Neurodivergence in the C-Suite: Ten Unique Perspectives

Compiled by Nova Chief of Staff

We asked our Nova Chief of Staff community to come forward about their neurodivergence and answer a handful of questions about their unique personal experiences with neurodiversity in the C-suite environment. We set out to learn what makes each person more effective at work due to their neurodiversity, how neurodivergence can show up at work, how their C-suite leader works with them and their neurodivergence (if at all), the hardest and best things about being neurodivergent, openness and masking, and finally, if they have a place to talk about their neurodivergence. Read below for answers to each question from our anonymous participants.

What makes you more effective at your job due to your neurodivergence?

"So many things. I can tackle multiple high-priority tasks at once, the more stressful the situation the calmer I get (I don’t react emotionally to things other people do, so I am great in a crisis), I can hyperfocus, I have an insane capacity for work, I can see patterns before others, so it helps me to 'see round corners' and solve problems before they arise, I can read micro-expressions in a room better than others so can often interpret the 'vibes' better than others, I can split my focus on multiple things and 'switch hats' quickly, to pivot between tasks."

"I'm hyper-attentive to details. Things that easily get missed by others tend to get caught by me, and that has helped the leaders I've supported more times than I can count. I would also say I have an immensely strong sense of duty; if someone is relying on me I do whatever it takes to get the job done."

"It makes me catch small details quickly, but sensitive to executives' energy/mood swings. This is good for moderating how much I should push my executive to achieve within a day/week and when to give him space & grace."

"I absolutely do not think in silos like other people seem to, which means I have an ability to wear many hats and execute similarly between functions. This enables me to juggle many balls as a Chief of Staff but also lead a wide variety of consulting projects. I do think I could pivot between just about any job unless it required some highly technical knowledge I haven't studied yet. My brain is always moving, and I pick up new and complex information quickly. I am not right-brained or left-brained; I'm 'full-brained,' as part of my ND is being classified as a genius. This means I get tons of creative and visionary sparks throughout the day, but can translate that to tactics. When we have client or executive asks, I'm great at thinking through 'what do they ACTUALLY want and is what they're asking going to accomplish that goal'? I also have bouts of hyper-focus where I can become obsessed with an issue or project and get into a flow to produce really great outcomes."

"I think I am effective in my role due to my neurodivergence because of my ability to connect with people conversationally. I also think my ability to multitask is critical to the chief of staff role and I constantly have multiple plates spinning. (In a responsibly strategic way) There’s also a sense of perseverance in me that I think is unique to my ADHD. It doesn’t let me dwell on the negatives too long and focus on the positives."

"I can pivot easily. It’s the nature of my brain so when work is constantly changing I generally don’t notice and simply go with the flow."

"When it strikes, hyperfocus. I’m used to missing things, so I overcompensate and notice ALL the things. I can get confused without clear directions, so I’ve gotten really good at being a very clear communicator. When planning meetings, I think about different needs, such as people who may need to get up and move more. (This also comes from having been a teacher for five years and being married to an amputee.) I’m tremendously calm and solution-oriented in a problem situation."

How does your particular neurodivergence show up at work?

"Sometimes I can be too efficient – if my leader changes their mind shortly after giving me an instruction it is sometimes too late as I have already started/done the task... I also have a tendency to get overexcited and interrupt sometimes – which I am actively working on improving. I also prefer WFH as large busy open plan offices drain me. They are overstimulating, distracting, and exhausting. I like the interaction occasionally but prefer to predominantly be remote wherever possible -- and I am much more efficient and get a lot more done when I am left alone."

"I can be a bit awkward to socialize with, as sometimes I’m not very good at carrying on a conversation, but I’m a great listener."

"Now I am terrified to 'be too neurodivergent' in my current role. When those traits do peek through in an audience I have a lot of paranoia about how I came across, what do other people think, etc. It wears me down a lot to the point I want to move roles again to try to start fresh and start from scratch so I can try to keep it hidden. But with those neurodivergences, I am also an introvert and have been told (by a leader in the EA community) that maybe as an EA, I should reevaluate myself in this role."

"Beyond what has been mentioned, I think I have different behaviors than a lot of people, and some are more helpful than others, or it might depend on the context. I work during the day but struggle with set working hours; I prefer a flexible schedule and to pivot between the personal and professional throughout the week as it's all the same to me. I ask a lot of clarifying questions because I really want to understand what is being asked of me and perform well. I have to get ideas out of my brain immediately or I'll forget, so I do a lot of Slacking. Nothing really annoys me more than doing tasks I don't see value in, so it's hard for me to conform to certain processes or asks, depending on the situation. I also have ADHD, so as easy as it is for me to learn new things, my working memory is awful. I have to constantly be reminding myself of what I need to do. I have to constantly be regrouping and starting over from the beginning thought-wise. People seem to expect me to remember one nugget of information from a call a week ago and things of that nature... Until the information is important, I often filter it out or just don't remember it. It can also make me look disorganized sometimes. I say that with caution as I know that compared to the general population I am pretty organized and on top of things, but I don't like to spend a lot of time organizing, and sometimes it can be really difficult for me because I see things more integrated and most of the population does not see things the way I do. As I get older I'm picking up that the world looks completely different to me than to other people who see lines of demarcation where I physically cannot separate ideas because they are so integrated to me."

"My ADHD shows up at work with my energy, most of the time (with practice and treatment) it stays focused. It can at times get going in all sorts of directions. I also have this ability to connect with my coworkers in a way that is second nature to me."

"I am sporadic. Sometimes in a super hyperfocus and a bit annoyed but also super productive or I am unable to focus and end up having a lot of meetings to game plan when I am next in a 'hyperfocus'. Also, my moods can seem to be unstable. When I am up I am really on a higher go and when I am down everyone notices and feels that there is something wrong with me."

"If I’m not engaged and/or challenged by my work, my motivation and focus drop dramatically. If I get a particular 'bug' in my system about doing a certain task/project, I have tremendous difficulty making myself do it. I’ve had to ask my manager to check in on me with certain things because otherwise, I won’t have the urgency my ADHD brain needs to get sh*t done."

How does your C-suite leader work with your neurodivergence?

"Historically they have ALL been awful. I finally found one COO who, in response to my disclosure, went out and researched how HE could be a better manager to ME, and how he needed to change his style to make my life easier – I could talk about him and the things he did for me for hours. It was life-changing. We are still in touch now. The rest have talked the talk, then used the very manifestations of my neurodiversity against me. I have been fired for insubordination because someone asked my opinion and I was too truthful in my response, I’ve been reprimanded for being disrespectful because I am quite direct, and their fragile male egos didn’t like it, I’ve been told to 'stop taking things so personally' despite me explaining that I also have RSD, I’ve been told that I should have 'got over it by now' when I complained about being treated poorly… The list goes on."

"Recent leaders were unaware of my neurodivergence, due to a bad experience with disclosing my neurodivergence to a previous leader."

"I think my leader fully understands and naturally has created a business and culture that makes it easy to be myself. It helps I was the first hire. She does not micromanage time or projects, listens to my ideas, and has a collaborative working style."

"I honestly haven’t considered how my C-suite leader interacts with my ADHD. I think they are aware of it, but since I do my job and tackle things in a timely manner, it hasn’t been something that has been addressed."

"My most recent boss didn’t in the slightest. It became very toxic, and I ultimately had to leave the job after falling into a very deep depression. The boss before that was really encouraging and understanding. He gave me a lot of freedom and trust so I produced work when I was able and it was very high quality. He allowed me to have on days and off days. He always trusted that I would deliver my work on time and well done if not exceeding expectations. This autonomy allowed me to flourish. Which set me up for the career jump to the most recent boss with whom I had a toxic relationship."

