Tips For HR Leaders Seeking To Influence Organizational Change.

Have you ever brought a brilliant idea to leadership, only to hear, "That's not a priority right now," or "We don't have the budget"? It can be frustrating, especially when you know the change is critical for your team or the business. This is a common challenge, but it doesn't have to be the end of the road.

A recent webinar hosted by Christina Martinez de Andino, CEO of CMD Consulting, and Dorian Cunion, an executive coach and consultant at Your Path Coaching and Consulting, offered practical strategies for HR and business leaders to influence change and secure buy-in. Here's a look at the key takeaways from their discussion.

Shift Your Mindset: From HR Leader to Strategic Partner

The first step to influencing change is to change how you are perceived. Traditionally, HR is often seen as a service or operations function—handling payroll and benefits. But to drive meaningful change, you need to be viewed as a strategic business partner.

What does this mean? It means understanding the company's goals and challenges and linking your initiatives directly to business outcomes. It's about speaking the language of operations, finance, and strategy, and bringing practical solutions to the table, not just problems.

A successful example shared in the webinar involved a Fortune 500 bank where a fragmented talent development process was causing frustration for managers and employees. By acting as a strategic partner, a consultant was able to help the HR leadership team:

• Gather data: They conducted research and focus groups to understand the business's specific needs.

• Co-create solutions: Instead of dictating a new process, they collaborated with representatives from various departments to design a unified framework.

• Build momentum: They piloted the new solution in a few business lines to gain early wins and prove the concept before rolling it out company-wide.

The result? A unified, company-wide framework that improved employee trust and confidence, while also increasing HR's credibility.

Become the Expert and Build Your Business Case

To be an effective influencer, you must first be seen as an expert. This means not only mastering your own domain—like knowing HR laws and best practices—but also deeply understanding the business.

Dorian Cunion, drawing on his experience as a business owner and former Retail Executive, highlighted the importance of understanding how profits are generated within your organization. When you can connect your initiatives to profitability and business goals, leaders with P&L responsibility are more likely to listen.

Once you have established your expertise, you can build a compelling business case. This isn't just a proposal; it's a tool to help decision-makers understand the real problem, weigh the risks of inaction, and see a clear path forward. A strong business case should include:

• Executive Summary: A quick, 30-second overview of the problem and why it matters.

• Problem Statement: A clear articulation of what's happening and how it aligns with company goals.

• Options & Recommendations: Presenting viable solutions with pros and cons, along with your recommended path and a rationale for why it's the best choice.

• Cost vs. Impact: A direct comparison of the investment needed versus the risks of doing nothing.

Map Your Stakeholders and Build a Coalition

Even the best business case can fall flat without a strong strategy for gaining support. You need to identify your stakeholders—the key players, decision-makers, and influencers—and understand their motivations.

The speakers shared several tools for this, including a power-interest grid to categorize stakeholders by their level of influence and interest. You can also use "warm, lukewarm, or cold" ratings to gauge their support and tailor your approach.

The goal is to build a coalition of internal champions who will reinforce your message. This can include finding an executive sponsor or a key influencer who trusts you and can advocate for your idea among their peers. Starting with one-on-one conversations over coffee before a big meeting is a simple, effective way to get early feedback and build buy-in.

Use the Right Tools and Resources

Finally, your communication strategy is crucial. Think of influencing change like a marketing campaign. You need to nurture relationships, educate your audience, and then make a compelling case. Consider the following:

• Diverse tools: Use a variety of tools, like presentations, one-pagers, or videos, to appeal to different communication styles.

• Hard facts and data: Support your case with data, research on what peers are doing, and insights from industry publications.

• Leverage other stakeholders: Gather feedback from customers, vendors, or even competitors to build a more robust case.

By adopting these strategies, you can position yourself as a powerful catalyst for change within your organization.

Want to learn more? The full video covers these topics in much greater detail, including practical examples, templates, and Q&A from the live audience. Watch the full webinar on YouTube to dive deeper into how you can become a more effective influencer and strategic partner.

Strategies for Finding Motivation When You Have ADHD

Understanding the ADHD Motivation Engine

Motivation often works differently in the ADHD brain compared to neurotypical brains. Many individuals with ADHD operate with what Dr. William Dodson calls an "interest-based nervous system." This means engagement and focus are primarily driven by genuine interest, novelty, challenge, urgency, or passion rather than by a task's perceived importance, potential long-term benefits, or external pressures from others. Tasks deemed dull or lacking immediate relevance can be incredibly difficult to initiate and sustain focus on, regardless of their objective importance.

