Are you a leader with a unique way of thinking? Maybe you have ADHD, dyslexia, autism, or other neurodiverse traits that help you see the bigger picture but also challenge your focus. If so, this video is for you!
In this video, I introduce P.A.D.—a simple yet powerful technique to help neurodiverse leaders take control of their focus and decision-making. P.A.D. stands for:
✅ Pause – Take a moment, breathe, and reset.
✅ Assess – Is this the best use of your time and energy?
✅ Decide – Consciously choose where to direct your focus.
By implementing this method, you can reduce overthinking, avoid distractions, and make high-impact decisions that drive results. Many top executives use this approach to enhance productivity and balance in their leadership.
Transcription:
Hello! Are you a leader of a company, an organization, or something along those lines? And are you a leader who’s possibly got some different thinking—maybe a little bit of neurodiversity going on?
Awesome! I’m so glad you’re in that role. I promise you, your neurodiversity is part of the reason you’re in that role—because you have the skill and ability to multitask, to focus people, to see bigger pictures, and to bring some of that in.
I also have a feeling that, at times, you can get distracted with focus and maybe become super focused on something that might not be the greatest priority or might have emotionally triggered you—something along those lines. When that happens, that’s when our neurology can be borrowed and stolen from us and used against us a little bit. We start to overthink and hyperfocus on things that may not serve us.
But there’s a way—a simple way—that I teach clients to work around that. It’s got an acronym: PAD (P-A-D). Simple and easy to remember. You need to “PAD” your thoughts. Think about it like adding a little bit of padding between yourself and your reactions.
PAD stands for:
• Pause
• Assess
• Decide
It’s all about giving yourself microseconds to actually choose what you’re focusing on. Should you be giving it that much focus? Is that the best and highest use of your time and energy?
So: Pause—take a moment, stretch, walk, take a breath. I teach a wide variety of ways to just pause.
Then, Assess—ask yourself: Is this what I should be working on? Is this where I need to spend my time?
Finally, Decide—consciously choose where to direct your focus.
Honestly, at this point, most of my clients implement this so quickly that they hardly notice or think about it. Once we get their neurology engaged in it, it actually starts to create new neural pathways. It’s quite impressive how effective this can be.
PAD: Pause, Assess, Decide.
I know that, typically, my neurodiverse clients don’t have a problem taking action—it’s taking action in the right direction that gets the results they’re looking for.
That’s why I emphasize learning your focus style. It’s something I’m always figuring out—what’s your focus style, its connection to anxiety and stress, and how the PAD process changes the way ADHD, dyslexia, and autism are used by top leaders in their lives. This method can add immense balance to situations when you’re able to implement it.
I’m JoyGenea, an International Neurodiversity Coach. If you want to learn more and discover additional tips, tricks, and real tools that executives and top leaders use, please schedule a call with me, and we’ll explore that further.
Bye for now!