Seven Habits of Highly Successful Entrepreneurs with ADHD.

By Shane Perrault, PhD

So You just found out you (or an employee) have ADHD, or are ADHDish (that is, you have a few symptoms of ADHD). What’s do you do now?

First, don’t panic!

Actually, if you are an entrepreneur you may want to celebrate. Many extraordinary contributions have been made to society by people with ADHD. (See SchwabLearning.org, for a list of “Successful People with ADHD.” This site was set up by Charles Schwab, who has ADHD himself.)

Also, realize creativity and innovation are hallmarks of people with ADHD. For example, if Edison didn’t have ADHD, we might be reading by brighter candle light. So there definitely is a Silver lining here… 

To help you or your employee manage ADHD, and maximize your ability, we recommend the following:

1. Get an ADHD Coach? Because true ADHD is usually neurological, and many ADHDer’s will have difficulties in these areas despite a strong desire and attempts to overcome it.

Traditional methods of coaching often will not work with someone who has ADHD! ADHD coaches offer techniques geared toward working with the unique brain wiring of individuals with ADHD.

I recommend a coach who uses a strength based approach that also employs data driven assessment tools that incorporate objective data about their own ADHD traits and strengths, individual learning style, performance and interactions with others.

2. Stop denigrating yourself, and start celebrating yourself. First, you don’t have a choice of your genetics. ADHD is an inherited, and “will power” alone has little chance against genetics. Next, be happy you don’t have a choice of your genetics. Creativity and “out-of-the-box” thinking, intuition, and resilience are also a genetic traits frequently linked to ADHD.

Believe it or Not,people with ADHD are 300% more likely to start their own business (see The Davinci Method, by Garret Loporto), and many business leaders have ADHD. To name a few accomplished business people with ADHD:

• Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Airlines.
• John T. Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems.
• Ingvar Kamprad, Swedish founder and chairman of IKEA stores, states he adapted the inner workings of his business to compensate for his ADHD and dyslexia.
• David Neeleman founder and CEO of Jet Blue Airways.
• Paul Orfalea the founder and chairperson of Kinko’s.
• Charles Schwabthe founder, chairperson, and CEO of the Charles Schwab Corporation, the largest brokerage firm in the U.S.

3. Learn more about your unique positive traits, and develop the specialized skill of harnessing and leveraging your unique creativity and positive strengths.

4. Educate yourself and your employee about ADHD. There are many good ADHD books, websites and support groups out there. For example, “Driven to Distraction,” “The Davinci Nation Method” and “You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy” are a few of my favorite books. Also, CHADD.org has a list of support groups and self-help tips and resources.

5. Help yourself or your employee with ADHD accept that they have a need for stimulation. This need fuels their creativity and allows them to be highly effective in high-risk/stress situations. Select activities where these ADHD trait can have a positive impact on your company’s bottom line.

6. Consult a nutritionist who specializes in ADHD. Numerous studies indicate that artificial flavors, colors, and other additives can increase aggression and hyperactive behavior. Avoid sweets and yeast products, and eat nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day.

A nutritionist specializing in ADHD can also help you eliminate other foods you may be sensitive to from your diets, and recommend specific nutrient supplements.

7.  Have Fun! Work out, Travel, Friends and Family, Entertainment, and more.

Consider Yoga or Transcendental Meditation, TM. Both increase blood flow to the brain, and that’s important because studies show is people with ADHD frequently have reduced blood flow to the brain.”

 Get your  Balanced Life on…Creativity, Productivity and the Universe insist on it. People with ADHD need Balance to stay outside-of-the box!

These 7 steps will help your or your employees maximize your creativity and other strengths, and realize your personal potential in a fashion that positively impacts their company’s bottom line.

Written by, Shane K. Perrault, PhD who is the Coach and Psychologist at Entrepreneurs with ADHD.

Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 301.588.4600.

7 Tips to Help Your Child Tackle ADHD this School Year

Julian was just like most other 14 year old boys — energetic, fun loving and sports-minded.

