Executive Function, by Clare Talbot-Jones

If you've ever heard the fantastic question "what can I do to support my neurodivergent team member?" you'll very likely have heard the wonderful advice to "ask them." 

Being eager to help and open to ideas is really great!  

But, what happens when your team member doesn't know what to ask for?  

They might, like me, benefit from help in identifying obstacles they didn’t even recognise as challenges that have simple and practical solutions. 

In my experience as a 41 year old woman with recent adult diagnoses of autism and ADHD, having supportive people around me who can help me to understand how to harness the strengths I sometimes take for granted and make adjustments to accommodate things I find challenging is really important to ensuring that I am engaged, productive and happy. 

This article will give you some examples of insights I have had over the last few years around Executive Functioning and the challenges and opportunities I have had settling more comfortably into my individual, unique home on the spectrum. 

You will find many of them are just great people management practices! 

Sense of time 

Keeping a really strict and definitive list of all my meetings, responsibilities and tasks in Google calendar is essential for me. If me or my team hasn’t added it to my diary it won’t get done. I can easily get lost in a task but many neurodivergent people find judging how long a task will take or how much time has passed a real challenge. They might benefit from support planning what you might see as the simple task of factoring travel  and prep time into their calendar. Timers and alarms throughout the day alert me to what I have to do and when. It seems regimented and forced, but it gives me confidence, reassurance and structure.  

Planning and prioritising 

I care about everything and everything feels of extreme importance to me. Removing something from my to-do list can feel like a loss or failure. Having clear timeframes really helps. I find short timeframes and clear deadlines much more helpful, and I have learned to set artificial deadlines to harness my ability to thrive under pressure without the pain and guilt of procrastination. I have been supported to break my week into sessions dedicated to different parts of my role, which relieves some of the burden of choosing what to prioritise. I write down and share my short, mid and long-term goals so I am accountable- without this I will not complete the goal. Last thing on a Friday I have time to plan out the upcoming week from Google Calendar, with detailed daily lists on Google Tasks.  

Gamifying tasks is a really powerful way of engaging me in routine but necessary processes. While I’m not at all competitive I am massively goal oriented. 

Working memory 

Discerning how to break down a goal into a series of objectives and steps can be massively overwhelming and being encouraged or supported to think or talk this through- and write it down- is really helpful. Be clear, concise and brief. Google Tasks includes subtasks that give direction, bring clarity and allow for little dopamine hits as each part is ticked off and cleared away. 

I have learned to have the confidence in meetings to ask for a pause while I write an important idea or thought down so I can focus on the speaker, rather than endure the stress of trying to hold tightly to the thought at the cost of my full attention. 

Strict routines and an organised workspace means my brainpower is freed up for useful tasks, not frustrations like remembering where I set down my phone (-it’s attached round my neck!). 

Metacognition 

I use writing to slow down and order my thoughts. Others may find talking or mapping out thoughts visually to be helpful. 

Due to negative experiences and feelings of isolation and rejection as well as neurological differences, may neurodivergent people benefit from being directed to reflect on their strengths as well as recognising their perceived weaknesses. Award submissions really help me do that in a structured and purposeful way. 

Our different way of thinking and perceiving is often one of the greatest assets we can bring- it’s wonderful when this is recognised and valued. 

Self-regulation 

Acknowledgement that something is frustrating, disappointing or difficult allows me to feel the strong emotions, process them, and then move on. Trying to encourage me to “look for the positives” at the initial stage can prolong this phase and cause distress. 

Adapting to changes 

In an emergency or a crisis, you will be pleased to have me around. I am cool, calm, focussed and practical. Good changes can be so much harder for me, and you might find this frustrating and insulting, ungrateful and unreasonable. 

Explaining the degree of uncertainty, the potential duration and the potential impacts allow me to find a place for a difficult piece of news in my internal risk register and allows me to focus on action rather than uncertainty. 

Visually moving something in my calendar so my brain understands it is postponed rather than cancelled really helps. 

Listen to me- don’t dismiss what you perceive as irrational responses. Being recognised, understood and reassured is so powerful to me. 

Starting and shifting tasks 

Checking in with me can give me the accountability I need to get me going when I’m feeling overwhelmed. When this is done compassionately and open-mindedly it doesn’t feel like a pressure.  

When I’m in my flow, avoiding unnecessary interruptions allows me to perform at my very best. 

After years of struggling socially, in education and in employment, in 2016 Clare launched Talbot Jones Ltd, a chartered insurance brokerage, with her husband.

With the freedom and support to create a role that allowed her to harness her autistic and ADHD strengths and thrive for the first time, she was awarded the title of Rising Star in Insurance in 2019, Elite Woman in Insurance 2021-23 and CII Building Public Trust winner in 2022. She is a business advisor to women facing intersectional challenges, trustee of a neurodivergent support charity, researcher into mental health in entrepreneurs, recent Masters graduate and Chartered Manager.

?Talbot Jones Ltd specialises in Third Sector and Professional risks. In 2022 the Gateshead-based company was one of the UK’s fastest growing brokerages and recognised as industry leaders in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices.