BLOG PODS #12 - ADHD & Achievement
INTRODUCTION
I left school with 1 GCSE.
OK, so I was a lazy teenager. No doubt at least some of the blame for that lies with me. But my life since suggests that something was missed back then, that had it been discovered, might have helped me fulfil a lot more of my potential.
Since I embarked on this journey of outwardly acknowledging my condition, I’ve met a load of others who, like me, have achieved a lot more than their school performance might suggest they were capable of.
Today’s post looks at ADHD & achievement.
The ADHD Advantage: Unleashing the Potential
ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is often viewed through the lens of its challenges. That’s understandable, especially in child care settings, but also because it’s usually a factor when other problems emerge.
But, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that ADHD can be associated with certain strengths that contribute to success in things like entrepreneurship and creativity, as well as high achievement of others kinds.
Here are 3 broad (very broad) areas where ADHD might just be an advantage.
1. ADHD and Entrepreneurship
💡 Entrepreneurship - ‘…the process of creating, developing, and managing a new business venture with the aim of generating profits or creating value.’ (Source)
Now this not all about business, particularly for kids, but you get the point. And there is evidence that people with ADHD are significantly more likely to start their own business.
Key traits and advantages that ADHD brings to entrepreneurship:
* Propensity for Risk-Taking : Individuals with ADHD often display a higher tolerance for risk. The potential disadvantages of this are obvious. But, this can also be a great advantage when breaking new ground in business or any other venture. The willingness to engage in higher-risk, higher-reward activities can lead to innovative practices that can crack open new markets and reveal opportunities that might otherwise remain hidden.
* Hyper-focus: The stereotype of ADHD is the kid (usually a boy) who behaves like Tigger: can’t sit still, attend and focus on anything much at all. But, while ADHD is characterised by difficulty maintaining attention, it also fuels periods of intense focus, sometimes called hyper-focus. During these times, it’s possible to work with extraordinary productivity and creativity on tasks the individual is passionate about. It’s not unusual for me to ‘wake-up’ at 3am and realise I’m still reading or writing or researching something I started looking at at 10pm when Karen went to bed; 5 hours later and I’m still at it.
* Problem-Solving Skills and Heuristics: The unconventional thinking patterns associated with ADHD can result in unique problem-solving abilities. The ability to take on vast amounts of information of different kinds from different sources, is another useful trait. Some people with ADHD have the ability to link information into heuristics (mental models*) that facilitate really good retention, as well as problem-solving and creative thinking. So Entrepreneurs with ADHD may approach challenges with fresh perspectives, leading to innovative solutions and creative opportunities.
2. ADHD and Creativity
💡 Creativity - ‘…is defined as the tendency to generate or recognise ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others.’ (Source)
Key traits and advantages that ADHD brings to creativity:
* Divergent Thinking: This is the ability to generate multiple different solutions to a problem, and solutions that might not immediately come to mind for most people. We might characterise this as ‘thinking outside the box’ - the box being the usual, easy, first things that come to mind. Divergent thinking like this is a cornerstone of creativity and innovation, where new ideas and perspectives make all the difference. And it seems to come more naturally to people with ADHD.
* Spontaneity and Flexibility: The impulsivity associated with ADHD can lead to spontaneous ideas and the flexibility to pivot and adapt creatively. Sometimes this can be tricky and lead to ill-thought-through behaviours. But, it can also lead to totally new ways of responding to situations and solving problems. My ‘butterfly brain’, as I call it, drives me nuts sometimes when I’m struggling to land and focus on one thing. But when I need an answer to a new scenario or a crisis, or need to consider something from a different perspective, it often serves me well.
* Daydreaming: Frequent daydreaming, a common trait among those with ADHD, can facilitate creative thinking by allowing the mind to wander and connect disparate ideas. That can lead to some pretty ‘off piste’ ideas, many of which will be exactly that. But it can also throw up something fresh, something not mainstream but that might bring resolution or a useful insight.
‘ADHD may create difficulties for individuals in many contexts that required focused, sustained attention—such as school, where students are expected to sit still and pay attention. On the other hand, the same distractibility and chaotic mind can give people with ADHD an edge when it comes to creative, original thinking.’(Holly White - Source)
3. ADHD and High Achievement Generally
I love this quote (above) from Professor Nancy McIntyre. It illustrates beautifully that ADHD is sooo much more than a ‘disorder’ - and the research is starting to show this clearly across a number of functional domains.
