The Scattered Leader: Executive Function Strategies for Managers
“ “In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.””
The Peter Principle
Recent literature confirms that ADHD, dyslexia, high functioning autism, and other conditions can confer advantages in specific careers. It is common to find individuals with these diagnoses in technical, entrepreneurial, and creative fields. Problems occur when these individuals move up to positions that require more robust executive functions. We call this The Peter Principle.
In their 1969 book, The Peter Principle, authors Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull write that managers promote employees who demonstrate competence at one level to the next where their competency is untested. This process repeats itself until employees reach a level where they are wholly incompetent. They remain at that level. Though written as satire, this point has been proven true in organization after organization. The Peter Principle may be especially relevant for those with executive function deficits related to ADHD, dyslexia, etc. You or someone you know may have risen to a certain level of incompetence and are struggling to…
Communicate timely and effectively
Manage the deadlines and complexities of projects
Regulate emotions, especially anxiety
Understand the social dimension of managing others
Practical skill training and mentoring are missing for managers with executive function deficits. Promotions to our next level of incompetence typically happen because there is no explicit training or orientation on the required skills. Added to this is that these managers need specific support for their executive function deficits. Nevertheless, leaders can be effective and successful with strategies geared toward their needs. In this article, I will address two areas where attention and support can help leaders and their teams thrive.
Master Your Time and Tasks
Employers may recognize you as someone who has excellent ideas, thinks outside the box, and produces amazing work. Once promoted to the next level of incompetence, your task and time management skills may be tested. You will have to manage yourself as well as other members of your team. Disorganization and poor communication will cause stress, frustration, and low morale. Here are two specific things that you can do to improve in this area:
Create a consistent place and way to record all tasks and time-restricted activities, otherwise known as deadlines. Pick a digital or paper planner for this purpose and commit to using it. Refer to my "Two Recommended Time and Task Management Tools" for some options.
Carve time out of your daily schedule to plan and review your calendar. You’ll discover that you are either a morning or evening planner. Morning planners review their calendar and tasks before the work day starts, examining how they want to use their time and note meetings and other events for the day. Others do the same but the night before. Either way, use the time to cross off completed tasks (always a good feeling!), reschedule incomplete tasks (not so much!), and make sure that you are on top of your calendar events.
Team Leadership With The 4 D's
Are you someone who wonders, "I have all of these management tools…but frankly, I don't know why I don't use them!" There are no lack of calendars, task lists, project management tools, and even whole organization systems to manage planning. Still, those with executive function challenges find it challenging to access the thinking that goes into using these tools, especially as managers. It is important to remember that these tools assist us in performing tasks. They can't do tasks or lead others. We’ll use the 4 D’s to clarify the thinking that can help you use these tools: Describe, Divide, Date, and Delegate. Let's go through each D.
Describe
Do you start a project with a clear image of the deliverable? You will find increased motivation if you have a reasonably clear sense of what you need to accomplish. The vaguer the idea, the less push you will have to bring it to life. First, give your project a name to distinguish it from other tasks and projects. Then, describe the deliverable sufficiently to capture what the completed project looks like and its importance. Here's an example: "The team has to create an ad campaign presentation designed to convince prospective clients that we deserve their business."
2. Divide
With your creative juices flowing, now is the time to think about what sub-tasks you must do to complete the project. While you've heard this before, you may not have ideas about what to do. To reduce feeling overwhelmed, keep things simple. I recommend you initially limit yourself to three sub-tasks. Just think in terms of three chunks. Next, visualize the final project again and ask yourself, what does the team need to do to pull this together? Write your thoughts immediately on Post-it Notes, a whiteboard, or another place where you record your ideas. Voila, three sub-tasks. Once you do these first two steps, you should be able to chunk the project further.
3. Date
Time management requires the ability to perceive and conceptualize the passage of time. Some individuals with executive function deficits are blind to time. You might plan to focus on something for a few minutes only to find that hours have passed by. Tasks feel overwhelming because you can’t estimate how long they will take. Since time is not your friend, you may avoid using it in your planning. However, there is no time management without managing time.
The first step is to create and commit yourself to a timeline. Set a due date for the project. If it feels overwhelming, there are several ways to get help. If someone else assigns you the project, ask them when they would like it completed. If you are more autonomous, why not bring your team together to review proposed deadlines. In addition to the due date, I recommend that you also establish a start date for the project. You’ll create due and start dates for sub-tasks as part of the delegation step. Post all dates on your calendar and use calendar reminders to alert you to them.
4. Delegate
Lack of planning and time management makes it difficult, if not impossible, to lead a team. It stresses a team to complete tasks at the last minute and requires you to do things others could have done, but for poor planning. Following the 4 D's will provide you with the foundation to bring your team together and plan for the completion of projects with maximum efficiency, communication, buy-in, and morale. Once you have created your sub-tasks and deadlines, make your plans to delegate them to your team members. Remember to consider the capabilities of your team and each team member in your planning. Ultimately, your team will have what they need to succeed: precise time and task management parameters.
Executive Function Coaching Can Help!
With attention to executive function strategies and mentoring, you can avoid The Peter Principle's cycle of career stagnation. Working with an executive function coach is a way of ensuring consistency and success using these tools. In addition, you will have the advantage of accountability and customized strategies. To inquire about executive function or ADHD coaching, submit a Get Started Contact Form or call/text me for a free consultation at (818) 239-6182. Don't let your executive function challenges prevent you from reaching your life and career goals.
