Does your boss have difficulty concentrating? Does he* arrive late for meetings? Does he cram his diary with more meetings than he can manage? Is he impulsive? Is he impatient? Erik Brown talks to Dr Roberta Galluccio Richardson.
If these traits sound familiar, he might be one of the 2 to 4 per cent of adults in the UK who have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), many of them undiagnosed since childhood.
On the other hand, as psychologist Dr Roberta Galluccio Richardson points out, he may be depressed, anxious or using drugs: the symptoms are often similar.
It takes a professional to diagnose ADHD, but if your boss really does have it he may have come to accept the symptoms as just part of his character. He may even have developed a range of coping strategies, some of which will be more effective than others.
ADHD has its benefits
The first thing, Roberta says, is that it’s not the end of the world. In fact, ADHD sufferers are often useful members of society, and quite successful businessmen and women. The openness to all external stimuli, which damages concentration, can actually be helpful.
“If you’re somebody who’s obsessional and likes to take a long time over things, then you can imagine you wouldn’t be quite as useful in an emergency room as somebody who can multi-task and is able to attend to different stimuli,” she says.
“Equally, if you’re clever and have ADHD and you can perform, say, mathematical calculations quite fast and hold different mathematical concepts in your mind at the same time and be attentive to different things happening – let’s say different prices that appear on a stock exchange screen – that can be quite useful. You can keep them all in your mind’s eye and they’re clear to you, rather than just thinking about one thing at a time.”
What an ADHD boss means for you
For a PA, though, dealing with an ADHD boss can be tough. “Some times will be very hectic,” Roberta says, “and you may have several things going on at the same time.”
But, she adds, a lot of people with ADHD welcome a PA who is proactive because they feel overburdened by their workload. Sometimes they may feel overwhelmed and may welcome somebody who takes the initiative and says, “let me take over, let me help you with that”.
The key is open communication and a flexible attitude. Ask your boss how you can best help him: if he wants you to take over management of his diary or emails, for instance.
If he has an appointment, remind him – as you might a child: “you have a meeting in half an hour”; “don’t forget the meeting is in 20 minutes”; “shall I get your papers ready for you, your meeting’s only ten minutes away?” If he gets irritated, it may not be because you’re reminding him – so ask him if he’d like to be reminded. Those with ADHD often forget to look at their watches.
Who's ideal for an ADHD boss?
So, is there a good PA for somebody with ADHD? “Definitely someone who’s flexible,” Roberta says. “Somebody who’s not neurotic – that’s a no brainer. I would say somebody who is extrovert, just because it’s easier for extroverted people to talk to their boss. Somebody who is open to different experiences, because you have to be open to whatever comes at you. And somebody who is agreeable … because your boss might have days where he is quite irritable and may say things he may not mean…
“It’s not an easy job, but then being a PA is not easy, it’s quite a difficult job. It’s why a lot of PAs are quite young, they move on to other things.”
For information on cognitive behavioural therapy, visit Roberta's website.
* It could equally well be she, but in this case we opted for he to cut the clutter.
