ADHD at Work: Leading with Clarity as a VP or Department Head

CJ Pringle
Oct 2
3 min read

Senior leadership roles come with high expectations—but if you have ADHD, they also come with unique challenges. Let’s explore how ADHD shows up in executive positions, and how to lead with clarity, strategy, and support.

October 2025, CJ Pringle, ADHD Coach @ Agave Health

Woman presenting to three people by a whiteboard with colorful graphs. She's gesturing, appears confident. Text on board is partially visible.

How VPs and Department Heads Drive Vision and Execution

As a VP or department head, you’re responsible for:

Aligning team efforts with company strategy
Managing budgets and developing talent
Making high-stakes decisions and building trust
Driving performance while balancing competing demands

Your role bridges big-picture vision and day-to-day execution. And if you have ADHD, the mental load of constant context-switching can take a toll.

How ADHD Shows Up in Executive Leadership

Leadership often suits ADHDers well—there’s autonomy, creativity, and lots of fast-moving pieces. But some ADHD symptoms can quietly undermine your success:

1. Struggling to Prioritize When Everything Feels Urgent

ADHD can make it hard to filter what’s important from what’s just loud
You may bounce between urgent fires and big initiatives without clear direction
Decision fatigue can creep in fast

2. Time Blindness and Overscheduled Calendars

Poor time estimation can lead to overbooking
You may struggle to block off deep work time or find yourself constantly behind

3. Inconsistent Follow-Through

New initiatives start strong but stall when they lose novelty
Repetitive or admin-heavy tasks often fall through the cracks

4. Meeting Overload and Working Memory Gaps

Back-to-back meetings stretch working memory thin
Forgotten follow-ups and miscommunications are common

5. Emotional Reactivity in High-Stakes Situations

ADHD can make it harder to regulate emotions under pressure
You may over-explain, get frustrated, or impulsively respond to feedback

Executive ADHD Strategies: How to Lead Without Burning Out

Here are six powerful, ADHD-friendly strategies to help senior leaders stay effective:

1. Do a Weekly CEO-Style Check-In

Set aside time weekly to review:

Department goals
Team bottlenecks
Calendar alignment
Avoidance patterns

This “zoom out” time prevents you from getting stuck in reactivity mode.

2. Create a Decision Dashboard

Track key decisions and in-progress items in one place (e.g., Notion, OneNote, or a Google Doc) to:

Improve delegation
Boost memory
Stay focused on long-term goals

3. Limit Meetings That Drain You

Ask yourself:

Do I need to be in this meeting?
Can it be an async update instead?

Use buffer blocks to minimize context-switching and reduce decision fatigue.

4. Use Executive Function Anchors

Simple questions can help redirect your attention:

“What’s the most strategic thing I can do today?”
“Is this moving the department forward—or just making noise?”

5. Delegate with Clarity—In Writing

Don’t rely on verbal instructions. Use:

Email recaps
Shared to-do lists
Task tools like ClickUp or Todoist

This reduces miscommunication and protects your mental bandwidth.

6. Build Recovery Into Your Schedule

Create mini-reset moments between high-stakes demands:

Deep breathing
A short walk
Hydration break or calming ritual

This protects emotional regulation and models healthy habits for your team.

How Agave Health Helps ADHD Leaders Thrive

At Agave Health, we understand that ADHD doesn’t stop when you reach the top. Senior leaders with ADHD are often running on caffeine, charisma, and chaos—but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Our ADHD-informed coaching and therapy programs are designed for people just like you.

With support from Agave Health, VPs and department heads can: