ADHD – how to be an Ally to colleagues

A lot has changed since 2008!

Jane JamesLeave a comment

Since joining LinkedIn back in November 2008, the knowledge and services I offer has evolved organically into workplace mind health, resilience building, inclusion and team cohesion.

This grew out of coaching unemployed people into work – via the Real Apprentice (2004-2013) and Growing Talent (2013 to date).

To move anyone forward from a place where they feel stuck, you have to make a connection, build confidence and trust to understand where each individual is starting – their blockers and desired goals.

This individual focus is pivotal to secure workplace cohesion especially where neurodivergent and neurotypical brains come together.

Anyone who has experienced adversity in their lives, never forgets the emotions they felt.

Adversity changes your soul. In time, it makes you stronger. More resilient yet years later something triggers a memory of those times, and the emotions come flooding back.

That is the power of our brain. It never forgets anything. It has infinite storage space. We must always be alert to those intrusive emotions returning.

I have written various programmes to teach self-empowerment and growth tools needed to move forward from a position of no control.

Connecting with diverse people from all walks of life on their journey to employment, threw up the clear need for more understanding in the workplace of neurodivergence.

There are so many pressures on managers, they may not realise some of their team are neurodivergent and mistake symptoms for behaviours – which can lead to a whole heap of pain for everyone.

Seeing the pressures of neurodivergence in the workplace when awareness was limited on individuals and the business was the driving force to become a Certified ADHD Coach.

Along with coaching 1:1, I devised two workplace virtual seminars. One to raise awareness for managers and one for non-managers. Both assessed and certified by CPD. Both have been well received across diverse sectors from a leading UK University, manufacturing and corporates.

Simple steps and techniques I’ve developed as a certified ADHD Coach enable workplaces to reduce the risk of burnout, long term sickness, loss of talent even challenge at Employment Tribunal.

NHS waiting lists for formal assessment in the UK are off the scale. Many employees won’t have been assessed. Many won’t have been coached 1:1 to recognise how their neurodivergence shows-up and how they can tame it.

An assessment doesn’t need to be in place to seek out coaching. Steps can be learnt to take control of their brain and work with it – not against it.

Employers can fund this coaching as part of their ‘reasonable adjustments’.

It should be noted a formal assessment doesn’t have to be in place before an employer’s liability kicks in at Employment Tribunal.

Compensation awards are uncapped averaging around £45K. Awareness training or teams and 1:1coaching for individuals is far cheaper and less impact on everyone!

I used to deliver a mental health programme which was reactive. Its title made employers think they were getting trained first aiders in mental health without any consideration about their safety or ability to hold empathetic conversations.

For the last 4.5 years, I’ve been a global I-Act Instructor delivering this innovative programme to countries including USA, Canada, China, Taiwan, India, Germany. In line with ISO45003, this programme teaches proactive and first responder steps as well as how to start, manage and end conversations safely.

How has your expertise and services evolved since you joined Linkedin?

The trouble with workplace adjustments……

Jane JamesLeave a comment

……. They highlight ‘you’re different’

You never forget the feeling of standing out for the ‘wrong’ reasons.

As a member of the ‘bullied club’ at primary school, we tried to make ourselves as invisible as possible. Our days largely consisted of trying not to get noticed. Which we generally failed to do.

Sam (name change) one of our crew was noticed daily.  They had free school dinners which meant they queued separately.

This was decades ago when the country had more money than it appears to have today. Wouldn’t it have been better,  back then, to make school dinners free to every child? Instead of highlighting their ‘difference’ which caused more self-loathing and bullying.

Fast forward to today. I ask myself the same question when speaking with managers about easy adjustments they can make for their neurodivergent staff.

You may have noticed adjustments you’ve agreed aren’t being used. 

Ever considered why? 

Ever asked the team member why they aren’t making use of the adjustment you agreed?

In my experience people often won’t use adaptions agreed because it highlights their difference to their colleagues. 

What if those adjustments, where possible, were offered to all staff?

One manager I was speaking with had agreed with one of their ADHD team members they could use their fidget toys anytime they wanted to. Yet had never seen them do so. They could still see them struggling to focus in team meetings.

Why not make fidget toys ‘normal’? 

The manager brought a selection of fidget toys – all colours and shapes.  At the next team meeting, the manager said nothing as they put all the toys on the desk, picked one up and started using it. They then started the meeting. 

