I was a leader long before I understood I was a leader with ADHD. Like so many diagnosed late in life, I'd created stories around my "deficits", many of which were neither kind nor true.
Stepping into a leadership role as someone with ADHD requires awareness and resilience. It’s about embracing your authentic self while navigating professional environments that may not always fully understand or accommodate diverse perspectives.
At Lead With Curiosity, we have a first-hand awareness of these challenges and are committed to supporting leaders with ADHD on their journey of self-discovery, helping them overcome barriers, and guiding them to success—on their own terms.
As a leader with ADHD, you bring unique strengths to the table —creative thinking, pattern finding, attention to detail, and a fresh perspective that can drive both your team and organization forward. However, the path isn’t without challenges. Many leaders with ADHD experience masking, the practice of hiding or adapting their behaviors to fit in, which can lead to feelings of guilt and shame. Here's the thing we don't talk about enough: masking - that effort you almost subconsciously expend to fit in and appear typical - can be exhausting.
Learning to embrace the nuances of how you contribute to the world as a leader or a teammate can be empowering. It requires embracing your strengths and addressing common obstacles like masking, guilt, and the pressure to fit into neurotypical norms. Finding a professional environment that understands these complexities and is ready to support your journey toward leading confidently and authentically can't be understated in its value.
For me, the biggest shift in how I viewed my value came when I learned my strengths. Once I had language for these parts of myself that I'd struggled to understand for most of my adult life, embracing them was easier. What took longer was learning to not just own my value to myself but share the uniqueness of what I could offer to others.
Action Steps:
Learn Your Strengths: If you don't already have language for your superpowers, use Gallup's CliftonStrengths tools to learn more about your talents. If you've already taken your assessment, consider unlocking the Strengths for Leaders report to better understand your talents through a leadership lens.
Prioritize Self-Reflection and Self-Care: Embrace your ADHD and recognize how it shapes your leadership style. Own and celebrate the unique strengths you bring to your team. Make time for honest reflection about what is working and what isn't in how you work with your team. And then consider how things like sleep, work hours, nutrition, and your routines are serving (or not) your goals as a leader.
Build Masking Awareness: Work towards showing up authentically by shedding the mask often worn in neurotypical environments. Develop strategies to maintain your confidence while being true to yourself. For some, acknowledgment of a diagnosis may be a helpful starting point.
Seek Feedback: While true for any leader, seeking feedback from those you trust about how your ADHD impacts decisions, project distribution or team goal achievement may be important.
Be Aware of Mirroring: While not true for all, many ADHDers have a tendency to build connections in conversation by jumping in with their own examples of a story or matching behaviors of others. Practice pausing to consider if curiosity and asking questions may create more authentic connections.
Build Support Networks: Surround yourself with allies who understand and appreciate your ADHD. If you struggle with motivation, find a "body double", a person whose presence is encouraging. Seek out communities, mentors, and coaches where you can share experiences and learn from others in similar leadership roles.
Leading with ADHD is about unlocking your potential by embracing your strengths and facing challenges with curiosity. It’s a journey that requires both self-awareness and support, and you don’t have to do it alone.
Final Thoughts
Our awareness of others is limited by our awareness of ourselves; this is true whether you are a leader with ADHD or leading someone with ADHD. To be an inclusive leader that honors the talents of everyone on our team, we have to show up with curiosity as a guiding force.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation with Jen Pasquale. Let’s work together to explore your strengths, build authentic leadership strategies, and make a meaningful impact in your organization. Embrace curiosity and lead with confidence!
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