Summer was about to end, and the only thing on his mind was making the football team. He dreaded school, but was willing to do anything that would get him on the field again.

Julian did not want to re-experience last year. Athletically, he was on top of the world… starting in football, basketball, and baseball. Academically, the world was on top of him…beleaguered with low grades, discipline problems, and missing homework assignments. Because of the latter, the school stopped him from stepping foot on the field of dreams and told him to study harder.

For Julian, it was the worst of both worlds.

Just when he thought things could not get any worse, they did. His parents enrolled him in a popular motivational tutoring program, which promised better study skills, better organizational skills and better grades. Although he didn’t like it, this was his ticket to the athletic field.

Yet after six long months, his grades still had not improved, and he was again unable to play sports. Discouraged and defeated, his confidence shrunk even further. Julian went from someone who made academic mistakes, to feeling like he was a mistake.

“Something has to give,” his parents told me during the intake meeting. “We are losing him. We have tried everything, and don’t have a clue on how to help our son.”

Upon completing an assessment, we realized Julian did not have a motivational, organizational, or a study problem. Julian had ADHD, attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Following his diagnosis, we put together a treatment plan that addressed both his short-term and long-term needs.

To meet Julian’s short-term attention needs, a physician prescribed medications to help him focus. For his long-term attention needs, we placed him on “Play Attention TM,” a computer-based attention training system that has been educationally proven to help children develop ther ability to focus, and reduce impulvity. We also included learning style training to help him harness his natural style of learning, and parent training to reinforce the behavioral changes we agreed upon. In all, Julian began to better understand how ADHD was impacting his life, learned how to better manage the challenges related to the disorder, and developed his ability to focus.

Twelve months later, Julian has taken control of his life and is off medications – and is doing well academically and athletically. This season his parents will proudly sit in the stands watching him play in his first high-school football game.

Here are a few steps I recommend you take to help your son or daughter tackle ADHD.

1. Become Your Child’s “Parent Advocate.”

You must learn as much about ADHD as possible. Period!

It is critically important to understand the challenges your child may face and the resources available. Know the teachers, the treatment team, and the law. I recommend the following book to any would-be parent advocate, “Special Needs Advocacy Resource Book,” by Michelle Davis.

2. Put an Interdisciplinary “Treatment Team” in Place.

Before school starts, connect with your psychologist, physician, nutritionist, neuro-psychologist, and/or coach to plan for the upcoming year. Have them evaluate your child’s learning style, neurological functioning, strengths and limitations. If possible, select teachers that play to your child’s strengths. Also, talk to your providers about proper nutrition and computer-based attention training programs.

While medications help manage the symptoms in the short-term, recognize that “pills don’t teach skills.” Sound nutrition, proven computer-based attention training programs, teaching children to maximize their learning style and building academic confidence permanently improves attention and teach skills necessary for success in the classroom and with friends.

3. Develop a Schedule, and Strive for Consistency and Structure.

Beginning a week or two before school starts, re-adjust bed and wake-up times. With young elementary school aged children, eliminate the fear of the unknown by introducing them to their new school, teacher and bus schedule before the first day. Children with ADHD function much better if they know what to expect. In addition, let your child get comfortable with the new supplies, organizational and/or attention training systems they will be using this year.

4. Make Meaningful Behavioral Changes.

As you well know, children with ADHD are frequently impulsive and often seek immediate gratification. Accordingly, they tend to do best when given more immediate and frequent feedback and consequences. You might also consider using incentives before punishment, and striving for consistency. I also recommend the following book to any parent of a child with ADHD, “Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents,” by Russell A. Barkley, PhD.

Althoug it may be difficult at times, try not to personalize your child’s problems or disorder. Inattentive and impulsive behaviors are common symptoms of ADHD, which experts conservatively estimate affect between 5 to 7 percent of school age children.