There is a significant difference in the ADHD brain's dopamine pathways when compared to neurotypical individuals, which play a crucial role in reward, motivation, and attention regulation. Research suggests that key aspects of the dopamine reward system may be underactive in ADHD brains. Interactivity in the dopamine reward system can lead to difficulty deriving satisfaction from ordinary activities and a stronger craving for stimuli that provide a more significant or immediate dopamine release. This phenomenon sometimes conceptualized as Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS), means that brains with ADHD often require more substantial, immediate, or personally relevant incentives to get and stay motivated, especially for tasks that aren't intrinsically interesting. Stimulation-seeking behaviors can sometimes be understood as the brain's attempt to regulate itself and achieve an optimal level of arousal for optimal functioning.

Why Reward Systems Can Help

Well-designed reward systems can effectively bridge this motivational gap. By providing more immediate, tangible, and personally meaningful positive consequences for completing tasks (especially non-preferred ones), rewards can supply the dopamine boost and salient feedback that the ADHD brain responds well to. They essentially act as a form of behavioral activation, leveraging the brain's unique reward pathways to provide the external "pull" needed to overcome inertia and engage with necessary but less stimulating activities.

Creating an Effective Reward System for Adults

The key to an effective reward system lies in personalization and immediacy. What motivates one person might not motivate another, and delayed rewards quickly lose their impact on the ADHD brain.

1. Identify Target Behaviors/Tasks: Be specific about the task or habit needing reinforcement. Focus on the positive behavior desired (e.g., "Complete expense report by Friday," "Exercise for 30 minutes"). Choose tasks that are consistently difficult to start or complete due to low interest.

2. Choose Personally Meaningful Rewards: The reward must be something genuinely desired and motivating to the individual. Brainstorm possibilities:

3. Experiences: An hour of uninterrupted hobby time, watching a desired movie, a weekend outing, listening to a new album.

4. Tangible Items: A small purchase related to an interest, a favorite snack (use food rewards cautiously and mindfully ), a new book or game.

5. Privileges: Guilt-free relaxation time, extra screen time for a preferred activity, ordering takeout instead of cooking.

6. Sensory Rewards: Lighting a favorite candle, using a luxurious bath bomb, spending time in nature.

7. Self-Care: A massage, a long bath, dedicated time for meditation or journaling.

8. Token System: Earning points or tokens for completed tasks that can be saved up for a larger, desired reward. This approach can be particularly practical for larger goals.

9. Ensure Immediacy: The reward should follow the completion of the target behavior as closely as possible, especially when establishing a new habit or tackling a challenging task. The ADHD brain often exhibits "delay aversion," meaning immediate reinforcement is far more powerful than delayed gratification.

10. Maintain Proportionality: The size or value of the reward should generally align with the amount of effort the task requires. Small rewards for small tasks, larger rewards for bigger accomplishments.

11. Keep it Novel: To combat boredom and maintain motivational power, vary the rewards over time. What was exciting last month might feel stale now.

12. Reward Effort, Not Just Perfection: Especially for challenging tasks where success isn't guaranteed, acknowledge and reward the effort put in. This encourages persistence.

13. Ensure Sustainability: Choose rewards that are feasible to provide consistently without causing undue financial strain or logistical problems.

14. Visualize Progress: Use a habit tracker (from Tip 5), a simple chart, or a token jar to make progress toward the reward visible. This visual feedback can be motivating in its own right.

15. Practice Self-Reinforcement: In addition to external rewards, cultivate the habit of self-praise. Acknowledge effort and celebrate small wins internally.

Potential Pitfalls to Avoid

• Unsustainable Rewards: Choosing rewards that are too expensive or difficult to deliver consistently.

• Unhealthy Rewards: Relying heavily on rewards that undermine well-being (e.g., excessive junk food, skipping sleep).

• Over-Reliance: Using rewards for everything can diminish intrinsic motivation. Reserve them for tasks that genuinely require an external boost. The long-term aim should involve finding ways to connect tasks to personal values or find inherent interest, alongside developing self-management skills.

Reward System Resources:

• ADDitude - ADHD Brain Stimulation, Dopamine, and Reward: https://www.additudemag.com/brain-stimulation-and-adhd-cravings-dependency-and-regulation/

• ADDitude - Secrets of the ADHD Brain (Interest-Based Nervous System): https://www.additudemag.com/secrets-of-the-adhd-brain/

• Joon App Blog - Reward System Tips (Child-focused, but adaptable): https://www.joonapp.io/post/reward-system-for-adhd-child

• CHADD - Considerations for Using Rewards with ADHD: https://chadd.org/for-educators/how-rewards-and-punishment-work-for-children-with-adhd/

• American SPCC - Benefits, Token Systems, Immediacy:

  https://americanspcc.org/unlocking-success-reward-systems-for-children-with-adhd/

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If ADHD is hindering your productivity, working with an executive coach can help you develop the habits, routines, and skills necessary to focus and follow through more consistently. If you are interested in learning more, schedule a discovery call. We can discuss how we can help you better manage your ADHD.

