Autistic leaders are tired of pretending they’re not autistic.
The desire to not get any attention for being different, so that their progress is not sabotaged by colleagues or even external stakeholders waiting to pick at flaws they may have because they are autistic leaves the world with a majority of autistic leaders who would intentionally choose NOT to be a visible role model for other autistic people.
Seriously, I mean there is a scarcity of autistic individuals in global leadership positions who are challenging the negative assumptions and perceptions around autism just by existing and excelling. It is just easier to mask than put themselves out there as advocates; tackling assumptions that autistic people are not capable of leadership or cannot be natural-born leaders.
Autism is a difference. That is all it is.
Just like neurotypical leaders can be be good or terrible, the same goes for autistic adults who are leaders in any context. What I am trying to say is everyone struggles with leadership, everyone always has a new thing to learn to be better leaders or continue to be good leaders. All leaders have limitations and need support and education till the end of the journey. Why is there special attention on leaders who are on the spectrum when everyone needs continuous development whether they are neurotypical or neurodivergent?
Things like forcing eye contact, forcing chit chat, not always getting when questions are rhetorical; these are small yet important examples of issues autistic leaders have to deal with on the job, so they can keep the job and prove they are capable of success in leadership. This performance. It is exhausting. They want to free themselves of the masking so they can find friends and allies who are friends with the real them.
Although autistic people offer strengths like sustained concentration, superior memory, fast problem solving, strong attention to detail, high integrity and loyalty amongst others, it turns out these qualities are not a good enough case for the average employer to hire autistic individuals and provide proper accommodations to help them succeed at work and at leadership. Employers simply do not want to take risks yet.
One of the foundational issues is that the leadership development programs today are designed and implemented for the non-autistic leader. Or individual. More capable autistic leaders means the system must prepare sustained solutions to educate and guide autistic young adults and teach them to develop leadership skills at their own pace. All over the world. From pre-school. A wholistic leadership development program that accommodates autistic people.
We need to see inclusion of trainings around emotional regulation, taking verbal instructions (where that is really the only possible way) adjusting to unexpected events, self-advocacy (this is a big one), amongst other things. If you are delivering leadership education that does not consider the learning styles and accommodations for neurodivergent people, obviously any assessments will be based on faulty reasoning.
Today, autistic people are more likely to be late to join the corporate game and play it well. They do not put themselves forward for leadership positions early enough in life because it is not a character that is naturally presenting. This means they end up starting to play the game late, and the corporate world punishes them for the lateness. This is not ideal. Not for autistic individuals. Especially not for the corporate world.
Autistic adults should be given the required support so they can feel confident and be properly prepared for leadership opportunities. From when they are children.