5. Be Positive!

Your child’s biggest liability may be their thoughts rather than their reality. Beliefs determine behaviors. If your child approaches the new school year with the fear that they are about to live out their worst nightmare, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Be wise, be optimistic, and be loving. If you do not believe in them…why should they believe in themselves?

I know it can be frustrating, but let your child know that whatever the school year may hold, “we will get through it together no matter what.” Let them know that you are in their corner… fighting with them, cheering for them and proud of them. Also, discover and teach them about some of the many extremely successful adults with ADHD.

For a list of successful people with ADHD, you can go to the website for my book, www.Focus-book.com. The book is entitled Focus: Unlocking the Secret Entrepreneurial Powers of ADHD.

6. Celebrate Every Success!

Our kids will hear plenty about their flaws and their failures… so make sure you celebrate their successes, even small ones.

7. Last, But Not Least of All, Take Care of Yourself.

Contact CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD), and join a support group. Also, pursue a hobby or some other personal passion you may have dropped over the years.

_______

These seven steps will equip you to begin to discover and cultivate your child’s creativity and drive. As such, they will successfully tackle ADHD, and maximize their personal potential on and off the field.

XM Radio Interview: Advocating for Your Special Needs Child

XM Radio Host Shawna Renee Interviews Dr. Michelle Davis, Director of ABCs for Life Success, and Dr. Shane Perrault of the ADHD Performance Clinic. This Show focuses on teaching parents and caregivers what they need to know to become successful advocates for special needs children.

(Click to hear Interview)

INC Magazine’s “Top Small Business Guru,” Michael Gerber, Author of E-Myth Mastery, Interviews Dr. Shane

Click here for Radio Interview
This provocative radio show will awaken the Entrepreneur within YOU.

In this Age of the New Entrepreneur, Michael E. Gerber is its spokesperson and leader. Named by INC Magazine as the world’s #1 small busines Guru, Gerber has sold over 5,000,000 books and that many people can’t be wrong.

Listen in as Michael interviews Dr. Shane about ADHD and Entrepreneurship!

Could ADHD Be Undercutting First Lady Michelle Obama’s Fight Against Obesity? Six Weight Loss Tips For Those With ADHD

First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign is doing a wonderful job at drawing attention to the need to encourage more activity amongst our youngsters — and all Americans. Coupled with her veggie garden and call for making healthier dietary choices, it seems she’s throwing a one-two punch at knocking out the factors that lead to overeating and obesity.

However, the First Lady’s strategy might be open to an unexpected counterpunch: ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. While ADHD affects nearly 5% of Americans, an article from the January 2009 issue of the journal “Obesity” states that 26–61% of patients seeking weight loss treatment struggle with ADHD and obesity.

But what is it about ADHD that increases the chances of obesity?

People with ADHD tend to be impulsive and easily distracted and hyper-focus. As such, they make hasty eating choices and frequently use food to relieve boredom. Paradoxically, when people with ADHD hyper-focus they can become so engaged within an activity that they don’t realize how much they’ve eaten, or they simply forget to eat. By the time they do eat, they are more likely to be starving and gorge themselves — and much less likely to make positive food choices.

Here are six weight loss tips that can help you beat obesity when you have ADHD:

1. Seek a professional diagnosis. Get a diagnosis to determine if you actually have ADHD. Also, find out if you have any co-existing conditions. For example, anxiety, depression, substance and/or alcohol problems can significantly undermine your weight loss efforts.

2. Schedule your meals the night before with plans to eat three good meals and a few healthy snacks. Packing your food will help you make healthier choices and eat smaller portions.

3. Pay attention to your body’s signals that it’s hungry, and schedule your meals throughout the day. These practices will help to avoid getting so wrapped up in an activity that you later make poor choices such as eating unhealthy snacks and overeating because you are hungry.

4. Recognize the first three letters of the word “diet” are D-I-E. We’re talking about lifestyle changes, and not fad diets here. Fad dieters are more likely to lose muscle and fat; and unfortunately when they regain the weight they replace it with only fat — and not muscle. As such, fad diets make us unhealthier and increase the chances of obesity.

