"Andie, I hope this doesn't offend but do you not think that being Neurodivergent (ND) will put you at a disadvantage when it comes to be successful in the workplace?"
" Bob*, do you not think your lack of education puts you at a disadvantage in the workplace?"
*Names has been changed to protect this person
I've been doing some soul-searching and growth this year. I've had to take difficult steps back to remember who I am, reframe my goals, expectations, my career and during a week when I had two separate encounters that briefly brought my mood down, the above interaction ignited this post.
One thing that I have NEVER seen in a negative light is my Neurodivergence in the workplace. Not ever!
No, I wasn't offended before you ask, I was amused.
Sadly, I had to be professional in my response, use my EQ (emotional intelligence) to refrain from being the cutthroat beast that I am - by the way, my EQ is directly tied to my ND.
Flash forward a week later and I'm doing something unrelated to work and I think back to this particular encounter and realise, where I am well educated on Neurodiversity (ND), from personal and external perspectives, there are many who are not and a small handful that don't care.
If this blog, can reach just one ND who questions their place in the workplace or one manager or company that get a better understanding of neurodivergence and the value it brings, then my job is done in this area.
So let's get the conversation flowing.
NEURODIVERGENT TYPES
OCD, ADHD, autism, learning difficulties, dyscalculia, dyslexia, tourette syndrome, mental health and acquired neurodivergence.
This is not an exhaustive list, just the first ones that came to mind for my purpose.
I would put good money on every single human being in the world, having known someone with one of the above or other neurodivergent types.
You may have experience in what can be considered "typical" ND behaviours such as tics, high energy, lack of social skills, high sensory overwhelm, distraction, perceived lack of focus/concentration, abruptness and I believe that these traits are what lead people to erroneously assume that we are not cut out for the workplace or for "normal" neurotypical society.
And therein lies the problem in the world, we tend to look at the obvious, occam's razor if you will and I assure you this is a fallacy.
Strip away what you think you see; remove all bias and ideas you have about the uncomfortable traits that you think most of us have that mean we are assets to any work environment and look deeper.
"we tend to look at the obvious when it comes to Neurodivergence, occam's razor if you will and I assure you this is a fallacy"
Did you know that people with DYSCALCULIA are innovative thinkers with improved verbal skills.
Individuals with DSYLEXIA are naturally very creative and have great visual thinking and would probably succeed in the mechanical field.
AUTISTIC folk, tend to have amazing memory and recall with heightened levels of concentration and sensory awareness.
Similarly, people with MENTAL HEALTH or LEARNING DIFFICULITIES are aware on a sensory level and extremely resilient.
In addition, people with mental health conditions are great when it comes to deep thought.
ADHD or ADD individuals, have an abundance of energy and passion, they are thinkers/dreamers and can display hyper-focus.
Hyper focus being the coveted skill that I see a lot of writers trying to explain, teach how to develop, but with this group, theirs is just there.
People with OCD have great organisation skills, attention to detail and are super attentive.
This is only scratching the service about what individuals like us can do.
Employers, companies, which of the skill sets WOULDN’T benefit your organisation.
Does your organisation not require,
Innovation,
Creativity
Organisation
Forward thinkers
Attentive employees
Hyper focus to get a job done
A degree of empathy
Resilience
I also forgot to mention that we can give you insights in how to appeal to a market you've not quite mastered yet
I can't deny that for myself some of my ND traits, my attention to detail, my empathy, recall, resilience, and different way of thinking do weigh on me from time to time but they are me.
However, I accept that, I am this way for a reason and although, my anxiety winds me up to no end and my need to take a moment to recharge is always an inconvenience in my eyes, I wouldn't change it for the world!
"many of us still feel like we don't belong"
Yes, we as Neurodivergent need more open minds, understanding and sometimes slight adjustments to consistently deliver our skills to the best of our ability but in my opinion to think that our differences are a disadvantage is hogwash and will not serve you well in the long run, you’re missing out.
The only disadvantages to anyone who is different in the workplace, is the people they have to work with, who lack the education and acceptance.
That and the fact that so many of us still feel we don't belong.
My message to my people who are still questioning themselves due to insensitive, wary, or un-embracing, not educated people/companies in the world is this...
... you know what you are capable of, don't ever question it or hide it, let it work for you and go on and wave your funky flag, we've got you!!!
Add comment
Comments
There are so many people who don't seem to be educated on neurodiversity which is a real shame. Neurodiversity is something that can be embraced in a positive way. It's time that people stop framing neurodivergence as being a deficit or a disorder. This is actually the first article I've read that hasn't portrayed neurodiversity as being some kind of disorder. You're a very talented writer. People shouldn't say that neurodivergent people are at a disadvantage when it comes to being successful.