Hi Folks,
Relatively huge news today, in that I’ve become an ADHD Coach, after spending much of 2024 studying ADHD Life Coaching, courtesy of ADDCA – established in 1998, and going strong ever since!
Read on for the explanation of my journey, and for a brief introduction to what being a coach actually is.
Is this a major change?
With the benefit of hindsight, I can now see a constant thread in my career priorities. I’ve always been about helping others but I recognise in this that I weave together a few different mantras:
1. What a client says they need, what they think they need, and what they actually need are usually three fairly different things.
You need to listenreally carefully to help the client navigate to the right solution. For me it’s about working in partnership if it is to be successful and sustainable. If my clients could find their answers directly, they wouldn’t be seeking my assistance in the first place.
2. Being realistic.
“Apart from yesterday, when do you want this?” is my favourite question to ask a client. Apart from the comedy value, it really helps reset and ground expectations in reality, rather than the slightly less connected world of board meetings and their priorities.
We all have competing needs, both from our personal and work lives. Yesterday would have been ideal, but right now isn’t such a bad time to start on a project. Better late than never!
3. Equity.
We don’t all need the same support. Get what works for you.
These principles are as true in coaching as they are in the world of Salesforce! For me, once I hit upon the idea of coaching, it was a natural progression, especially as it aligns my interests with my skills.
But what is coaching?
They’ll be a fuller answer in another blog coming later but if you want a 2 minute explainer, then check out my video below, fresh from the homepage of my brand new website,or you can now book a free introductory appointment with me, to explore further. Nothing ventured, nothing gained…
How does ADHD fit into this?
What about ADHD or AuDHD? (Autism, combined with ADHD). How do they play a part?
The coaching I practice uses an ADHD lens. ADHDers literally, think in significantly different ways to the majority of population. Our brains flow differently. Some common working techniques literally do us more harm than good. We need to use this awareness to work withour ADHD or AuDHD, rather than fight it.
I may have only been diagnosed in 2021, but it turns out I’ve been working with establishing the best operating environment for mefor a long time, so I come at this with both academic best practice (the theory) – and real world practical experience (the reality check) – too.
Whether it’s been talking about taking exams at a time of day that suits you the best – my second ever blog, way back in 2017 – socialising (2022), perfectionism (2023), different learning styles (2023), or understanding ADHD colleagues (2024), all of these blogs have been about challenges common to the world of neurodivergency. So, I’ve been thinking about these matters, and the best approach, for some time!
With this in mind, over the last couple of years, I realised that whilst I make a reasonable Salesforce consultant, my skills can best be used to help others in a different way via coaching. Especially as there are so many people – unsurprisingly, on reflection – in the Salesforce ecosystem that have ADHD or AuDHD.
Next Steps
Where my journey next goes I do not know. I know do however that I love coaching. I’ve not, yet, had a dissatisfied customer.
My blog posts will also continue. I will keep to the theme of “whatever I’m currently interested in” as I enjoy writing these thinking-out-loud pieces, and the discussions and sometimes revelations they lead to. So you can continue to expect more reporting on neurodivergency, inclusivity and tech. No doubt it will evolve, but we all do that, whether we like it or not – it’s the attitude in which you approach this that matters.
Enjoyed reading? I write about neurodivergency matters, with a dash of inclusivity and tech. Subscribe below to avoid missing out 😊; or have a nose through my back catalogue. You can also follow me on Bluesky and/or LinkedIn of course.