5. Focus on being healthy instead of “skinny.”

6. People with ADHD need to get more active. Rather than turning to food when bored or stressed, turn to more stimulating activities such as horseback riding, canoeing, cycling or paintball.

These suggestions should help people with ADHD to win Mrs. Obama’s fight against America’s obesity epidemic.

XM Radio Interview: Alternative Treatments for ADHD

Dr. Shane XM Radio to discuss alternative ways of classifying and treating ADD and ADHD.
XM Radio Interview

ADHD Romantic Partners: Refocusing Your Love

Miscommunications, un-kept promises, impulsive decisions, late arrivals -– these are just a few of the challenges that can arise between couples when one of them has ADHD.

These challenges are often rooted in differences in vantage points and communication styles. People with ADHD make sense of the world differently than others. For example, have you ever noticed that your partner hyper-focuses on things that truly grab his attention, and may tend to show up late because he got lost in time? Or that he tends to breaks promises to you, despite the fact that you have expressed your disappointment in this habit?

If patterns like this repeat themselves, you are likely to take it personally and feel disrespected. But these annoying traits typically don’t mean your partner doesn’t love or respect you. Face it: you both simply focus and experience time differently (and by the way, have you ever considered that some of your traits may annoy him too?).

It’s easy to understand how symptoms commonly associated with ADHD (hyper-focus, impulsivity, inattention and hyperactivity) can affect relationships. To complicate matters, most people with ADHD are not diagnosed until they are adults – if at all – and even fewer receive treatment.

Once you commit to developing an understanding of these differences, you and your partner with ADHD are on your way to a much more fulfilling relationship.

In light of some of the discord they experience, frequently the partner without ADHD wonders “why was I attracted to someone with ADHD in the first place, and why am I still in love with them despite the challenges?” Their responses frequently indicate that their partner with ADHD also has many positive and endearing qualities:

Creative
Energetic
Authentic – perhaps to a fault
Charming
Risk Taker
Fun!!!

For better or worse, here are seven tips that can help you and the one you love to live happily ever after.

1. Seek a professional diagnosis. Get a diagnosis to determine if your loved one actually has ADHD.

2. Educate Yourselves. The most important thing for an adult diagnosed with ADHD and their partner is to educate themselves. While an ADHD diagnosis may initially be a relief, it is a very complex diagnosis and the symptoms don’t disappear or become any less hurtful simply because one receives a diagnosis.

3. Work closely with your doctor, psychologist and/or ADHD coach to create a treatment plan. Your partner should find out not only if he has ADHD, but also if he has any co-existing conditions – for example, anxiety, depression, substance and/or alcohol problems – that can impact his treatment (and your relationship).

4. Determine what behaviors prevent you from being a fulfilled couple. If you love someone with ADHD, you can probably easily name at least one of his behaviors that seems to be interfering with the relationship. But relationship problems don’t develop in a bubble. Be humble enough to recognize that you may need to work on being more tolerant and identify your own blind spots or challenging traits. Work together (and with your ADHD professional, if possible) to find solutions.

5. Look at your household chores and determine if they are divided according to your respective strengths. As strange as it may sound, I’ve found that household chores tend to be a sticking point for couples dealing with ADHD. If one partner is more organized or adept with finances, then the chores they focus on should reflect that (e.g., balancing the check book). If the other spouse is more energetic, their chores should be those that require more movement (e.g., doing yard work). Instead of trying to get him to change, a better solution is to divide chores by strengths. This will increase the chances of them getting done consistently and fairly, as well as reduce stress.

6. Set aside quality time to spend together – make sure you date your spouse. Find someone to watch the children and do something fun together. Make a list of things that you both enjoy and spend some time each week on one of those things.

