We need more neurodivergent leaders
They did amazing work for the people that they served, but they didn't believe in all the leaders that are out there, the neurodivergent people who are killing it in their career, who are already managers, who are already successful entrepreneurs.
Firstly, this blog today is based on a YouTube video I put out. If you would prefer to watch instead of read, you can find the video here:
As you might already know, I’m an ADHDer (possibly AuDHD) and wasn’t diagnosed until I was nearly 30 after an early career that had been full of leadership opportunities, many of which I’d created myself. The late diagnosis after seven years of a career I was really proud of meant that I was recontextualising everything, and looking at leadership in a new light.
I’m part of a wave of adult ADHD diagnoses from the last few years for whom ADHD wasn’t even a consideration growing up. Why would it have been? Growing up, ADHD was the naughty boy syndrome, the kids who disrupted the class because they were far too hyperactive. I wasn’t like that. How could I possibly have ADHD?
Of course that perception of ADHD as I just described it is a wildly inaccurate depiction of what ADHD actually is, but that was the discourse back then. Since then it’s evolved. We now embrace the distracted girl staring out of the window, or the burnt-out over-worker struggling to stay on top of their work and life, or the overwhelmed multipotentialite, struggling to have it all, so to speak.
I’m glad for the expansion in the ways we think and talk about ADHD, I’m glad more people are finding our tribe and getting the help and support they need from it. I’m glad for the solidarity, the education, the push to normalise accommodations needed for ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence. But there’s something that troubles me here.
Because everything I’ve said so far is negative. And that’s because there is a lot to be negative about with ADHD. I’ve done videos about rejection sensitivity, emotional dysregulation and imposter syndrome, all things that those of us with ADHD really struggle with. But there is another side.
I definitely understand why we can get frustrated with our neurodivergence but I believe we can look at it in other ways as well
Because those of us with ADHD think differently in ways that are brilliant. We are amazing at looking at the big picture and finding new and novel solutions. Even though our emotional dysregulation can be difficult, it also means that when we are excited or enthusiastic that energy gets turned up to eleven and people are excited by us. We are able to bring people along in our passion and energy and this makes us natural leaders as people want to come on this journey with us.
I did a whole post just on this topic; reasons why people with ADHD are brilliant, and I’m regularly coming up with more. Because fundamentally I believe those of us who are neurodivergent have so much to offer society but we are constantly being held back by the limiting beliefs of others. And my purpose is to change that.
When I got my diagnosis I actually found it an incredibly freeing and validating experience, so much so that for the first few weeks I told everyone. Friends, colleagues, new people I’d literally just met. It was a big deal and I was excited so I had to share. The reaction often wasn’t what I expected.
A lot of people looked at me with sympathy, like I’d just shared some bad news. Or with confusion because my tone (excited) didn’t match the words I just said, which they associated with being bad. It was a disarming experience, having my good news be met with distinctly opposite energy.
I think I preferred the confused responses to the ones that were outright dismissive and annoyed at the entire concept of ADHD
And this is the crux of the problem that I want to solve. In a world where being neurodivergent is seen as a bad thing, we all lose. We lose out on opportunities because people underestimate us due to our neurodivergence. We lose out on role models because the people walking that journey ahead of us are uncomfortable disclosing. And we lose out on all of the adjustments to the way we all as a collective move through the world that will make the world a better place for us all.
And so I set out to make a difference.
I’ve always believed that one of the ways that we can make a difference is through elevating our collective community. As a woman in STEM I’ve always operated on the assumption that the more women we get into leadership positions, the more we can do to make the journey easier for the women that follow us.
I know it’s not always a direct cause and effect and unfortunately there are people out there who pull the ladder up behind them, but I believe that on average more female leaders in STEM makes the industry a better place for everyone and so I also believe we can do the same for neurodivergence.
What’s interesting to me is how little I see out there around this topic. I definitely see support for neurodivergent employees and I love that we are starting to recognise what fantastic team mates neurodivergent employees are but I’m concerned by how often the conversation stops there. Well done us, we hired one autistic employee. Pat on the back and move on.
I do think it’s important to celebrate these incremental steps and I don’t mean to be dismissive of them, rather highlight that keeping that momentum is important
When I first started out in this role I ended up catching up with a few people who have businesses or programs all around getting more neurodivergent people into the workplace. I fully respect the work that they do as it can be so hard for us to get our first start, especially if we have higher support needs.
But when I mentioned what I was doing they looked at me like they thought it was ridiculous. They did amazing work for the people they served but they didn’t believe that there were also a huge amount of neurodivergent people out there being incredibly successful at their careers who just needed a little more support to advance a level, to move into the C-Suite, to grow their business to the next level.
And that’s part of the problem: You can’t be what you can’t see and we don’t see enough successful neurodivergent people out there. But they are there. They’re all over Youtube, people with huge followings running their business based on Youtube. They’re comedians, they’re entrepreneurs, they’re actors, they’re managers. They are there and they are amazing.
And there are so many benefits to us being there! In a world where we are constantly fed lies and misinformation, autistic honesty and sense of fairness that makes the world a better place are hugely valuable. In a world where complex topics are regularly presented to society, dyslexic thinking enables breaking down of these topics and communication in a way that is accessible to more and more people.
We have more empathy, more understanding of what it’s like to live in a world that isn’t built for us, so it’s important to us to make it better. To learn what it is that needs to change and make it happen. To improve educational outcomes through designing systems that work for more people, to improve accessibility across the board to enable a more equal participation in society.
And this is why I do what I do. Because right now I live in a world where the potential downsides of me getting an autism diagnosis currently outweigh the potential upsides for me so I am not pursuing one. Because I know that some people now see me differently since I started being open and outspoken about my ADHD diagnosis.
Through The Noise Coaching is a company built from a purpose I believe in and I’m passionate about our journey forward.
But I know that my neurodivergent brain is amazing and I know there are so many more of us amazing neurospicies out there doing amazing things. And we don’t need every one of us to become leaders, you absolutely walk your own path. But what we do need is more and more positive representation of our amazing brains out there.
So that’s the purpose of Through The Noise Coaching, to equip neurodivergent leaders and future leaders with the skills that they need to grow their careers, with the faith that they will pay it forward and create opportunities for more of our community.
If this resonates with you and feel you would be interested in talking to an autism-friendly coach, feel free to get in touch. If you’re looking for more blog posts, you can find them here.
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