Hi Caitlin:

How frustrating to work as hard as you possibly can and yet still feel underappreciated and undervalued by a boss who only sees the mistakes. You should be very proud of yourself for taking on such an enormous amount of responsibility in a field that requires such attention to detail -- not easy for anyone, much less someone with ADD. That's not to say you can't or won't excel as a paralegal (it sounds like you already are)...

I would definitely say you should research the pros and cons of revealing your ADD before saying anything. According to a great ADDitude article on the subject (http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/931.html), you are entitled to accommodations at work (an assistant, extra time, more resources) IF your doctor verifies that your ADD disables you - makes it difficult or impossible for you to do your job correctly - AND your company has more than 15 employees. If you meet both criteria, you should fall under the American with Disabilities Act protections, which could make all the difference...

Here are some other articles that might help...

What You Need to Know About the Americans with Disabilities Act: http://www.additudemag.com/adhd-web/article/674.html

ADHD at Work: Job Success with Adult ADD: http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/862.html

Ask the Expert: ADA: http://www.additudemag.com/q&a/ask_the_add_medical_expert/1311.html

I hope this helps!

Quote

Caitlin,

Your post brought tears to my eyes. I'm in my mid-fifties and only recently learned that I have ADD. I've been struggling with bosses like yours all of my adult life. I know many, many, many of us have.

Actually, I've been a consultant doing leadership and interpersonal skills training all of my adult life, so when I refer to bosses I'm actually thinking of the client people who hire me. I've always been highly successful at standing up in front of groups of people (it brings out all the the strengths ADDers tend to have, and it's always active and interesting!) but I've always felt like a bull in a china shop with the clients who hire consultants like me; always ten minutes late, mistakes in my invoices, having to call back to reschedule things because of calendar disorganization, etc, etc, etc. One client person fired me even though I was training executives (at a much higher level than hers) who loved me-- just because she was so rattled by my seeming lack of concern over the details of the process. I was devastated, to say nothing of the fact that I lost thousands of dollars of income.

But the biggest reason I'm responding to you is how deeply sad I feel for all of us who have spent so much of our lives feeling not good enough, and being perceived by others as not good enough. As far as I'm concerned, having ADD makes us "less than" no more than does being shy, left-handed, bad at math, whatever. It just so happens that most work places, and the tasks within them, are structured such that the things we can't do well are expected as "normal" behaviors.

I can't count how many workplaces I've been in consider attention to detail a sign of professionalism. But when you stand back and look at it objectively, that's completely senseless! It'd almost be like saying right-handedness is a sign of professionalism!

On the other hand, I've worked with paralegals, and lawyers, and I know that happens to be a world in which detail matters a lot... So it seems you're 90% great at a job that requires attention to detail that'll never come naturally to you. The way you feel about your job performance, and your boss' perception of you, are situational. They are NOT a function of how smart and talented you are, or how dedicated you are.

But I'd be VERY careful about telling your lawyer boss that you have ADD. Rather, I'd start looking for on-the-job resources to help you with details in the future. Are there co-workers or subordinates who could proof-read your work in exchange for something you could regularly do for them? Or are there other ways you can get back-up for your areas of difficulty?

Also, think of this: Is your boss good at every aspect of his job? Aren't there specific aspects of his job that he has others do for him because he doesn't do them well? NONE of us is 100% good at our jobs. So, in regard to that, I think you should sit down with your boss for an informal evaluation of your performance in which you outline your strengths and your areas of development. Make sure he knows--and he knows that you know--what you're great at. And when you talk about your areas of development, talk in terms of finding ways around them. Don't be ashamed of them, be matter-of-fact. But also be realistic about the importance of getting everything done well so there'll never be a doubt in his mind about how much you care.

ALL the best to you-- Try to put this into perspective and not let it get you down so much!!

--Bonnie.

Quote

Bonnie said it all. You have to stand up for yourself; and let him know how invaluable you really are. He is the lawyer and you are the paralegal. If you are to think as a lawyer then tell to pay you as if you were the lawyer.

Quote

Hi caitlin448 I'm new to this forum but wanted to respond because I could so relate to your msg. I have spent so many years making mistakes on minor details at work that I seem to have become hyperfocused on every detail of my job just to make sure it's right. My boss can't stand that I pay so much attention to detail and always put me down for it. I look at it as tenacity, she looks at it as me wasting time. I'm in outside salesand even though it's very hard to stay organized I think I'm very good at my job and taking care of my customers. Sometimes though, being scattered (losing things) , speaking before thinking, procrastination, low frustration level and trouble following the "chain of command" due to that frustration seem to cause me a lot of problems with my sales manager. I decided to tell her about my ADD diagnosis recently and it seems to have helped her to understand the way I do things. I can see her trying to understand and be more patient with me. I know that's not the answer for every one in their job situation, but it seems to have helped mine. This site has so much info on Work issues with ADD, and I'm so glad I found it today. Good luck! :-)

Quote