ADHD Coaching – Transforming workplace teams

A thought on coaching…….

19 Nov 2024Jane JamesLeave a comment

What I love about coaching others – whether its:

🎯 unemployed people into sustainable employment
🎯 workplace teams to be more cohesive
🎯 1:1 ADHD coaching to work with, rather than against, unique brains

– is the collaboration with everyone, sharing knowledge to empower each other. Whilst others learn from me, I also learn from them.

Even more breathtaking to me is receiving a comment from someone I’m in awe of. Leanne Maskell the trailblazing activist for neurodivergence and founder of ADHD Works – who trained me to be one of their certified ADHD Coaches:

“Thank you for sharing this Jane – so grateful to have people like you in the world!”

What was the post I wrote that drew this comment?

It focussed on someone I’m currently delivering 1:1 ADHD Coaching to in line with their preference of using text and voice notes.

Throughout my entire career coaching close to 1,000 people into work through commercial recruitment, unique employment programmes like the Real Apprentice and currently Growing Talent, the hundreds of workplace personnel I’ve trained in proactive mind health i-act (for positive mental health and wellbeing) training. Mental Health Training and the courageous people learning to understand and tame their neurodivergence, the following three traits have been front and centre of everything I do:

🎯 lead with kindness and empathy
🎯 meet people where they are – everyone is unique, the way they are coached should be too
🎯 empower people to grow in confidence and become independent of me

What has been front and centre of your style working with others?

Just saying……

8 Nov 20248 Nov 2024Jane JamesLeave a comment

𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗣! 𝗕𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀!

Are you aware there are two types of brains within your team? Neurotypical who fit traditional workplaces and neurodivergent who don’t.

Raising awareness within your workplace of how neurodivergence may show up gives you the foundation to manage it, break the stigma, build cohesive teams where all flourish.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥?

𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬:

🔔 Increased sickness levels – maybe burnout

🔔 Disjointed teams – productivity hit

🔔 Loss of talent

🔔 Employment Tribunal challenge

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here are three ways to build a neuro inclusive workplace and team where all will flourish:

✅Awareness session for managers to understand how neurodivergence might show up and what to do.

✅How to be an Ally – for teams to know how to support their neurodivergent colleagues.

✅Funding 1:1 Coaching as part of their reasonable adjustments, for their team members who may be neurodivergent and not event realise it

All three are more cost effective than risking an Employment Tribunal!

Do you agree?

Is it time for you to raise awareness in your workplace?

Masks – some are more painful than others…

25 Oct 2024Jane JamesLeave a comment

I’m not talking about the masks worn during Covid. I am talking about the mask neurodivergent people put on to try to ‘fit’ in. Working with your unique brain rather than against it, is where the start of being you begins.

Does this sound familiar?

Know what you have to do, but just can’t get started?

Can’t get anywhere on time?

Constantly forget to take your keys, lunch, chargers, cards etc when you leave for work?

Forget instructions shortly after your manager has said them to you?

Find your brain works on impulse? Whilst colleagues are working on a project, your brain has multiple ideas its chasing down?

Ruminate the small stuff – what is the right way to sign-off an e-mail?

Does any/all resonate with you?

Maybe you have your assessment but don’t know what to do with it?

Or maybe you are one of the thousands of people waiting for assessment.

You don’t have to wait to get help. You don’t need an assessment. 1:1 Coaching will help you explore how your brain shows-up at work, how it impacts you and how you can tame it.

If you are working, speak to your employer to see if they will fund Coaching for you as part of their reasonable adjustments. Alternatively, you can apply for a Government grant from Access to Work in the UK or fund the Coaching yourself.

It’s important you ‘connect’ with a neurodivergent Coach to build the trust and confidence for the journey ahead. All coaches offer a free exploratory session to see if you both ‘connect’.

Consider a certified Coach trained in the Executive Functioning framework. We are skilled in helping you identify the areas of executive functioning that impact you and exploring tools to help you tame it.

Sessions will be flexible to suit you – virtual, in person, weekly – more/less frequent, up to an hour each session usually for 12 weeks. Don’t let your perceptions talk you out of getting the coaching you deserve.

Coaching is very different to Counselling or Therapy. It’s designed to move you to a place you can thrive and no longer need a Coach.

Is it now time to start the journey to take off your mask?

