Dear Chief Energy Officer,
Do you have any advice on how I should motivate one of my most
difficult employees? On one hand, she sometimes comes up with the most brilliant
ideas. On the other hand, she seems unable to pay attention in staff meetings, and
frequently interrupts. She also has trouble completing her assigned tasks, unless
she’s really interested. When she’s interested, her work is exceptionally good.
When she’s not interested she has me pulling my hair out!
Martha G, Marketing Director, Tacoma, Washington
Dear Martha,
It’s often the case that the “most brilliant” of employees
are also the most challenging to manage. I am not a medical doctor, but based solely on the symptoms
you describe, there’s a good possibility your employee has Adult ADD, i.e.
Attention Deficit Disorder. While termed
a “disorder” adults with ADD have many extraordinary gifts and are often:
Creative
Artistic
Intuitive
Empathetic
Visionary
Inventive
Sensitive
Original
Loving
Exuberant.
This could explain her “brilliant” ideas. Famous brilliant people
with ADD include Albert Einstein, Richard Branson, and President John F Kennedy.
Her challenges “paying attention in staff
meetings” and “completing tasks in which she is not interested” are consistent
with distractability which is one of the clinical symptoms of ADD.
Ironically, when people with Attention Deficit are interested, they go into a
state known as “Hyper-focus”, which is maybe why you are describing her work under
such circumstances as “exceptionally good.”
The second clue it might be ADD is her frequent
interruptions. This if often coursed by impulsivity, which is another symptom of
ADD.
Fortunately there are many treatment options some medical
and others behavioral. My advice is to encourage her to do her own research. Remember
you can only lead a horse to water, you can’t make it drink.
In the meantime, your best bet is to acknowledge her gifts,
and look for ways to help her overcome her challenges, e.g. providing more admin
support, more "air time" in staff meetings etc.
Finally, keep in mind that under the Americans with
Disabilities Act you are required to make reasonable accommodations for people
with ADD. This does not mean giving her
carte blanche to perform as she pleases; it does mean you have to make a
reasonable effort to help her succeed in her current responsibilities.
Please stop pulling your hair out!
