Wow, I could take one of two directions on this and although I have a lot to say about the dysfunction of some organizational executives, that’s not what this post is about!
I’m here today to talk about squirrels, I mean Executive Functions. Colleen here. I actually learned about executive functions while in college after being warned that I was going to face academic suspension if I didn’t get my act together.
I did great in school prior to college, so what was the deal?
After the academic counselor talked with me, she met with my professors and determined that I was in fact giving my best effort based on what I knew how to do. I went to every class. I took thorough notes (when I was focused). I even organized study groups for exams. Yet, when it came to meeting the course requirements I failed – literally! I couldn’t keep organized in my head or in my life – academic or otherwise. I struggled to figure out priorities and even found myself having major gaps in my notes and couldn’t stay on track long enough to demonstrate what I was learning.
Remembering where I parked my car in the one of 4 b’zillion parking lots didn’t help. I even had a friend see me wandering around looking for my car while he was looking for a spot to park. He followed me and after 30 minutes or so he pulled up and offered to drive me around until we found my car (the next parking lot over!).
I was a mess, and the messier I got the more I felt like I was losing control. I started thinking I needed to drop out of school. But that academic counselor taught me something invaluable that not only got me on track to graduate and get mostly A’s in my coursework as an undergrad and in my Master’s program, but get me on a career path that I am forever thankful for — incorporating Executive Functions into training programs for various organizations and coaching individuals who are dealing with executive dysfunction.
So what is executive dysfunction? These are the ‘symptoms’ that I hear from clients and see in myself at times when I forgot to focus on being ‘functional’.
If you have ever thought to yourself – “self…
…then you may be experiencing a dysfunction in your Executive Functions. Find out more about the 12 Executive Functions here.
Work with us to tame the squirrels and ease the struggle you face in daily life and work. Our 1:1 coaching and training programs empower individuals and teams to embrace and maintain good practices that support time management, focus, task completion, planning, prioritization, flexibility, emotional control and so much more! Contact us to learn how we can work with you or your teams to build and reinforce Executive Function skills.
