This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we get a deeper understanding of ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence in the tech industry and the workplace. Our guest is Brett Greene, a tech community leader in the Pacific Northwest who specializes in this field in his work with companies and individuals as an executive coach.
Based on his experience, some of the people reading this post or listening to this episode will have a sudden realization — seeing themselves or colleagues in a new light by recognizing the hallmarks of ADHD for the first time.
“It’s 30 to 40% of the population. That’s one-in-three people,” he explains. “So if you’re in a room with 10 people, three of those people are probably neurodivergent, whether they’ve been diagnosed or not, because 85% of us are not.”
Greene himself was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.
“It’s life-changing, knowing, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s not me, I’m not alone. I’m not broken.’ ” he says. “It’s brain chemistry. … And once you understand it, that knowledge is what we can use to do our lives better.”
Here are some of the basics, as explained by Greene on the show:
- Neurodivergent conditions often occur together on a spectrum. For example, someone may have a combination of ADHD, dyslexia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder to varying degrees.
- ADHD is thought to have three varieties: hyperactive, inattentive, and combined.
- Symptoms of ADHD include low executive function, working memory, dopamine, and serotonin, which can impact tasks like organization and prioritization.
- It’s more prevalent than realized, believed to affect as much as 30-40% of the population, though 85% go undiagnosed. Women are often misdiagnosed with other conditions.
- Strengths of people with ADHD include: high IQ, resilience, empathy, high tolerance for risk, creativity, seeking novel experiences, ability to hyper-focus, and being problem-solvers who see solutions others miss.
- Weaknesses include: organization, planning, prioritizing, managing time, communication, recognition of social cues, and an inability to pay attention to only one thing at a time.
Related to low executive function, another challenge is “time blindness,” including problems consistently showing up on time, accurately estimating how long a task may take, or keeping track of schedules and deadlines.
People with ADHD often categorize things into “now” and “not now” in their brains. For example, someone may ask a neurodivergent person to do something, and they want to do it in the moment because they’re afraid they’ll forget.
However, other times they get so focused on what they’re currently doing that they end up not doing what was asked, because their attention has shifted to the new focus. This can lead to forgetting tasks or commitments.
Awareness is the first step, both for people with ADHD and their colleagues. That requires communication and understanding. Beyond that, Greene shares some some solutions that can help people with ADHD:
- Focus on fewer steps to reduce cognitive load, plus systems and anchors. An anchor is an agreed-upon protocol to manage recurring situations, such as raising a finger when someone interrupts.
- Encourage skills-based training and collaborating with neurotypical colleagues to leverage their respective strengths.
- Communicate openly, understand triggers, and give space when needed. One of Greene’s consulting clients came up with the phrase “bad brain day,” as a way of expressing this.
- Use questions starting with “what” and “how” to improve understanding.
It’s a misnomer to call ADHD a “disorder,” Greene says, predicting that it will be renamed at some point.
He likens it to the difference between iOS and Android: “Nobody’s ever gotten mad at an Apple phone because it didn’t do the Android thing. Why? Because we have context. We know that some things are going to be the same, some things are going to be different, and some things are not even going to be there.”
Related links
- Find a list of ADHD Resources on Brett Greene’s website.
- Upcoming event: ADHD Strategies for Tech Founders and Investors: Understanding and Leveraging Neurodivergent Team Members for Maximum Success, July 18 in Bellevue, Wash.
- Greene is founder and CEO of New Tech Northwest.
Subscribe to GeekWire in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
Audio editing and production by Curt Milton.