Is there something we can learn from @LiamPayne’s tragic death?…. In my view – Hell Yes!

18 Oct 2024Jane JamesLeave a comment

Speculation is rife in the media – which must cause amplified pain to those closest to Liam.

Did he fall or jump?

No one will ever be 100% certain.

What is 100% certain is ADHD carries a higher risk of suicide.

Why?

The pressures of living and working in a neurotypical world when your brain is neurodivergent are intense. Add in the Impulsivity element of executive functioning many have coupled with alcohol/drugs, the decks are stacked against anyone thinking things through when intense pressure hits.

Workplaces have long been aware of the need to train their staff in mental health and wellbeing, how to build their own resilience and awareness to recognise and deliver first responder steps to colleagues. Indeed, global proactive courses are well established and known. We even have an international standard – ISO45003 for workplace psychological safety!

Is that enough?

I don’t believe it is.

Why?

Humans have one of two brain types, which means every workplace does too – neurotypical or neurodivergent.

Symptoms of neurodivergence can be interpreted as ‘bad behaviour’ or ‘attitude’ potentially leading to all sorts of issues including loss of talent, team impact, ET challenge, risk to brand reputation and compensation. With waiting times for assessments runing into multiple years, coupled with a lifetime of masking, individuals may not realise they are neurodivergent.

So, what else can organisations do?

Raise awareness of the difference by rolling out training for all.

Raising Awareness of ADHD for Managers – what you might see, what you might do, legal position in the UK
How to be an Ally – how to support your neurodivergent colleague
1:1 Coaching for your neurotypical team members enabling them to identify how their ADHD shows up and how they can tame it.

As an ADHD Coach, I’ve been running these sessions in various workplaces and seen the positive difference made. Indeed, many managers realised their own neurodivergence in the training. Others could see traits in their teams and families. All gained clarity on what they could do.

What do you do in your workplace?

Funka, Dr Strangelove, Cast Iron, Rocket…..

24 Sep 202424 Sep 2024Jane JamesLeave a comment

….Songs from the 80s?

….Films from the 50s?

….Cocktails? – potentially!

Cocktails, for me, should be visually exciting and have discernible flavours.

Songs and films are incorrect – although potentially great titles!

Cocktails is potentially correct in the right coffee brewer’s hands! Read on.

They are just some of the awesome coffees on display at Extract Coffee London just off Bermondsey Street.

I’d been invited by @Growing_Talent’s sponsors to pitch the programme and additional resources on ADHD, @I-Act and general team empowerment training to their supply chain held yesterday at this London gem!

Arriving early, as usual, Veena gave me 1:1 insight into Extract’s beginnings, their credentials, their partners – at home and across the globe, their connections with organisations focussing on enabling those who need it to close their own social mobility gap through skills training ready for the world of employment. Which led nicely on to the science of coffee.

You may have heard of WSET – home to the Wine & Spirit Trust – whose qualifications are sought after by the hospitality industry as well as individual wine enthusiasts. Did you know there is a science to coffee too? I absolutely didn’t. I was shown the various different beans, how they are produced by farmers and used in Extract’s coffee in different ways.

Did you know the mainstream coffee shops use only one type of coffee bean?

Some coffees are great for gut health and have a lot of fibre in – who knew!

Seeing the areas used to train people in the diverse world of coffee production, learning the different careers available and the industry awards on offer showed the passionate, social inclusion core of Extract Coffee – and the public can even buy their unique coffees and teas on line! Amazing.

The pitch to the supply chain went really well with lots of questions and engagement.

After the team – including award winning Chloe – showed how coffee can be used in the composition of cocktails and mocktails. Of course, I had to try the martini! I love a fancy glass.

Check Extract Coffee out online and make a difference whilst enjoying your unique cup of morning coffee

http://www.extractcoffee.co.uk

1. The cocktail/mocktail demonstration – and tasting!

2. Coffee martini

3. Chemistry of coffee – beans and bottles denoting if the solutions are sweet, salty or bitter

4. Examples of current equipment used in training

5. Refurbed coffee grinder

6. Another training area

Thank you everyone for the most amazing experience, especially Ben Noah and Adam Bushell for inviting me and the awesome members from ISS A/S, SPS UK& Ireland, BaxterStorey, Portico, #CIS-Security #NGBailey and Electrosonic