What does a school play for neurodivergent children have to teach us about leadership and team performance?

In this personal episode, I share a moment that reminded me exactly why I started this work:

I believe that everyone can do something extraordinary—when you enable them to succeed.

- Why our expectations shape outcomes more than we think.

- How small sensory anchors created safety and enabled brilliance.

- What music, visual cues, and neutral facial expressions teach us about inclusivity.

Whether you lead teams, hire talent, or want to build a culture where people flourish, this one will remind you what’s at the roots of our aspirations.

I'm Lisa, and I take inspiration from neurodivergence-inclusion to help leaders create cognitively inclusive cultures that connect people with different cognitive styles, empowering everyone to contribute their best.

Learn how my services can transform your team: https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/services

#neurodivergence #inclusionmatters #resilience #autistic #autistictalent #neurodivergent #neurodivergentstrength #autisticchild #autisticchildren #inclusiveteams #visualcommunication #teamcalmstrategies #leadership #leadershipsupport #creativity #neurodivergentsupport #neurodivergentkids #hiddenpotential #school #psychologicalsafety #neurodivergenteducation #visualcues

What do autistic pattern recognition, Temple Grandin’s visual thinking, and Israel’s elite intelligence unit have in common?

In this episode of Culture by Neurodesign, Dr Lisa Colledge explores why neurodivergent thinking styles - such as autistic and dyslexic neurotypes - are a natural match for high-performance roles in cybersecurity and intelligence.

From Unit 9900 in the Israeli Defence Forces to the US Federal Workforce pilot, this episode explores how visual cognition, spatial reasoning, and anomaly detection are turning teams including neurodivergent individuals into national security assets.

Drawing on neuroscience from Professor Laurent Mottron, real-world recruitment practices, and Temple Grandin’s vivid personal insights, Lisa also reflects on how leaders can build teams where different neurostyles complement and amplify each other.

Other episodes referred to in this podcast are:

• Episode 15 – Autism, allism, and innovation: a case study with Professor Laurent Mottron. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/autism-allism-and-innovation-a-case-study-with-prof-laurent-mottron

In this episode, Dr Lisa Colledge introduced Professor Mottron and discussed his collaborative approach with autistic researchers, showcasing how combining different thinking styles lead his research lab to innovative outcomes.

• Episode 16 – From constraints to creativity: dyslexia and innovation. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/the-dyslexic-brain-and-a-blueprint-for-resilient-innovative-teams

Relating to GCHQ’s recruitment of dyslexic individuals for signal intelligence and anomaly detection, this episode discusses the enhanced holistic perception and big-picture thinking associated with dyslexics.

• Episode 33 – Autism and Silicon Valley: a case study in neuro-inclusive design. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/autism-and-silicon-valley-a-case-study-in-neuro-inclusive-design

This episode is another example of how a particular function – in this case the technological functions of Silicon Valley – are a natural fit with the skills associated with autistic individuals.

• Episode 34 – Anti-bias brains that excel in logic and rational decision-making. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/anti-bias-brains-that-excel-in-logic-and-rational-decision-making

Dr Lisa Colledge shared several examples of how autistic brains resist the cognitive biases associated with heuristics (cognitive shortcuts), and the importance of this enhanced rationality in decision-making.

Temple Grandin’s chapter describing her visual thinking style is: My Mind is a Web Browser: How People with Autism Think. (1995) Published in Learning and Cognition in Autism, Eric Schopler and Gary B. Mesibov (eds), Plenum Press, New York. Chapter 8, pp.137-156. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232499978_My_Mind_is_a_Web_Browser_How_People_with_Autism_Think

I'm Lisa, and I take inspiration from neurodivergence-inclusion to help leaders create cognitively inclusive cultures that connect people with different cognitive styles, empowering everyone to contribute their best.

Learn how my services can transform your team: https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/services

#neurodivergence #inclusionmatters #talentmanagement #innovation #resilience #decisionmaking #autistic #autistictalent #neurodivergent #neurodivergentstrength #teamgrowth #teamsuccess #neuroinspiredteams #autisticintelligencework #neurodivergentcybersecurity #cybersecurity #templegrandin #Unit9900autism #visualthinkersindefense #visualthinkers #patternrecognition #GCHQdyslexiarecruitment #GCHQ #LaurentMottron #intelligenceroles

Autism hiring programs, like those of SAP and Microsoft, proved that neurodivergent talent can supercharge innovation, retention, and team performance. But what if you’re a team lead, founder, or manager without a big organizational program behind you?

In this episode, D. Lisa Colledge explores why these initiatives, while groundbreaking in their time, aren’t enouigh for today’s teams. Often don’t scale: they rely on formal diagnosis, central coordination, and deep resources, and they leave out many people who could benefit.

You’ll hear how companies like ASML and EY are evolving beyond diagnosis-based models, and how Lisa’s FIT Framework - Fair, Intentional, Team-Minded - gives any team a way to anticipate the different neurostyles you know are present, and build inclusion into daily practice.

If you’re thinking about creating an environment where different thinking styles thrive, but don’t have access to one of these didicated programs, this episode is for you.

The following podcast episodes are referred to:

• The perfect match between the skills that autistic talent tends to have and the needs of technology - Episode 33: Autism and Silicon Valley: a case study in neuro-inclusive design. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/autism-and-silicon-valley-a-case-study-in-neuro-inclusive-design

• The risks associated with building a team on one star performer – episode 31: The hidden cost of rock stars—and what great leaders do instead. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/the-hidden-cost-of-rock-starsand-what-great-leaders-do-instead

• How the skills associated with different neurostyles align along the stages of the innovation cycle, from ideation to execution - episode 14: Innovation through the lens of the six working geniuses. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/innovation-through-the-lens-of-the-six-working-geniuses And this article is mentioned - Stop waiting for a diagnosis: neuro-inclusive design beats tradition so you can outpace, outperform and outlast your competition. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/inside-view/stop-waiting-for-a-diagnosis-neuro-inclusive-design-beats-tradition

I'm Lisa, and I take inspiration from neurodivergence-inclusion to help leaders create cognitively inclusive cultures that connect people with different cognitive styles, empowering everyone to contribute their best.

Learn how my services can transform your team: https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/services

#neurodivergence #inclusión #inclusionmatters #talentmanagement #innovation #resilience #decisionmaking #autistic #autistictalent #autism #techhiring #asml #FITframework #EYCentersofExcellence #Inclusionwithoutdiagnosis #Autismhiringprograms #Microsoftautism #Dandelionprogram #teamculture #Cognitiveinclusion #inclusiveleadership #psychologicalsafety #techteams #techindustry