One by one the team picked up a toy and used it as they went through the agenda. Once a few colleagues had started using the fidget toy, the ADHDer picked up a toy to.

At the end of the meeting, the manager asked how everyone felt using the toys. All agreed, their concentration increased and ideas flowed. They kept their toys and used them as they wanted to.

Job done. Everyone felt included. The agreed adjustment of using the fidget toy benefitted everyone – which is so often the case. The team member who initially needed the fidget toy, now felt more confident using it.

Managers should be aware of:

⚡ 1 in 7 adults are neurodivergent which clashes with a neurotypical environment. 

⚡ A formal assessment doesn’t need to be in place before your responsibilities under employment law activates (Piper vs Coventry University 2023)

⚡ Compensation at Employment Tribunal under neurodivergence is uncapped – averaging c£45K per award.

Simple things will help and benefit the whole team!

If you want to explore how you can make your workplace more neuro inclusive and reduce the risk of burnout or an Employment Tribunal contact me.

How do you currently ensure your workplace is neuroinclusive?

Unreal!

Jane JamesLeave a comment

Sometimes I have to pinch myself.

The eight week personal empowerment programme I wrote as an optional resource for those who apply for Growing Talent but don’t progress past the selection stage, is not only certified by The CPD Certification Service but now on it’s third cohort!

Yesterday was the first session. The format is always the same. The first 45 minutes or so focus on the course content followed by open discussion on anything and everything. Brain storming ideas on personal issues, job searches and entrepreneurship.

The foundation content for week one is exploring and analysing where we are, where we want to be, how to get there and tools to use at each stage.

So, what were the thoughts at the end of the session?

“This has been so amazing. Better than I thought. I feel energised and ready to move forward.” Karen.

Karen still felt the same after I gave her some additional homework tasks on top of completing the e-workbook!

Human connection, collaboration and exploration are fundamental to self-empowerment.

Roll on next week!

If you are currently unemployed in London looking for your next opportunity without the pressure of a cv and formal job interview, why not join Growing Talent? Deadline to apply 2 June 2025.
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What a bag can illustrate!

Jane JamesLeave a comment



Wandering around the market on a warm, blue-sky day in Lanzarote, this bag jumped out at me.

The stallholders were a local father and son selling the leather goods they made themselves.

Bags and rucksacks of every size and colour, this green one stood out. The intricate pattern in contrasting red on the flap, two zips on the back and long adjustable strap – exactly what I needed for work back home. Few would have such a bag – bonus! I like to be different!

The father with his smiling toothless grin wrapped the bag and off I went pleased with my purchase.

Back in the hotel room a few hours later, I took the bag out of its wrapping. What was that smell? Subtle, yet pungent. I couldn’t find the culprit anywhere until I sniffed the bag – deeply and closely. Urgh – this was a difference I didn’t want!

After a search on Google, I discovered:

🫣 All sorts of hides can be used – including camel
🫣 All sorts of products can be used to tan the leather – including fish oil and urine! – who knew

Pungent smells can occur when inferior hides and tanning products are used as the leather breaks down. There is no cure.

The bag was left behind but clearly illustrates what you see on the surface isn’t always the whole story!

This is true of people too. Especially in the workplace.

People at all levels must deal with pressure and change continuously. This can weigh heavy on them and their colleagues.

What can be done? Give them the tools and knowledge they need:

💡 Raise awareness amongst managers – is what you are seeing the whole story?
💡 Roll out training for staff to proactively build their resilience and thrive.
💡 Provide coaching for neurodivergent team members to tame the impact on them.

I specialise in workplace programmes that enables teams to thrive. Including:

Neurodivergent coaching 1:1 – how to thrive in a neurotypical workplace (I am a certified ADHD Coach)

Awareness of neurodivergence for managers – what you might see, what you might do. Critical for true team inclusion and reduction of risk of an ET (CPD certified programme)

How to be an ally to your neurodivergent colleague – for non-managers (CPD certified programme)

I-Act Managing and Promoting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing – global programme accredited by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in line with ISO45003. (I have been delivering this programme to global organisations for over four years)

Time to talk about the transformation I can deliver for your team?

The verdict is in!….The Talent Hub is transformative!

Jane JamesLeave a comment

For more years than I care to count, I’ve mentored, coached, empowered and collaborated with awesome unemployed people, who at the time, couldn’t see just how awesome they were!

