ADHD Executive Coaching: A Playbook for the Modern Operator

Your brain isn’t broken; it’s wired for a different kind of success. 

This is your guide to mastering your executive function and turning your ADHD into your greatest leadership asset.

This article is a little different from my typical posts. It’s a look behind the curtain at my own operational playbook, one I had to build to navigate scaling a business without knowing I had ADHD – I didn’t receive that diagnosis until my early forties. I’m part of a growing number of adults who are receiving a later-in-life neurodiverse diagnosis. The National Institute of Health has a great resource to review if you are curious if you may have ADHD. Through a lot of learning, trial, and even more error – I made it work, and so can you.

For years, you’ve likely felt the friction between your brilliant, fast-moving mind and a professional world that demands a certain kind of linear focus. You see patterns others miss, but struggle with the “boring” follow-through. I’ve lived every one of those challenges.

What I’ve learned is that these aren’t character flaws; they are features of a high-performance brain that requires a different operating system. My journey has made me an ideal partner for leaders like you. This is your playbook for thriving as an ADHD COO or operator. We’ll explore how to harness your natural superpowers and build the support systems your executive function needs.

And this isn’t just a personal theory; a growing body of research from respected sources, see below, validates these experiences as common, neurologically-based features of the ADHD brain.

The ADHD Executive Leader’s Superpowers

Your brain’s unique wiring gives you an unfair advantage in several key areas of leadership. These aren’t just personality quirks; they are neurologically-based strengths. The trick is knowing how and when to use them.

Hyperfocus: The Puzzle-Solving Machine

Hyperfocus is the ability to concentrate intensely on a single, interesting task for an extended period, often tuning out everything else. While it’s the flip side of distractibility, it’s a powerful state that allows for deep, highly productive work. It’s a common trait in adults with ADHD, driven by the brain’s intense search for a high-dopamine, engaging activity.

Give me a messy spreadsheet or a critical website error on a tight timeline, and I will forego food, water, and sleep until I solve the problem. When aimed at the right target, this is a superpower.

Creative Problem-Solving: The Pattern Seeker

Divergent thinking is a thought process used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions, as explained in ADDitude Magazine. Divergent Thinking is a cornerstone of creativity, and research has shown that adults with ADHD often score higher on tests of divergent thinking. Your brain is naturally wired to see patterns and connections that others may not.

This allows you to diagnose the root cause of a problem, not just the symptoms. You can see how the pieces fit together, or how a decision in one area of your business will affect another, making you an invaluable strategic partner who can anticipate challenges and innovate solutions.

Emotional Intelligence: The Mood Reader

While not universally true for everyone with ADHD, many develop a heightened emotional intelligence (EQ) as a coping mechanism. Years of needing to “read the room” to navigate social situations can lead to a finely tuned ability to sense the underlying mood and dynamics of a team.

For me, this often shows up as an immediate sense of the team’s morale when I walk into a meeting. This is a crucial skill for a leader, allowing you to build psychological safety, navigate difficult conversations, and proactively address cultural issues before they become critical problems.

I will tell you, like many gifts, this can be a double-edged sword. It can be hard to “turn off,” and I often know when there are problems afoot long before they are spoken – but it can also affect my mood if I am surrounded by negativity for too long without addressing it. 

Taming the Kryptonite: An ADHD Executive Function Coach’s Guide

The challenges you face are not failures of character; they are predictable executive function challenges that require a better support system. The first step is understanding what they are and how they show up.

The Myth of “Time Blindness”: A Case for Time Optimism

Time Agnosia, commonly known as Time blindness is a common term for the chronic difficulty people with ADHD have in perceiving time accurately. It’s not a choice; it’s a neurological challenge. Research shows that the parts of the brain responsible for time perception may function differently in individuals with ADHD, making it challenging to perceive how much time has passed or how long a future task will take.

For me, it often shows up as what I call “Time Optimism.” I’ll look at a task, and my brain will optimistically calculate the absolute best-case-scenario timeline, ignoring all potential nuances or complexities. The solution is not to “try harder” to be on time, but to build an external system you can trust more than your internal clock.

The Dopamine Dilemma: Why “Eat the Frog” Doesn’t Work

As the Cleveland Clinic explains, ADHD brains often have a dopamine deficit, which means they are constantly seeking activities that provide that rewarding hit.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a huge role in motivation and reward. ADHD brains often have a dopamine deficit, which means they are constantly seeking activities that are interesting, novel, or challenging to get that rewarding dopamine hit. This is why a common piece of advice from Brian Tracy, “Eat the Frog First” (do the hardest, most boring task first) is a recipe for procrastination for us.

Forcing an ADHD brain to start the day with a low-dopamine task is like trying to start a car with no gas. The solution is to generate your own momentum. Start your day with a small, interesting win to get the dopamine flowing, which then gives you the fuel you need to tackle the more challenging tasks.

The “I’ll Remember That” Lie: Defeating Working Memory Fails

Working memory is the brain’s “sticky note” system. It’s the ability to hold and manipulate small bits of information for a short period to complete a task. It’s one of the executive functions most significantly impacted by ADHD. One NIH study found that children with ADHD had, on average, a 30% deficit in working memory capacity compared to their peers, a challenge that often persists into adulthood.

