| Tent caterpillars create a cocoon for an entire | | | | their own failure to achieve and deceived because |
| colony. Within one colony there are two types of | | | | they can't make effective use of their potential. |
| caterpillar. One type, pioneers, weave long threads | | | | They have great difficulty harnessing their many |
| forming the skeleton of the tent. The others, the | | | | ideas and bringing them to completion. |
| workers, weave cross threads filling in the | | | | From your point of view, as a manager, ADD can |
| structure. If there are too many pioneers, the | | | | be a question of lost productivity and accidents. |
| tent is too big and collapses. If there are not | | | | You probably hired them because they were |
| enough pioneers, the tent is too dense and the | | | | passionate, intelligent, full of ideas, and had great |
| colony suffocates. Viva la difference. | | | | energy (all typical qualities of ADD), but once on |
| Within the colony of human beings we can find | | | | the job the difficulties appear. Now you may |
| similar differences. Some are explorers, | | | | consider them lazy or irresponsible due to |
| entrepreneurs extending the boundaries of our | | | | frequent absenteeism, lateness, below average |
| environment in art, science, or business. The rest | | | | productivity, missed deadlines, or senseless |
| fill in the details as accountants or managers. | | | | conflict. |
| As a manager you know that creativity is the | | | | Or you may see another picture, a person whose |
| quality which enables your company to expand | | | | work is excellent, but is working exceptionally long |
| and improve products, services and processes. | | | | hours for the work done, seems overly sensitive |
| The best salespeople, strategic planners and | | | | to comments, may be having difficulty in his |
| inventors are creative people who generate a | | | | private life due to poorly managed finances or |
| steady flow of ideas. However, creativity may | | | | friction with his spouse, or appears to have a |
| come with other features which are not so | | | | problem with alcohol or even drugs. |
| desirable such as impulsiveness, lack of | | | | The first step for such a person (and it may be |
| organization of ideas, paper, and time, and social | | | | you, the manager) is a medical diagnoses by a |
| problems in communication and relationships at | | | | doctor who is knowledgeable in ADD. If the |
| work or at home. | | | | diagnoses is for ADD, the doctor will prescribe |
| SAM WAS THE BEST SALESMAN the company | | | | one of several medications. Medication helps the |
| had ever seen, but his boss was about to fire him | | | | brain to function effectively, but it may not be |
| because he couldn't get the paper work done. | | | | sufficient. The second step is to seek the help of |
| MARY WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIC | | | | a coach trained in ADD who can help him see |
| PLANNER at work, but at home she couldn't clear | | | | where and how ADD is affecting his life and guide |
| up after dinner, her husband had to teach her | | | | him in developing strategies for managing the |
| how to put things away. | | | | issues and using his strengths. |
| ANDREW WAS AN EXPERT IN HIS FIELD, but in | | | | HERE ARE SOME TIPS for dealing with employees |
| his head he felt like a fraud. The dissonance | | | | who may be affected by ADD. |
| between his expert status and his mental image | | | | *--Recognize that the problem is not willful |
| of himself led him to a severe depression and | | | | disobedience or moral failure but of neurological |
| two years of lost work. | | | | origin. |
| OR MAYBE YOU HAD TO FIRE MICHEL. He was | | | | *--Provide lots of positive encouragement and |
| just too argumentative. He was always | | | | guidance; negative criticism they give themselves. |
| antagonizing someone. No one would work with | | | | *--Help them adapt their working environment to |
| him in a team. Too bad because his work was | | | | their personal needs. |
| excellent. | | | | *--Provide support systems to help with the |
| Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)* is a neurological | | | | paper work and other detail tasks which are |
| difference in the brain which causes difficulties | | | | stifling for people with ADD. |
| with the executive functions of planning, | | | | *--Provide a coach knowledgeable in the problems |
| prioritizing, decision making, organizing, time | | | | of ADD. Coaching for ADD focuses on |
| management and more. It touches from 3 to 5% | | | | understanding how ADD affects the client and on |
| of the adult population ( Kevin Murphy, associate | | | | building structures to manage daily tasks. |
| professor of psychiatry and chief adult :ADHD | | | | To conclude, Mr. or Ms. Manager, if you are |
| clinician at the University of Massachusetts Medical | | | | concerned about your productivity level or |
| Center in Worcester) and appears frequently in | | | | bottom line, look for your employees' strengths |
| the fields where creativity is required. To state | | | | and help each one to do what he/she is good at |
| this another way: the positive asset of creativity | | | | and they will reward you richly. |
| and the negative problems are two sides of one | | | | ____________________________ |
| coin. | | | | * Attention Deficit Disorder(ADD) is not a helpful |
| We all feel disorganized, forgetful, or at odds with | | | | name. It is not about a deficit of attention but |
| the world some of the time, but for those | | | | about an inconsistency of attention. A person with |
| affected, ADD is a quality of life issue which is of | | | | ADD can pay attention very well to things that |
| long duration. One of their most common | | | | are interesting and therefore stimulating, but they |
| complaints is a feeling of being out of joint with | | | | have difficulty controlling their attention in |
| their surroundings. They may feel frustrated by | | | | situations in which they find no stimulation. |