You know I’m proudly neurodivergent. Divergent seems to be the wrong word, because it demonizes the difference. Divergent sounds stiffly contrarian, and while I am, the connotation isn’t fair for everyone. We’ll call it neurodiversity then. A good portion of even why we consider various forms of neurodivergence to be disabilities is because they are no longer adaptive to life.
Dyslexia is a great example. It’s likely you think of it as a reading disability. Dyslexic people are great at pattern recognition, spatial thinking, and visual processing. Sure, it jumbles letters up on a page a little, but that has only been a problem since the invention of the printing press, and for most workers, only since factories started requiring minimal reading skills of workers for safety reasons. That’s thousands of years of civilization, let alone pre-civilized times, when they simply would have been good hunters, not “bad readers.”
Think of neurodiversity like different operating systems – some people run on Windows, others on Mac, and some on Linux. All the money is in PC/Apple, which is the equivalent of society. Linux works great, is more secure, adaptable and can multitask well. Yet it is unlikely you personally chose the divergent one of the mix, because you might have to learn how to adapt to it and no one ever sold you on the advantages.
That is exactly why employers often frown upon neurodiverse hires.
This includes folks with:
- ADHD (think: turbo-charged brain with amazing multitasking powers, studies have found they may think twice as fast as people running different mental operating systems)
- Autism (imagine: next-level pattern recognition and attention to detail, while thinking 40% faster than average who may be socially awkward)
- Dyslexia (picture: master solvers of 3D puzzles who may take longer to read)
Different isn’t wrong
You might know someone who can also find a missing object, or Waldo in a picture. Maybe they watch a few minutes of a mystery and resolve the show. They’re great at pattern recognition, which could be any of these. It also means they spot bugs in code faster than anyone else, see potential flow problems in a process, find connections in data that others miss and notice system problems before they become major issues. (But they’re so weird at lunch, right, always talking about some hyperfocus or game.)
Of course, not every gamer is ND (neurodiverse). But ND gamers are likely to be really good at their game(s) because the rules are fair and stable, even though they may memorize and push on the rules in new and usual ways. Of course, this is terrible for your business if you are frustrated by wild solutions which actually work, “lazy” shortcuts which save everyone time and money, and new uses for technology already in place.
It doesn’t take much to realize the old Apple “Think Different” can be really good in controlled doses. Since normal isn’t their normal, they are natural change agents. They see what is and what can be, sometimes ignoring the old conventions.
In the upcoming world of AI and robots, work is changing. Figuring out how to make it work will often fall on ND people. The person who understands the training data sets, also humanist philosophy, and the application of psychology to robotics is likely a person with ADHD, because they often are Masters of Many Trades, while the person who digs deep into the code for hours is possibly on the autism spectrum.
You may have seen a study recently which said the 54% of American adults read at or below the level of an 11-year-old. One reason for that is the changes in our technology. Most of us would agree that a Youtube video on how to repair our toilet is better than written directions. We are simply more likely to be successful with the video. AI, big data, and robotics are changing the way we work, and we will need the ND minds to help us transition. How will these machines work with us in a safe, ethical, responsible way, and also will we be able to make them work together at all? We need a team of science fair winners, and chances are, they think differently.
I’ve been focusing on tech, but to be fair, ND folks will excel at design or marketing (creativity) management (big picture thinking) quality (keen eye) research and more.
But…
You’re right, it isn’t legal to interview for disabilities, even when Jason says they are advantageous. Jason doesn’t override employment law. Instead of asking about diagnoses (which isn’t cool by the way), try these conversation starters:
- “Tell me about a time you solved a problem in an unusual way”
- “What’s your ideal work environment like?”
- “How do you prefer to organize information?”
- “What’s your approach to learning new things?”
- “Tell me about a project where you noticed details others missed”
Just as difficult, knowing the person may be ND doesn’t give you an opening to ask. It just means you may have more coaching with them for them to interview as well as their neurotypical peers, despite being a better solution for the client.
The Bottom Line
You’ll learn a little about how their mind works, and if you see an ND person, you have two challenges. They will need interview coaching and your client might need to be sold on the advantages of hiring someone whose operating system seems a little… off. Bonus, their answer to #2 above will help your client create a good work environment for them.
Stop working in a silo! Get the support you need from expert coaches and a group of high performing peers. Learn more below.
Tricia Tamkin, headhunter, advisor, coach, and gladiator. Tricia has spoken at over 50 recruiting events, been quoted in multiple national publications, and her name is often dropped in groups as the solution to any recruiters’ challenges. She brings over 30 years of deep recruiting experience and offers counsel in a way which is perspective changing and entertaining.