Devising programmes on a scale of intensity from hour long seminars to courses multiple weeks long, it’s nerve racking being in limbo waiting for the evaluations from participants.

Growing Talent had run for ten years when the fact there was no option for those unemployed participants who were not offered an opportunity to have a resource to grow further grew louder. So, I devised the Talent Hub.

Eight weeks long, delivered virtually over an hour each week covering a specific workplace or life skill each hour with a workbook and review plan as well as a CPD certificate on completion, it was a lot of work to move from idea to reality.

Would the transformation I wanted participants to receive happen?

Was the course and materials good enough?

Was I good enough?

There would be no answers until the leap of faith was taken.

Now the first CPD certified Talent Hub has completed, it’s clear from the evaluations the goals have been achieved.

If you have an idea, know this, you will never be ready.

The time will never be perfect.

Just do it. If it needs tweaking, you can do this afterwards – but you won’t know the tweaks you need to make until you do it!

Have you got an idea you are waiting for the perfect time to launch?

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I love working with businesses to transform their teams – whether through neurodivergence awareness, i-act (for positive mental health and wellbeing) training. Mental Health Training, ADHD 1:1 coaching or a bespoke workshop

What a first quarter it has been for my business!

Jane JamesLeave a comment



It started just before Christmas 2024, when I decided to see if Growing Talent‘s Orientation Week and the new Talent Hub resource could gain The CPD Certification Service

Certification gives a strong level of confidence that the learning delivered meets a professional level – and for the unemployed people I work with – a certified certificate – which means a lot!

After a lot of guidance from the The CPD Certification Service team, and some tweaking, certification came through in January 2025 for both the Orientation Week and the Talent Hub.

Neurodivergence and how not to handle it is something I see in diverse workplaces a lot.

Individuals may not even realise they are neurodivergent.

Assessment in the UK can be up to seven years depending on location. Even when assessment has taken place, recognising how their neurodivergence shows up and how they can tame it is often out of reach. This then impacts everything and everyone around them – but it doesn’t have to be so.

This is where 1:1 coaching is key. Simple strategies and steps can be learnt to work with their brain rather than against it. Employers can fund this type of coaching as part of their reasonable adjustments.

In the workplace symptoms can be mistaken for ‘bad attitude’ which can lead to a whole heap of issues.

As a certified ADHD Coach and Certified NeuroAffirmative workplace wellbeing practitioner I wrote two seminars, one for managers the other on how colleagues can be allies.

Both teach what you might see, how to approach, language to use, what you might do to build more cohesive, thriving teams.

Certification came through this morning for both seminars!

Delivered over 1.5 hours virtually with a The CPD Certification Service certificate of completion and an e-workbook for onward learning and reflection, workplaces can now secure this training confidently.

How do you ensure your teams are comfortable and confident in this important area?

Coaching/Training – is it a nice to have? or critical?

Jane JamesLeave a comment

For me, it depends on the type of transformation you want for your teams.

Transforming teams into resilient, empathetic members who engage and support each other with the tools and knowledge of how to do so, is critical no matter what the sector is. Isn’t it?

Often when I speak with businesses,  I am met with ‘that isn’t within our budget right now’. That’s something we might consider in 26/27.

I can understand that brush off. There are a plethora of trainers and coaches out there specialising in this area. How can a business make sure they are getting a return on their investment and the true team transformation they seek?

For me, it’s about asking the ‘3 whys’”

  1. Why should I choose you over others?
  2. Why should I invest in this training now?
  3. Why can’t I deliver this myself?

When you get the answers, you can decide your action and know it will be the right path to take.

If I was asked these 3 whys, my answers would be:

  1. Honesty. If I can’t deliver the transformation you want, I’ll tell you!
  2. Investment now can save you a lot of pain later. When will be the right time to invest in your team to benefit your business? 
  3. Let’s be honest, you wouldn’t let me deliver your role. I don’t have the expertise to do so. But I do have the expertise and record to deliver this type of transformation

My specialist areas are:

Neuro inclusion – ADHD Awareness for managers, how to be an ally for peers and 1:1 coaching for individuals 

Mind health – as an accredited Instructor in I-Act Managing and Promoting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing, I deliver steps and knowledge on how to prioritise self-care when time is short and how to deliver first responder steps safely to diverse sectors globally.  This is the only programme designed for the workplace to be used by anyone and is in line with ISO45003.

Workplace development – commissioned by various businesses to devise and deliver niche programmes on communication, team empowerment, managing conflict etc

Do you agree with my 3 whys?

How pressure fit is your team?

Jane JamesLeave a comment


Do you know?

How can you tell?

These questions popped in my mind whilst sitting in the dentist chair recently. Whilst waiting for the x-ray results, my dentist asked “so what do you do?”

Those I work with on Growing Talent will know the ‘elevator pitch’ template we explore.

So, to my dentist I replied:

“I work with businesses and their teams to ensure both thrive. I happen to be an @I-act Instructor, Genos EI Practitioner, ADHD Coach and workplace wellbeing facilitator, as well as running a unique journey into employment programme (Growing Talent)”.

Immediately, my Dentist and her assistant wanted to know more about ADHD.

The assistant has a son aged 13 waiting assessment (it’s a very long wait in the UK) and the dentist has a friend who has always struggled in certain areas of executive functioning. I shared some thoughts and signposting with them both. A very short conversation which resulted in the three of us feeling a little more positive and empowered…. Until my dentist picked up the drill – that’s another story!

Why share my experience at the dentist here on LinkedIn?

Dental surgeries are workplaces. People at all levels put on masks to deliver the service they are paid to do whilst trying to hold down the pressures they are feeling – both at home and work – in all workplaces, including yours.

Workplace managers can be overwhelmed themselves and not notice the cues in their teams or self.

So, what can workplaces do?

✅ Train teams at all levels in the steps and tools to be pressure fit – i.e. able to deal with the pressure in the workplace – as well as at home, is a ‘no brainer’.

✅  Raise awareness of the cues to look for, how to start and manage conversations ensuring neuro inclusivity.

My top tip to be neuro inclusive is aim everything to fit neurodivergent team members.

What you do, will also work for neurotypical team members. Currently most workplaces are structured for neurotypical minds – which does not work for neurodivergent ones.

The certainty is the pressure fitness of your teams will hit your bottom line.

The question is, will that hit be positive or negative?

What do you think?

How do you ensure the pressure fitness of your team?

i-act (for positive mental health and wellbeing) training. Mental Health Training
Genos International Europe
ADHD Works
Growing Talent

Why do we keep doing the same old same old?

Jane JamesLeave a comment

We know there are different options out there – but maybe they are a little too unknown.

If I’m honest, that’s why I kept my old watch for so long. I brought it on the 1stanniversary of my business – in shock really that I was still in business – and wanting to mark the occasion. 

For the last few years, it has run slow. Without my glasses, I can’t see the date. Trying to change the date without changing the time was a frustrating challenge for me which usually resulted in giving up and having the wrong date and time!

I’ve now gone digital. Easy to read time and date, funky options for the face, interchangeable straps – the positives are endless! Why didn’t I make the change before and reap the benefits sooner? Well better late than not at all!

Which got me thinking about employers looking for new talent.

When sharing the positives of Growing Talent with employers, I’m met with the same expressions I had over changing my watch. 

It’s tough to make a change, do things differently and take a fresh approach even in conjunction with – not in place of – existing recruitment practices.

With increased costs of employing someone in the UK soon to come into force, it’s even more pivotal to employ those who fit your role, business and team and vice versa. 

But, how do you know someone before you’ve employed them? 

A key problem for employers. 

For those with roles to fill in London, the solution could be @Growing_Talent.  Check out the benefits below:

  • Zero cost
  • A four-part getting to know you event
  • A profile sheet showcasing the individual’s skills, attributes and potential
  • Slow dating style 1st stage selection – quality time building on the connections already made
  • 1-2-1 final selection stage – in-depth exploration of each other
  • Robust pre-onboarding covering workplace, life skills and qualification in mental health and wellbeing
  • A dedicated mentor for you and your selected participant
  • Weekly mutual reviews to audit progress
  • Access to a wider, diverse talent pool
  • Increase your social mobility investment
  • Sets you apart from your competitors
  • Enhances your brand reputation
  • Higher retention of new joiners
  • On going support

Does your existing recruitment process offer all of this?

If you have a role based in London, why not try @Growing_Talent out?

Get in touch for more details.  Next programme commences early February 2025.