"I have always had bosses who were very okay with my working style and were adaptable to what I wanted to do. However, in my last job, I had a very square boss. I had not until this time realized how different I was. I know I have a mild case of ADHD but never thought it was affecting my job. The other bosses were okay with just letting me do what I wanted as long as they got results which I do deliver. My last boss was always annoyed by how I kept adding tasks to my already unfinished tasks. I never missed a deadline but his micromanaging was really depressing me. It caused so much friction."

"I’m not certain he knows I have ADHD. My manager knows though, and she’s the Senior Director of Finance. I’m currently looking for another job, and I would love to support an executive who knows I have ADHD but doesn’t look at me differently because of it. I want my ADHD to be understood as part of me but not my defining characteristic or a reason to underestimate me."

What's the hardest thing for you about being neurodivergent at work?

"The fact that I don’t do 'fluffy' stuff. My default setting is black and white, so this can often be misconstrued as being too direct (usually by men). I have been criticized for being 'too openly ambitious,' I have been 'reprimanded' for being too direct to a male colleague, and as a result, it impacted my PDR, which in turn cost me a promotion and a pay rise (despite my manager knowing all about my neurodivergence, and the fact that a textbook manifestation of it is directness)… when that particular man is renowned for being direct to the point of rudeness himself. Seems it is only acceptable when men do it, when women do it, it is disrespectful and rude."

"I would say that being neurodivergent has led to me feeling like an imposter since I am masking a majority of the time."

"In the past, it was conforming to having to update tedious plans and do menial tasks I didn't see value in, but that's not so much a problem anymore. Now, I think it's working with external stakeholders that don't give me time to think. I don't understand how other people can immediately react on calls to what is being said, for example. I need time to process information and think before I speak, and sometimes I speak really slowly or feel like I'm expected to have a perfect response to every question. In my mind, there are a million possible answers and I'm synthesizing a lot of information to get to the right answer when someone asks me a question, even if it's something I know. So that means if a lot of people are competing for airspace, a lot of the time I don't get a word in even if I have particularly important insights to bring to the table. It also means I feel insecure interacting with clients like they expect me to rapidly answer questions. It gets even harder working remote because I'm isolated and not actively in conversation with people throughout the day. Communication is naturally very difficult for geniuses because it is hard to communicate with people outside of 20 points above or below your IQ. While IQ isn't a perfect metric, it still does measure your processing power so to speak. I also am in the 99th percentile on EQ. When the vast majority of the population is, by definition, at least 20 points below your IQ/EQ, it is really hard to communicate your ideas and it takes so much thought to do the translation in your head before you speak. A lot of people think you're incompetent or will misinterpret you, so it makes you really not want to speak up at all sometimes even when you know you're right. Even writing this I feel really scared to be judged and misinterpreted as if I think I'm better than other people or something like that. I don't... at the same time these are real issues I deal with on a second-to-second basis... I know the right answer and simply cannot get the other person to see it."

"It’s a feeling of not feeling like I am whole. That anytime I make a mistake or drop the ball then I feel like I have to work double as hard to make up for it."

"Being micromanaged and being questioned on my methods of doing work. This stresses me out and then I make silly rookie mistakes or simply get too overwhelmed to complete tasks. When my differences are pointed out and not accepted it makes me insecure rendering me useless."

"I’m scared that people don’t understand that ADHD doesn’t mean I’m professionally incompetent. I think people are kind of familiar with the idea of ADHD maybe affecting school performance, but I doubt many of them understand how it shows up (1) in adults (especially women) or (2) in professional situations. I also just feel a little different. I feel like I worry about things that the average person doesn’t, or that I’m interested in things that other people aren’t, or that I’m just kind of 'off-beat' compared to the mainstream. For example, when we have our annual holiday Board meeting and dinner, I always feel so awkward making table conversation or having to venture out to the pre-meeting socializing time. The Board is very nice, and they appreciate my work. But I just feel like all the things I want to discuss are weird and not 'normal' things to talk about. It’s hard to know that – when I’m actually comfortable."

Are you open about your neurodivergence in your workplace?