Entrepreneurship and creativity are both very broad ideas and ways of being, in themselves. That said, I want to be even more broad now and offer a couple of general observations about how ADHD can bring strengths to the table.
Key traits and advantages that ADHD brings to achievement generally:
* Energetic Drive: The hyperactive component of ADHD for some folks can translate into high energy levels, which, when channeled effectively, can support high levels of productivity and achievement. My deeply embedded imposter syndrome is nicely balanced out by the number of times I get asked, ‘How on earth do you get it all done?’ I think that sometimes, for me at least, it’s less about talent and more about the sheer volume of work and effort that I can put in when OI’m focused on something. I feel sure my ADHD helps massively with that.
* Passion and Intensity: Individuals with ADHD often pursue their interests with great passion and intensity. While this can mean they change interests a lot too, flitting between different things, it can also mean that when it lasts this same dedication can lead to significant accomplishments in fields they are passionate about. More than once, I’ve been deep-diving into something and found that I’ve read most of what’s available by way of books on the subject. Passion plus high intensity and hyper-focus can lead to massive information intake!
* Innovative Thinking: The ability to think differently and creatively often positions individuals with ADHD as innovators, pioneers and/or agitators in their fields, driving progress and achievement.
Balancing the ADHD Narrative:
While ADHD presents challenges, it also offers unique strengths that can be harnessed for success in entrepreneurship, creativity, and achievement generally - even high achievement for some. Balancing the narrative to reflect this is important, not just for individuals but in order to influence wider societal views of the condition.
Traits like risk-taking, hyper-focus, innovative problem-solving, divergent thinking, energetic drive and resilience contribute to the potential for individuals with ADHD to excel in all kinds of areas. By recognising and cultivating these strengths, individuals with ADHD can transform their view of themselves and be freed them to make valuable contributions to all kinds of fields. In essence, though, they begin to move from a deficit model of the condition, to one that sees it as a potentially powerful asset.
Here are a few tips for those who aren’t ‘neuro-spicy’ (I love this term!) to illustrate how you can help those who are:
Practical Tips for Leveraging ADHD Strengths:
* Encourage the Identification of and Focus on Passions: Encourage those with ADHD to pursue things they’re passionate about, where they are likely to engage deeply and leverage their strengths. Don’t worry if they change interests often, this widens their bank of disparate knowledge which in turn can fuel divergent thinking and creativity.
* Create Structured ADHD-Friendly Environments: Implement structures that support productivity and minimise distractions, allowing for effective channeling of hyper-focus periods. Rather than seeing hyper-focus merely as a challenge, celebrating and facilitating it can help maximise the productivity benefits it brings.
* Encourage Flexibility: Foster environments that value creativity and flexibility, where unconventional thinking and risk-taking are seen and talked about as assets. Creating home, school and work-place cultures that value ‘thinking outside the box’ can help to ‘hold’ ADHD people more effectively and free the fantastic strengths flowing from having a brain that functions differently.
* Support and Resources: Provide access to and encourage use of resources such as coaching, therapy, mentoring and ADHD support groups to help manage challenges and amplify strengths. Ensure all staff have a ‘better than basic’ knowledge of ADHD and can encourage a positive view of the strengths it brings. Changing the narrative to one that overtly stresses the positive contribution neurodiversity in general and ADHD in particular can bring.
By understanding and embracing the unique attributes associated with ADHD, individuals can start to unlock and release their potential, change their self-concept and, for some, achieve remarkable success whether in school or on in their chosen field of work.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As always, this is a very brief overview of a much larger more important principle. So, if these particular areas and examples don’t seem to apply to you, please don’t be discouraged. This is merely a sample to make the bigger point: that having ADHD can have massive upsides as well as challenges!
I hope this post has made that main point - that the issues you, your loved one or the one/s you care for are having as a result of their condition, is NOT the whole story.
See you in the next one!
* * ‘Resource-induced coping heuristics’ - (source)
More information:
* BOOK: Faster Than Normal - Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD Brain (click)
* WEB ARTICLE: The Creativity of ADHD - More Insights on a Positive Side of a Disorder (Source)
* COACHING: Advance ADHD - run by my friend Penny Kennedy and highly recommended - click
* WEB ARTICLE: ADHD as an Asset in Entrepreneurship (click)
* WEB ARTICLE: ADHD: The Entrepreneur’s Superpower (click)
Some of these are ‘affiliate links’ - this means I get a small reward if you buy something, but it won’t cost you anything extra!
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©️ Jonny Matthew 2024
