Why Learning is a Must for (Neuro)Inclusive Leadership

Leaders I advise on neurodiversity inclusion and creating welcoming environments for people who are different from them are at times tempted to stick to what they know – the familiar ways to organize work, and the familiar patterns of relating to people. That temptation is understandable. After all, they got where they are using that existing knowledge. They are busy. They are torn between many conflicting pressures and demands.

But let's face it – what got us where we are will not necessarily get us further. Learning is a non-negotiable in the modern world of work, and learning about people is a non-negotiable for inclusive leaders. There is always more to understand about human differences and unique ways in which humans think, feel, and achieve goals.  

Learning is not always easy or comfortable. But in the long run, what is more beneficial for leadership effectiveness than developing mental flexibility and the ability to understand and integrate diverse perspectives?

Facing the familiarity bias

We've all been in situations where a different approach or a contrarian solution to a workplace problem made us feel uneasy. Where a person who did things differently seemed suspect. That unsettling feeling is a natural human reaction to the unknown. It also reflects the familiarity bias – a preference for what we are used to. While understandable, if not controlled, this bias can result in shutting neurodivergent talent out of jobs, promotions, and fulfilling career and life opportunities. The results of neuroexclusion drastically impact lives, as illustrated by the dramatic unemployment rates of highly qualified autistic talent, which are largely due to hiring agents’ biases, and the neurodivergent leadership ceiling.

Discomfort with the unfamiliar is understandable. But it does not justify discrimination.

Discrimination and exclusion can be maladaptive responses to our own discomfort with the different and the unknown. The adaptive answer to the discomfort with the unfamiliar is learning.

Developing a growth mindset

One perspective on learning can be particularly helpful in overcoming misgivings and the discomfort with the unknown: most successful learning, at any age or position, is underlined by a growth mindset. A growth mindset liberates us from the pressure of having ready answers and allows us to embrace the journey of learning and improving. Carol Dweck, the researcher who developed and empirically demonstrated the importance of the learning mindset for persistence and overcoming difficulties, suggests adopting the “not yet” thinking. It can be applied to not knowing how to work with a specific type of technology - yet, or with people from different backgrounds - yet.

The "not yet" thinking can help in developing inclusive leadership. When you feel like sticking with the familiar and hiring or promoting yet another person who is similar to you because you do not know how to work with people who think and see the world differently, add the word “yet.” You may not know how to work with neurodivergent (or disabled, or culturally and otherwise different) people yet.

A growth mindset helps us frame not knowing something as a golden opportunity to learn. Investing time in understanding different types of minds expands our leadership skills while contributing to a more inclusive, talent-rich, and productive work environment. In the context of the 21st century, true leadership celebrates and unlocks diverse human strengths.

Of course, learning can also be tailored to specific leaders’ strengths – from mentorship to microlearning, from reading comprehensive books to topical articles. One approach to learning is essential, however – learning about the unique human characteristics of individuals by directly asking them to share how they work best, and truly listening.

We have a choice of what to do about not knowing something. We can let it be a roadblock to justice and to someone’s inclusion and well-being. Or we can turn it into a starting point for our own growth and for creating a richer and more inclusive world.

Newsletter items.

Accessibility event. Check out the free Exceptional Alliances event focused on accessibility, October 20, 2023, https://lnkd.in/gNbD7tUE . Register for the neurodiversity session I moderate, and other fantastic sessions. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2016940271216/WN_tSRS94icRBGhPSLTaoi9VQ#/registration

Leader Awakened. Last week I made a very popular post that referenced Samreen McGregor's book, Leader Awakened. It seemed to resonate with many of us. Leader Awakened is now a finalist for the Institute of Leadership's Book of the Year award. If you enjoyed the book and would like to support it, you can vote for it here (click on finalists, scroll down to 'Leadership Book of the Year - Author'). The voting closes on 25th October.