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Maximizing Self-Awareness with Personal Trackers for ADHD Management

The Power of Tracking for Self-Awareness

Keeping track of specific behaviors, symptoms, or productivity metrics can be incredibly insightful for individuals with ADHD. Due to challenges with working memory and sometimes inconsistent self-awareness, it can be difficult to recall patterns or progress over time accurately. Tracking provides objective data, transforming vague feelings ("I feel unfocused lately") into concrete information ("My focus ratings were lower on days I slept poorly").

This increased self-awareness is fundamental for effective ADHD management. Tracking helps identify patterns related to symptoms, triggers, and productivity cycles; offers visible proof of progress, which boosts motivation; and provides valuable data to share with healthcare professionals or coaches. Essentially, personalized tracking serves as a form of meta-cognitive support, helping individuals observe their own functioning and make data-informed adjustments to their strategies.

What Can You Track To Manage Your ADHD Better?

The possibilities are broad and should be tailored to individual goals and challenges:

• Habits: Consistency with daily routines (morning/evening rituals), medication adherence, exercise frequency, water intake, sleep duration, and quality.

• Symptoms: Subjective ratings of focus levels, energy, impulsivity, emotional regulation, or the frequency/intensity of specific ADHD-related challenges throughout the day or week.

• Productivity: Number of tasks completed, Pomodoro sessions finished, time spent on specific projects, and meeting deadlines.

• Mood & Well-being: Daily mood ratings, energy levels, feelings of stress or overwhelm, identifying potential correlations with activities or events.

• Goal Progress: Monitoring steps taken towards specific personal, academic, or professional goals.

Choosing the Right Tracking Method

The "best" tracker is the one that an individual finds easy to use and can maintain consistently. Simplicity often trumps complexity. Options include:

• Dedicated Apps: Numerous apps are designed for tracking habits, tasks, mood, and more. Many offer ADHD-friendly features, such as visual progress charts, reminders, customizable interfaces, and gamification. Examples mentioned in research include

  • Notion templates

  • ClickUp templates

  • Focus To-Do

  • Timelog

  • Harvest

  • RoutineFlow

  • Finch

  • Monday

  • Habitica

• Look for features like clear design, visual organization, flexibility, and built-in reminders. Gamification elements can be particularly helpful for maintaining engagement by tapping into the ADHD brain's need for novelty and immediate feedback.

• Journals/Planners: A simple notebook, a bullet journal, or a planner with dedicated tracking sections can be highly effective and customizable. The physical act of writing can also aid reflection.

• Spreadsheets: Digital spreadsheets (like Google Sheets or Excel) allow for detailed data logging, customization, and potential analysis or charting.

• Whiteboards/Physical Charts: Placing a simple chart or whiteboard in a visible location can serve as a constant reminder and make tracking very straightforward, especially for 1-2 key habits.

Tips for Effective Tracking

• Start Simple: Avoid the temptation to track everything at once. Choose 1-3 key metrics that align with current goals. Overcomplicating the system makes it harder to maintain.

• Make it Easy: Integrate tracking into existing routines (e.g., track sleep upon waking, track tasks at the end of the workday). Choose a method with minimal friction.

• Be Consistent: Aim for daily tracking or tracking at the planned frequency. Set reminders if necessary. Consistency provides the most valuable data.

• Review Regularly: Schedule time (e.g., weekly) to look at the tracked data. What patterns emerge? What correlations are noticeable? Use these observations to adjust strategies.

• Adopt a Non-Judgmental Stance: The purpose of tracking is awareness and learning, not self-criticism. Focus on trends and understanding, rather than striving for perfect scores or streaks. If consistency slips, simply restart without shame.

• Consider Gamification: If using apps, explore those with built-in game-like elements (points, levels, rewards). Alternatively, create a simple personal reward for maintaining tracking consistency for a certain period.

Individuals with ADHD tend to enjoy novelty. You should not be surprised if using one of these tactics works in the short term, but loses its effectiveness over time. That is natural. Use a method as long as it is working, and then switch things up by trying something new. Commit to practicing more self-awareness, rather than over-obsessing about the tool that you use. The goal is to manage your ADHD more effectively, not to become an expert in any specific time-management or tracking tool.

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If ADHD is hindering your productivity, working with an executive coach can help you develop the habits, routines, and skills necessary to focus and follow through more consistently. If you are interested in learning more, schedule a discovery call. We can discuss how we can help you better manage your ADHD.

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