This is why the thought “Oh, I’ll remember that” is a dangerous lie for an operator with ADHD. A single notification or a new thought can instantly wipe the sticky note clean. The solution is to stop relying on your brain to hold information and instead build an immediate capture system. Use a simple, always-on tool like the Idea Dock for new ideas and a dedicated task manager for action items.

Emotional Dysregulation: Riding the Wave

Emotional dysregulation is the brain’s difficulty in managing emotional responses. For leaders with ADHD, this can manifest as quick frustration, intense enthusiasm, or a feeling of being easily overwhelmed. It’s not a character flaw; research suggests the connection between the brain’s emotional center (the amygdala) and its control center (the prefrontal cortex) works differently in ADHD individuals, making it harder to pump the brakes on a strong feeling.

As a leader, your role is to be the calm in the storm. This means you have to learn how to regulate your own emotional state first.

Here are some strategies that work for me when I feel overstimulated or emotionally dysregulated:

• Change Your Environment. As cliché as it sounds, taking a walk is one of the most effective tools. Movement and a change of scenery can quickly alter your mood and provide the space needed to process a strong emotion.
• Use Subtle Movements. If you’re stuck in a tense meeting, try squeezing your calves under the table or quietly running your thumb across your other fingers. These small, physical actions can help ground you and discharge excess energy without being obvious.
• Embrace Movement-Based Mindfulness. Many people with ADHD struggle to sit still and quiet their minds. Instead of traditional meditation, try a movement-based practice like QiGong, yoga, or even just stretching. Movement is key.

The goal is to put your own oxygen mask on first. By learning to recognize and manage your emotional waves, you can then address any problem with the even temper and calm mind that is the hallmark of an Anchored Leader.

My Not-So-Secret Weapons for Productivity in ADHD Executive Leadership

Over the years, I’ve developed a few unconventional strategies that an executive function coach would approve of. These methods are designed to work with my brain’s natural tendencies, not against them.

The “Cafe Method” and The Power of a Body Double

Body doubling is a productivity strategy where another person works alongside you, either in person or virtually. Their presence helps keep you focused and accountable. For an ADHD brain that struggles with under-stimulation on routine tasks, the mild social pressure and shared energy of a body double can be incredibly effective.

This is why I use the “Cafe Method.” While I’m an introvert, I thrive on the ambient energy of other people. I’ll drive to a cafe about 30 minutes away, which gives my brain time to relax and spark new ideas. Then, I work until my laptop battery dies, which creates a natural sense of urgency and a clear finish line for my work session.

The Simple Task List (and the Occasional Flying Narwhal)

While I use digital tools for collaboration, I love a simple pen and paper to-do list for my own tasks. The physical act of writing down a task helps encode it in my memory, and the satisfaction of physically checking a box provides a more tangible dopamine hit than a simple click.

That said, some digital tools understand the ADHD brain perfectly. The occasional, unpredictable celebration graphic that a tool like Asana uses after you complete a task—like a flying narwhal—is a perfect example of a variable reinforcement schedule. It’s the same psychological principle that makes slot machines so addictive. Because you don’t know when the reward is coming, your brain stays more engaged.

Leading with ADHD: A Guide to Radical Transparency

Your diagnosis, whether it’s official or self-diagnosed, should never get in the way of you being the Anchored Leader your team needs and deserves. The skills of great leadership can be learned. In fact, once your ADHD traits are understood and adapted for, they can make you a phenomenal leader.

The key is radical transparency. This doesn’t mean using ADHD as an excuse; it means using it as an explanation to build a stronger, more honest team dynamic.

I have spent time solving problems that weren’t the most important, but were fun to solve. I’ve gone way down a rabbit hole learning a new skill for a problem, only to realize I had wasted a day on something that wasn’t a priority. In those moments, the best advice I can give is to own it, apologize, and work hard to solve the real problem as thoroughly and quickly as possible.

Pointing the finger at another team member, a situation, or your own ADHD doesn’t demonstrate the responsibility that is required of an Anchored Leader. My dad was quick to remind me as a kid, “When you point your finger, remember that three more point back at you.”

By being open about what you need (e.g., “I need you to send me that request in writing so I don’t forget”), you give your team permission to be open about what they need. By co-creating simple, visual systems that work for your brain, you build a resilient organization that can function even when anyone’s brain has a hiccup. This is how you turn a personal challenge into a team-wide strength.

Conclusion: Your Brain is Your Asset

Your brain is not an obstacle to overcome; it’s a unique and powerful asset. The very traits that may have been labeled as “flaws”—the intense curiosity, the rapid-fire ideas, the deep dives into fascinating problems—are the raw materials of visionary leadership.

The journey to becoming an effective ADHD operator isn’t about forcing your brain to fit into a neurotypical box. It’s about learning to build your own box, one designed with simple, visual systems that support your executive function challenges. It’s about having the self-awareness to aim your hyperfocus like a laser and the courage to lead with a transparency that builds deep, resilient trust with your team.

By understanding its strengths and creating a personalized playbook for its challenges, you can stop fighting against your natural wiring and start leveraging your unique genius to become the truly authentic and effective Anchored Leader your company needs.