"I am now, yes. I tried hiding it and it didn’t do me any favors, so recently I have been more open about it… results have been 50:50."

"Absolutely not. I’ve had a bad experience when disclosing; so I prefer to keep it to myself now."

"In a previous life, I was extremely open with my neurodivergent traits. My leaders were accepting and gave me space to be me. Only at my previous role have I fought to hide it as I was constantly called out for needing to 'change my face' because when I am taking in information and processing it is deep in thought and I was told I look angry or that I am pouting. It was commented numerous times 'I don’t know how you do your job with your issues'. The harassment went to HR it got so bad (there was a lot more). The org did separate from this person (likely for reasons not related to me) but when the org did large scale restructure, I was the only person in my role who was cut."

"I have been in the past. I could be now. I don't really have a reason to bring it up right now. I have mentioned things that give me anxiety, needing flexible working hours, or feeling brain-dead due to stressful life events. I've never particularly hidden it."

"I think I am open about it, but I don’t know if it’s something people take into consideration."

"Yes. It helps most people to understand that I process and work different than others. Only with my most recent employer was it ever an issue."

What moments at work do you mask your neurodivergence?

"Most of the time, to be honest."

"All the time, as much as I can. I don’t wish to be judged and thought to be incapable of my job; I know I’m very much capable of my responsibilities!"

"It is a constant struggle. I think masking is about fitting into social norms and being part of the group, so I'm always doing it to an extent. I've unmasked on a lot of elements in general."

"I attempt to mask it when it comes to running a project or leading a team. I feel as if people hear that I have ADHD then they might feel I’m not able to devote the proper attention a project needs or that I may make an impulsive decision. Which isn’t necessarily true but is how I may feel at times."

"When hosting important guests or when I am giving presentations. Otherwise, I tend to just be my quirky weird self."

"During small talk. Just. UGH. I don’t hate small talk with people I’m close to because they’re already interesting to me on a deep level. But when I have to do small talk, I feel like I inevitably end up talking just a little too much or sharing something that’s just ever so slightly awkward or (seemingly) unrelated. It’s like, I only have so much energy to fake it, and then my act falls apart."

"Yes and no. I have no problem talking about it when the topic arises, but there are certain people around whom I’m reluctant to speak. If I feel like they don’t already have the capacity for empathy, for uncertainty, for true listening, then I generally don’t want to share and be vulnerable. My ADHD is connected to some of my quirkiest quirks, and I already have some difficulty trusting people enough to make authentic connections."

Do you have a place to talk about your neurodivergence?

"NO."

"My immediate family and life partner. And when I had a therapist, her too!"

"I have a therapist. I've discussed being gifted with my boss and some neurodivergent quirks. I am a member of Mensa but don't really leverage that network. I had an ADHD coach for a while. So, I think there are places to have those discussions if needed, but I don't have a regular 'neurodivergent in the workplace' forum. I don't think we need one in my particular workplace because a lot of us are neurodivergent to an extent so accommodations and support are baked into the culture."

"With friends and family. Since I am currently trying to find a new job, I don’t have a place outside my personal life."

"Yes. I have a wonderful partner, neurodivergent friends and family, and a counselor. I’ve also found some groups on Facebook and Reddit that are specifically for neurodivergent people, and that’s been lovely. I recently stumbled across a Reddit post asking if any EAs in the EA group had ADHD. But it feels kind of scary to go public about it in a professional setting because so many of the things that ADHD makes you bad at...are the very skills that are critical to the EA role. I’ve wondered if recruiters/hiring managers have ever checked out my profile and been turned off when they saw me mention my 'neuro-spiciness' in a post. (I know that, objectively, I don’t want to work for people who would dismiss a candidate purely on the grounds of neurodivergence, but that fear persists.)"

"Honestly, I would love to be a part of a Chief of Staff cohort that talks about ADHD and being neurodivergent."

Thank you for reading, and please stay tuned for an upcoming Nova Chat where we dive into Neurodivergence in the C-Suite.