project was taking too long and was over budget. The ask: deliver the detailed design phase in a drastically compressed timeframe with a tight budget. Most people would see this as a nightmare scenario. For me, it was exactly when my brain worked best.

I was partnered with an exceptional project manager who handled the elements I found draining - risk tracking, cross-workstream task management, and reporting. This freed me to do what I love to do: look at the project holistically, ask the questions others were afraid to ask, and rapidly get under the skin of what was really happening. I wanted enough detail to understand the system, but not so much that it became overwhelming. The result? We delivered on time, under budget, with delighted stakeholders. I was promoted to interim Director.

Then came the challenge. The Director role required managing a large team with complex interpersonal dynamics that didn't engage me, as well as extensive routine reporting. The work that had earned the promotion - strategic problem-solving under pressure - disappeared, replaced by exactly the tasks my brain found most difficult. I lost interest completely and stepped back from the promotion.

For years, I couldn't understand the pattern. I was a high performer year after year, yet certain tasks that colleagues handled easily took me hours to complete. I'd work late into the night on administrative work, wondering what was wrong with me. I loved pressure and took on too much because I genuinely had no idea how long tasks would take. I'd leave things to the last minute, not because I was lazy, but because that's when my brain finally activated.

The revelation came at the age of 42, three years ago, when I was asked to establish EY's Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence. As I researched ADHD, learning about executive functioning challenges: time management, task initiation, and planning, I had an "oh wow, that's me" moment. Yes, I, too, had always associated ADHD with hyperactive boys at school, not leaders at professional services firms.

The diagnosis brought relief and validation, but also required significant processing. Since age 13, I'd been treated for anxiety and depression, misdiagnoses that treated symptoms rather than the underlying ADHD, creating the overwhelm. Time was definitely a healer.

Looking back, I believe my managers were actually good at leveraging my strengths. The issue isn't manager expectation; it's organisational expectation that you tick all boxes. That, I believe, is what needs to change fundamentally.

This is why I do this work. Organisations promote people for their exceptional strengths, then expect them to excel equally in all areas, including those where their brains genuinely work differently. The question isn't "Why can't ADHD individuals do routine work better?" It's "Why do we insist everyone must be equally good at everything?"

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One change for immediate action

Become an ADHD ally by embracing flexibility and playing to strengths.

So how can we support? When working with colleagues who struggle with routine tasks but excel in creative problem-solving or crisis response, stop trying to make them "better" at admin and start leveraging their natural abilities. Ask yourself: "How can I restructure this work to play to their strengths?"

If someone consistently misses deadlines on routine reports but consistently produces brilliant ideas in brainstorming sessions, consider making them your innovation lead rather than forcing them to focus on documentation. If they're scattered in regular meetings but exceptional when emergencies arise, position them as your crisis responder. If they submit work at 11pm rather than 5pm, but it's of excellent quality, judge the output, not the hours.

Most importantly, challenge "one size fits all" thinking when you see it. If someone suggests "everyone needs to follow the same process," gently reframe: "Different brains work differently; could we offer flexibility while maintaining quality?" When colleagues describe ADHD individuals as "disorganised" or "unreliable," redirect: "They might need different structures, but their skills under pressure and creative thinking are invaluable."

Provide written follow-ups to verbal instructions. Create urgency through interim deadlines rather than waiting for last-minute panic. Minimise unnecessary interruptions during focus time. Celebrate innovative thinking even when it challenges conventions.

With 3-6% of the working population having ADHD, and only 20% aware they have it, your advocacy matters. Many of your highest-performing colleagues may be working exhaustingly hard to appear "normal" while contributing exceptional value through different thinking styles. Your flexibility and strengths-based approach can reduce that burden and unlock their full potential.

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And finally, a question for you?

Looking at your highest-performing creative problem-solvers and crisis managers, do you have colleagues who thrive under pressure, generate innovative solutions, but struggle with routine administrative tasks or time management? How might understanding ADHD change how you structure work and recognise talent?

Hit reply and share your thoughts - I'm particularly interested in examples of team members whose unconventional working styles initially seemed problematic but ultimately proved invaluable, and how small adjustments unlocked their potential.

I hope you are finding my newsletters insightful. If you are, please do share with others. The more people we educate, the more understanding and awareness we create, which helps foster more neuro-inclusive workplaces.

Thanks for reading.

Tania

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FIVE ways you can work with me: ​ Neuro-inclusive Recruitment Audit: Understand what practical steps you can take to ensure your recruitment process is inclusive for all. Training: From line managers to leaders, global HR teams to recruitment, awareness sessions to champion training. Consultancy: Policy writing, process redesign, reviewing neurodiversity materials, data, ERG launches - anything neurodiversity at work related! Coaching: One-to-one coaching to help support an individual navigate the world of work as someone who is neurodivergent Speaking: From a fireside chat to a keynote, podcast guest to panellist ​ Reply to this email to find out more!