#62 🏰 Navigating Unpredictability in the Workplace with ADHD: A Practical Guide to Managing Ambiguity
How to take control back in the face of ambiguity and self-doubt.
Welcome to Tech Atypically 👋, your weekly blog for navigating the challenges of ADHD and being in the tech industry.
I am a coach specializing in ADHD and product management, and I help you change one belief and take one action each week.
Part 5 of the Performance and Productivity series.
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🦋 The Takeaways
The Belief: Neurodiverse employees should handle ambiguity independently
The Reality: Clear direction and support enables their success
The Action: Proactively set parameters to prevent rabbit holes
⭐️ Introduction
This week I’m joined by Michael Asaku-Yeboah, an accomplished coach and counselor in the tech industry.
Michael shares insights on navigating ambiguity in the workplace as a neurodiverse person. You'll learn a battle-tested framework to use when assigned a vague task that leaves you unsure where to start or focus.
By advocating for clarity from managers and teams, you can set yourself up for success instead of getting lost in uncertainty. Michael provides actionable strategies to implement in your next ambiguous project or initiative.
🏰 Once upon a time…
David, a product manager, was assigned by his manager Anthony to improve their team's recently launched software. Users were reporting issues with logins and features.
When David asked for specifics on priority areas to focus on, Anthony replied "I expect you to handle ambiguity. You are x level/title."
With no clear direction on scope or expectations, David floundered trying to diagnose every possible problem across the entire product and codebase.
He reached out asking if he could get access to end users to better understand their issues. However, Anthony denied his request, leaving David spinning uncertainty without user insights.
After a week of unclear objectives and restricted access, Anthony was unhappy with David's progress. He expected David to have addressed performance issues and bugs that were never highlighted originally.
We've all been in David's shoes - assigned a vague task as a PM and left scrambling alone without guardrails. Today, I'm sharing tips for managers to equitably support PMs and all employees when tackling ambiguous projects.
😵💫 The Belief
Many managers have the ingrained belief that high performers should be able to work through ambiguity independently.
They expect employees to self-sufficiently execute vague directives like "do better" and "improve this."
These managers believe they're empowering team members and letting their problem-solving skills flex by not over-specifying details upfront. But in reality, a lack of structure disproportionately impacts neurodiverse employees. (Learn more by checking out this book.)
When goals are unclear, you tend to hyperfocus, trying to anticipate every possible outcome. Without defined parameters, open-ended tasks quickly send you down frustration rabbit holes.
Even with good intentions, managers inadvertently set neurodiverse employees up for failure by not providing the support we need to thrive.
🤝 The Reality
Providing parameters for neurodiverse employees can have a curb-cut effect - accessibility features meant for a specific group that helps everyone.
Setting clear expectations benefits all employees, beyond just those who explicitly request it. When your manager tells you to do it on your own, they are accepting whatever results you come up with. That leaves both parties in a game of chance to create what’s needed.
Providing parameters enables strength in neurodiverse minds instead of leaving you lost. It also improves collaboration and outcomes for managers by aligning understanding. Supporting employees' needs raises all boats.
With structure, managers tap the innovative thinking of neurodiverse minds rather than leaving them stuck fighting ambiguity.
Defined goals let you focus on execution and possibility rather than searching aimlessly for an unclear target.
🛠️ The Action - Ambiguity Framework
Michael’s Clarity Framework for Ambiguity
🔎Define scope and priorities upfront.
Be as specific as possible.
🏰What does the finished product look like?
Gather data to work backward from the result.
📆 Set clear deadlines and interim check-in points.
🤝 Provide contacts for key questions and cross-functional needs.
What authorities and resources do I have to get this done?
✅ Allow trial and error within the guardrails.
Don't penalize different solutions.
🗣 Encourage open questions without judgment.
Curiosity beats frustration.
📝 Document goals, stakeholders, timeline, etc to reference.
By providing some structure, managers unlock potential in every employee. Defining the playing field allows for freer play - and better results for everyone.
✨ Conclusion
The next time you're handed a vague task, don't resign yourself to uncertainty.
Accommodations for neurodivergent individuals are not burdensome. They remove barriers to allow individuals to meet the expectations of the role that was probably designed for a neurotypical person.
Kindly advocate for the clarity and support you need to do your best work.
With clear direction, you can focus on flexing your creative problem-solving, not battling ambiguity alone. And managers may find their whole team performs better when they proactively set neurodiverse employees up for success.
To learn more or book time with Michael, visit his company Evolve Vocational.
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⏭️Next Week
How to cultivate the courage to pursue a promotion when you have ADHD
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