See the full video where I unpack these ideas here
Organizations thrive when every team member can contribute at their highest capacity, yet traditional approaches to management often overlook how neurodiverse individuals experience work.
Supporting neurodiverse team members requires more than inclusion programs or occasional accommodations; it requires intentionality in the way we design communication, structure work, and approach expectations.
After recording a two-part discussion on this topic, three rules emerged that I encourage every leader to embrace.
Rule One: Predictability Enables Focus and Reduces Friction
Neurodiverse individuals thrive when they can anticipate what comes next.
Clear roles, well-defined agendas, and precise definitions of what “done” looks like create an environment where cognitive energy is preserved rather than drained.
Communication does not land the same way for everyone; tone, facial expressions, and contextual cues are processed individually, and piecing them together consumes energy. Unexpected interruptions or surprise “pop-ups” can derail an entire day, not because of lack of skill or effort, but because the mental load required to navigate ambiguity is enormous. Documented processes and explicit expectations create calm, allow focus, and ultimately lead to better work.
Rule Two: Transparency Creates Trust and Reduces Hidden Stress
Openness about decisions, motivations, and processes reduces unnecessary tension.
When rules are unclear or inconsistently applied, neurodiverse team members do not experience neutrality; they perceive risk.
Explaining why a decision is made, where projects stand, and how work will proceed transforms the environment from one of constant decoding to one of engagement. Transparency is not merely a “nice to have,” it removes hidden stressors, allowing team members to direct their energy toward the work itself instead of trying to interpret invisible signals.
Rule Three: Flexibility Unlocks Peak Performance
Energy and focus are not linear for neurodiverse individuals.
Cognitive capacity, social bandwidth, and processing speed fluctuate throughout the day. Forcing someone to perform during moments of low energy can tank not only the quality of the work but the well-being of the person behind it.
The deeper reason flexibility matters is rooted in communication itself.
Neurotypical individuals often process multiple social cues (tone, expression, volume, word choice) automatically, however Neurodiverse people process these cues “bottom-up”, consciously integrating them over time.
Under stress, during task switches, or when forced into rigid schedules, this processing slows further. Flexibility is not a perk; it is essential. Allowing team members to work when they are most alert, skip a meeting with access to the transcript, or adjust their schedule when their nervous system needs it produces far better outcomes. This approach is not special treatment; it is the mechanism through which their best work emerges.
Supporting neurodiverse team members is about rethinking predictability, transparency, and flexibility.
Leaders who embed predictability, transparency, and flexibility into their teams do more than support neurodiverse employees. They create high-functioning teams that deliver exceptional results. Organizations that understand and apply these rules gain a competitive advantage, unlock engagement, and transform performance into a sustainable business outcome.
