A Quick Start Conundrum
This is a screenshot of my Wisey test results
“Did you know that Quick Starts are often connected with ADHD?” My publisher, childhood friend and fellow Quick Start was quick to grab my attention with this possible conundrum.
No, I wasn’t aware. But the Fact Finder in me wanted to know more – in an interesting kind of way, as opposed to a depriving kind of way. At least that is what I was telling myself.
But what are these Quick Starts and Fact Finders, you ask.
These are two conations identified by Kathy Kolbe, along with Follow Thru and Implementor. Conation is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “the mental faculty of purpose, desire, or will to perform an action.” Kathy Kolbe calls it how I will and I won’t take action. She posits we have various levels of all four conations within us and there will be at least one that stands out.
My conation is actually Fact Finder/Quick Start, an interesting mix if you ask me. This plays out consistently in my life, just like a tornado. I like to find as much background information as possible so I can be sure to generate as many future possibilities as I can. It becomes a tornado when my future possibilities require more background information, which fuels more possibilities and the need for more information. And on… and on…
I was still curious about this Quick Start/ADHD connection though.
According to Kathy Kolbe, a Quick Start has an affinity toward risk. They are spontaneous and intuitive, flexible and fluent with ideas. Deadlines and crises provide an atmosphere of challenge and change, which means they can be impatient. In a short summary, Quick Starts start things, and they don’t usually finish things. Perhaps my own experience now makes sense. I loved being the one brought into a chaotic environment and I would stay long enough to create stability and some semblance of order until a leader with enough Follow Thru and Implementor could take over. I loved getting a new program off the ground but had no plans of keeping it going – that was not enticing for me.
So I get the Quick Start tendencies. But what was the connection with ADHD?
Let’s see. ADHD symptoms include the following:
Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes
Has difficulty sustaining attention
Does not appear to listen
Struggles to follow through with instructions
Has difficulty with organization
Avoids or dislikes tasks requiring sustained mental effort
Loses things
Is easily distracted
Is forgetful in daily activities
Kathy Kolbe posed these traits of a Quick Start in a reaction to this proposition:
Easily distracted, highly intuitive and spontaneous
Intolerant of routine
Has difficulty getting organized
Anything sounding familiar, fellow Quick Starts?
My algorithms were clearly sourcing ADHD resources for me and I found a Wisey ADHD test I could take for free. I put this little theory to the test and sure enough, I was warned I had high levels of ADHD and to be aware of “increased stress, missed opportunities, damaged relationships, and reduced well-being”. See the above image for the proof.
Hmmm. I don’t think so.
Maybe though.
I sometimes make careless mistakes because I’m somewhere else inside my head, filled with wonder and discernment… which probably means I might not hear you. I am not inclined to follow procedures or succumb to rigid routines or conform, because I easily adapt and find shortcuts. I lose things often (like the garage door opener – it’s got to be around here somewhere!) and can be forgetful (but this seems to be a problem for everyone I talk to). I’m also like every professor I know and admire with “Ooooo… look at the shiny new ball!” reactions to new and interesting information.
To add fuel to that little fire, I found myself nodding my introverted head to almost every tip on how to succeed at work provided by the Adult ADHD Centre.
I need to stop here. I don’t have ADHD.
I do have a few thoughts for you to ponder though.
I have learned that people are diagnosed with ADHD when their work and/or their life suffers significant disruption because of their symptoms. And there is no spectrum here – you either have ADHD or you don’t. There are just different levels of ability within that diagnosis.
If your work and/or personal life is suffering significant disruption, you should at least consider speaking with a medical professional like Dr. Gurdeep Parhar, who created the Adult ADHD Centre with his wife Anita in reaction to a provincial need for a resource for BC doctors. Check out their website – and don’t rely on an app or a free test!
Dr. Parhar also told me we are better off talking about neurodiversity though and how someone might be neurodivergent as opposed to living with a specific diagnosis. I will adopt that language moving forward.
There are good things that come from this neurodiversity.
When teams are neurodiverse, the better they are at seeing the world or our problems through multiple perspectives, which leads to better decisions.
The more time neurodiverse teams spend together, the more they will realize how much they have in common – which is far more than we differ.
This is sounding more like treating all people with dignity, doesn’t it?
Do you know what else would help?
We can all benefit from understanding our natural instincts and what we need to be at our best.
This would help us make better decisions about the environments we choose to be in – or create the one that works best for us. If you are already in an environment not working for you, then you should test the waters for how receptive your leader is to possible changes that would better enable you to be at your best as a start.
Leaders need to be more curious about what each team member needs to be at their best, particularly when a team member might be struggling or challenging for themselves and others.
We should all be clear on what we need to be at our best. Remember my enchiridion? I want you to have your list of what you need to be at your best so you can have those conversations with your leaders, your family, and your friends.
Hmmm, sounds like we know more about what we need in our lifeboats, right?
Resources:
Kolbe, Kathy. 2012. Conative Connection: Uncovering the Link Between Who You Are and How You Perform.
Image: My screenshot
