Hey there Stimuli fam. This is ADHD Coach Ryan here to talk to you today about how to manage your manager at work. Now, the topic of whether or not to disclose that you have ADHD is an important one, but I'm not going to be diving into that today because I want to give you a strategy that will help you, whether or not you choose to disclose your official diagnosis at your place of employment. And that strategy will be useful whether or not you have an official diagnosis or not.So, without further ado, let's jump right in. I like to call the strategy "help me help you". And that's after a famous quote from the movie Jerry Maguire. One of the most useful initial meetings that you can have with a new employer or manager, is to tell them how to best manage you. Now, this might sound a little strange, but it means having an insight into what motivates you, supports you, challenges you and discourages you in the workplace. This is going to be great for them to know. A strong way to open this meeting is for the conversation is to say, "I'm really looking forward to working together and in order to best deliver in the way that I know I can, I want to let you know what's worked best for me in the past." This is where you need to be stoic and honest.For those of us with ADHD, negative criticism and feedback can feel really intense because of our sensitivity to rejection. We're so used to disappointing people, including ourselves and, when someone tells us that we fallen short, again, it can really become overwhelming. That's why focusing on training your manager to give you consistent positive reinforcement can make that negative feedback much more tolerable. If positive reinforcement is really effective with you, and criticism is really challenging, you can share this information with your manager by saying, "hey, I respond really well with regular check ins and positive feedback, so I know that I'm on track and fulfilling my duties. Having weekly check ins also gives us the opportunity to address any areas for growth where I'm not delivering as consistently as you or me want me to. This helps me to catch problems before they start.”So another great way to help you manage your manager is to have clearly defined expectations. And this is what you would ask them for: you would say "I need to have clear deadlines for assignments, instead of just loose ideas of when they should be completed." This also means that you're going to need to understand your company's standards, in the best practices for different situations you might be in so you can make decisions and then pivot with confidence instead of having to check in with people every single step of the way. This can mean breaking down projects into bite sized chunks. So, if you're completing a short, weekly sprint, instead of quarterly marathons that become overwhelming, that's going to be much easier for your brain to handle.Now I know it might feel scary to ask for help, but the more specific, the better. And honestly, you're already ahead of most people, if you know what works for you and what doesn't. Because if you think about it, many times, the managers are just doing the very best they can with what they know. If they had all their employees tell them these kinds of tips for managing them, they would all be more grateful, that's for sure. That's why being opened this way is actually going to make you a better employee, a better manager, and also help you on the personal side: being a better partner, parent and overall person.So to review, one of the best strategies for the workplace is teaching your manager how to best manage you. In some of the most successful common strategies, for those of us with ADHD to use are: breaking down projects into bite sized pieces, having manageable weekly tasks to work on - and you can even put this in a checklist form - having weekly check ins where you can confirm that you're on track and in good standing with your manager and your employer, and also getting regular positive reinforcement for the work that you're doing. That one's especially important for us. Also receiving helpful feedback about opportunities for improvement and growth, before it becomes a consistent problem. In other words, criticism. And then clearly defined expectations, both from you to your manager and from your manager to you, so that that way you can confidently know you're doing a great job each and every day. As always, thank you so much for taking the time to invest your own future in mastering how to manage your manager. And once you do that it's going to help in all areas of your life. I look forward to being with you again in the next Stimuli episode. Until then remember you're not alone and I believe in you.