7. Sex. Could your sex life use a pick me up? Have you ever considered that challenges related to ADHD, including reactions such as lowered sex drive due to medication, could be preventing you from keeping your sex life as lively and fulfilling as it could be? The good thing is, with open communication with your partner and therapist, you should be able to get your sex life back on track relatively quickly. Talk about it!

All couples view the world differently and communicate uniquely – this fact may just be heightened for couples with ADHD. If your partner has ADHD, I encourage you to use these seven tips to turn potential challenges into creative ways to grow closer to them and get the love you deserve, when you deserve it!

ADHD Coach: Seven things to consider if you are looking for a Coach who specializes in ADHD.

1. What are the advantages of using a coach who specializes in ADHD? Because true ADHD is usually neurological, many ADHDer’s will have ongoing difficulties with ADHD despite a sincere desire to change. Therefore, traditional methods of coaching often will not work with someone who has ADHD!

ADHD coaches specialize in understanding, developing and leveraging the unique strengths and limitations associated with ADHD. Accordingly, they are distinctly qualified to help you become more successful at work (whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur), at school and at home.

2. What is ADHD coaching? It is a specialized type of life or business coaching that uses specialized techniques geared toward working with the unique brain wiring of individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD coaching is not a substitute for traditional treatment for ADHD, such as medication, diet, exercise, and other behavioral therapeutic interventions.

You also might want to consider whether the coach uses a strength-based approach when working with ADHD clients — that is, do they treat ADHD from a “giftedness” rather than a “deficit” perspective. If you are considering an ADHD business Coach, you might consider one that employs data driven assessment tools that incorporate objective data (from you, direct reports, peers and customers) about your unique ADHD and leadership traits. This way, they can asses your strengths and limitations based on objective data.

3. How will having an ADHD coach impact the rest of your ADHD treatment team? ADHD coaching is a compliment to the treatment you get from your physician(s) and counselor. Your ADHD coach will work in concert with your treatment team to make sure all of your symptoms are being managed effectively.

4. Is ADHD coaching different from therapy? ADHD Coaching is not psychotherapy. First, it generally doesn’t directly focus on a person’s past or emotional healing. Rather, ADHD coaching identifies specific actions that will help achieve your life and/or business goals. It is not uncommon to work with a coach while you work with a therapist or counselor. Many ADHD coaches also have backgrounds as therapists or counselors.

5. How does ADHD coaching work? ADHD coaching is a close, ongoing partnership. It is not uncommon for clients work with their coach for six months or longer. Coaches can either meet their clients in person, or by telephone three or four times each month, for 30 to 45 minutes per call. Coaching sessions cover what’s going on in the client’s life and/or business — with emphases on challenges, opportunities, employing strategies for success and incorporating feedback to adjust the strategy if need be.

6. Does telephone coaching really work? The answer to this question is mixed. Yes, telephone coaching works well for most clients with ADHD. Meeting by telephone can be preferable to the logistics associated with traveling to meet in person. In addition, it provides a wider variety of options in selecting coach who specializes in ADHD, as you are not limited by geographical location. However, there are those clients with ADHD that prefer face to face meetings. Alternatively, you can do both, or even video conference. Guess the best answer is there are options.

7. How do I select an ADHD coach? Most coaches offer a free trial coaching session, while others offer the first two visits at a reduced price. And, others offer webinars or conference calls, and will let you sit in as a visitor. Use these sessions to find out if you like the coach’s style, and if what they are offering complements your situation.
It’s a good idea to talk with three or more coaches before making your choice.
When evaluating your choices, listen for clues that the coach understands ADHD and has a solid history of working with it.

In addition to demystifying ADHD, I am excited about how coaching will help you tap into your hidden genius and maximize your success at work, school and home.

Entrepreneurs with ADHD, and “E-Myth Mastery” (TM): ADHDer’s travel on the road to success may be determined more by their ability to “Differentiate” than to “Focus”.

 

In today’s tough economic climate, entrepreneurs face a uniquely broad set of challenges. While forced to react to every day tactical crises (e.g., the demand to increase sales, the need to develop a new employee, securing long-term relationships), it is more important than ever to be proactive and maintain a strategic focus (e.g., put systems in place, implement strategies that respond to market changes and customer demands, improve the bottom-line, lead your company and create new opportunities).

To be successful, today’s Entrepreneur with ADHD must learn to differentiate between these competing demands. In fact, beyond learning to focus, it may be the case that increasing your ability to differentiate what activity merits your attention may an
equally – if not more – crucial determinant of your company’s success.

To help you learn to differentiate, I will refer to an approach I first encountered in the “E-Myth Mastery: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company,” written by Michael Gerber. He insightfully points out that Entrepreneurs need to have the ability to differentiate (or as he say’s to “discriminate”) — that is, choosing where to focus your attention. Mr. Gerber has a brilliant, yet simple system that can be used to help Entrepreneurs with ADHD develop their skill at differentiating between whether an activity is strategic or tactical.

Assuming you have found an ADHD treatment that helps you learn how to increase your focus, developing your skill at differentiation may be the most critical step you take on your path to success.

You must learn how to focus — and where to focus — your attention. If you can not differentiate your attention, you will never learn how to use it to select the most important thing to do. An entrepreneur who can not differentiate will spend as much energy on the least important things as the most important things, which will almost guarantee you are taken off course. You must know what strategic objectives are important, and what activities will bring them about.

Achieving these strategic objectives has little to do with successfully reacting to today’s crises; rather, it involves proactively putting together and executing a strategic plan that accomplishes your big picture goals. 

To learn to become more strategic, I want you to get a calendar book and write down everything you do for a day. No matter how insignificant, I want you to list every thing you do. At the end of the day, you are to designate the activities on your list as either “E” for entrepreneurial, “M” for managerial, or “T” for technical.

The work that you designate an “E” to should be entrepreneurial work. The work you designate an “M” to could be entrepreneurial, or managerial work. That is, either you as an entrepreneur can complete it, or you could assign it to a manager because it is not essential that you complete it. The work you designate a “T” is definitely not entrepreneurial work. Rather, it is work you can assign to either a manager, or a technician to complete.

So how do you know which letter to assign to which task?

Entrepreneurial work. If the task is essential to achieving one of the strategic goals of your company, then it is the work of an entrepreneur. For example, doing a conference call with perspective investors on a deal that is essential for your long term success is designated “E”.

Managerial work. If the task falls within the operation of your company, and can be designated to manager, then it is the work of a manager. For example, making a sale, hiring/firing an employee is designated “M”.

Technical work. If the work can be completed by someone other than you or a manager, then it is the work of a technician. For example starting a new filing system, ordering supplies, or getting a computer network fixed is designated “T”.

Once you have identified whether your activities are either “E”, “M”, or “T”, you will probably be surprised by how little you’ve been differentiating between the strategic work an entrepreneur does and the tactical work that a technician can do. However, developing the skill of differentiation, will have a profound impact on the choices you make during the course of your day.

Next, I want you to organize your day into entrepreneurial, managerial and technical segments — and allocate your time accordingly. It doesn’t matter which times are devoted to which work, but for the purpose of developing the skill of differentiation, it is critical that you dutiful do this exercise daily, and that you confine yourself to doing the work you have committed to for that segment of time.

Once you start to make the distinction between strategic and tactical work, and govern your activities accordingly, you will notice that while you still have ADHD things will not continue to just happen to you. Instead, you will be begin to harness your ADHD in such a fashion that the stuff you want to happen in your business will always happen.

Good luck! Feel free to post a comment updating us on your progress!

Dr. Perrault is now the Psychology Today Magazine, ADHD Blogger!

Here’s the link for my first post. Click here

Dr. Shane Perrault on the Joy Keys Show on the Topic of Breaking the Myths About ADHD

Dr. Shane Perrault spoke recently on Blog Talk Radio on the Joy Keys show on the topic of Breaking the Myths About ADHD.  Listen to the show below.

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