Re: Difficulting Managing People I Hire

[Wgreen]

Hey Paul,

I think it’s very hard—though not impossible— for (untreated) ADD people to be effective managers. If you feel you did pretty well, you deserve a pat on the back. Good managers lead by example, and we don’t always excel in that department: Our desks are a mess. We find it hard to get things done on schedule. We’re scattered and unfocused. You know the drill. Moreover, I think some people with ADD are often reluctant to hold employees to work standards that they, themselves, do not —cannot meet. That is often noted by staff and exploited. And the problem can be exacerbated by a poor self image fueled by constant frustration: we’re smart, we’ve got the ideas, we can see a forest before most people see a single tree. If only we didn’t have to contend with our disorder, we could conquer the world. But we do, so we constantly beat ourselves up.

I don’t know what the answer is. If the business were yours, you could try to find a few people to do the things you can’t. (I’m sure you’ve heard the old saw that entrepreneurs need to be working ON their businesses, not IN them. I don’t know anybody who’s is good at everything. And it doesn’t take long to realize we don’t have the time to do everything. It’s time-consuming enough just to worry about everything.) Suffice it to say, I feel your pain. I’ve run a multi-million dollar business, and every day was a challenge, a constant emotional gyration between concern and panic, between frustration and despair.

Good luck with your coach. I think many mental-health professionals are just starting to get their heads around the dynamics and true insidiousness of the disorder. To be fair, it doesn’t help that ADD sufferers present different, sometimes contradictory symptoms. In any event, I wish you the best going forward.

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