Dear Reader,
This week is National Inclusion Week, and rather than sharing statistics or business cases, I want to tell you what neuro-inclusion actually feels like when it works. Because until you've experienced true belonging, it's hard to understand what we're really fighting for.
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The Fish and the Tree
One of my favourite sayings is: "Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid." For most of my career, I was that fish, desperately trying to climb trees while wondering why everyone else made it look so effortless.
Finding out I had ADHD at 42 was the key to understanding that I could belong. For years, I'd believed I was "a bit different" but couldn't work out why. I wondered why people didn't think the same way as me, why I reacted differently, why I was sometimes struggling with certain tasks more than those around me.
The undiagnosed ADHD was huge because I knew I felt different but couldn't put my finger on why. I was trying to find excuses and reasons, probably oversharing as I desperately tried to put puzzle pieces together to make me make sense to other people. I was unknowingly hiding my challenges around time management, organisation, and prioritisation - saying yes to everything because my brain chased the new and shiny, then feeling overwhelmed when I couldn't break tasks down or estimate how long things would take.
Finding My Tribe
When I was a part of the Neuro-Diverse Centre of Excellence at EY, something extraordinary happened. I found myself in a team where everybody else was neurodivergent, and I could finally take my mask off. I could be me. I felt less judged. I could embrace my quirkiness and show up vulnerably, knowing that vulnerability wouldn't be misunderstood.
That experience changed everything about how I understand inclusion. I've come to realise that whilst I absolutely need to thrive and play to my strengths, so does everybody. When you have a diverse team, you have to think about accommodating all those differences - the person who likes lengthy emails and the one who wants to talk it through, those who need processing time and those who like bouncing ideas off each other immediately.
True Neuro-inclusion isn't about choosing one approach over another. It's about building a world that works for everybody, not just one person's preferences.
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The Power of Time and Space
One story stays with me from those early days. There was an individual on my team who really struggled with the transition into EY. They'd had some challenging situations previously, and there were times when it felt like we were talking them out of leaving.
Looking back, I don't think they were actually going anywhere. What they needed was time - a safe space where they could process out loud with no repercussions, no judgement, no follow-up on what they were saying. We gave them that time. Time to vent, to tell us what wasn't working, to help us understand what we needed to do differently.
They're still at EY. They're thriving more than they had in other workplaces. It wasn't complex adjustments or expensive accommodations that made the difference - it was time and psychological safety.
What Belonging Actually Looks Like
When you create environments where people can play to their strengths rather than tick every box, something magical happens. It's not about creating cultures where everybody has to look the same - it's about cultures where people feel safe to be themselves.
This isn't that "bring your whole self to work" rhetoric that makes me cringe. What we're talking about is giving people opportunities to shine based on the strengths they have, rather than being measured against a standardised checklist that assumes everyone's brain works the same way.
The corporate world is built on processes we rinse and repeat because "we've always done it that way," without putting humans - especially different humans - at the centre. Real neuro-inclusion recognises that everybody processes information differently, everybody has a brain as unique as a fingerprint, and everybody has preferences. And those preferences shouldn't be performance-managed out of existence.
Why This Matters for Everyone
Here's what I've learned: neuro-inclusion isn't just about neurodivergence. Everyone wants to belong. Everyone wants to feel included. Very few people go into work wanting to do a bad job - that feels pretty rubbish.
When we move away from "everybody needs to fit in every single box" approaches to recruitment, performance management, and daily working, we don't just help neurodivergent people. We help everyone who's been trying to climb trees when they're naturally brilliant swimmers.
Inclusion is about choice. Options. Being able to pick what works for you within the boundaries of what needs to be achieved. The best way to be communicated with, the best way to approach work that focuses on outcomes rather than methods, and the best times to be productive.
The Real Question
As we mark National Inclusion Week, the question isn't whether you have a neurodiversity policy or run awareness training. The question is: are people in your organisation able to take their masks off? Can they be themselves without fear of being misunderstood or performance-managed for being different?
Because until we can create spaces where fish don't have to climb trees, where time and psychological safety are valued as much as efficiency and conformity, where people can play to their strengths rather than hide their challenges, we're not really talking about inclusion at all.
We're just talking about better-worded policies that still expect everyone to fit the same mould.
This National Inclusion Week, these are my reflections on how far we've come and how much further we have to go.
If you're working to create genuine belonging in your organisation - the kind where people can take their masks off and still thrive - I'd love to hear your stories.
Hit reply and share what inclusion looks like in practice in your world.
See you next week!
Tania
Fireside Chat for ADHD Awareness Month?
October is ADHD Awareness Month, and to celebrate everything ADHD, I am offering a special rate on fireside chats throughout October.
ADHD is personal - I was diagnosed at age 42 and therefore, I understand what it is like to navigate the corporate world with ADHD. Not only do I have the lived experience, but I have also hired and managed a neurodivergent team. So I see it from multiple different angles. I also LOVE talking about it!
Feedback from a previous session: “Thought-provoking, insightful, and deeply personal. That single session sparked a movement within our organisation,” - Head of DEI, Oil & Gas
For all fireside chats booked for the month of October, I will be offering a reduced rate of £750 for an hour-long conversation. Please email tania@pgesquared.co.uk and quote "NEWSLETTER" to access this rate.
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FIVE ways you can work with me:
- Neuro-inclusive Recruitment Audit: Understand what practical steps you can take to ensure your recruitment process is inclusive for all.
- Training: From line managers to leaders, global HR teams to recruitment, awareness sessions to champion training.
- Consultancy: Policy writing, process redesign, reviewing neurodiversity materials, data, ERG launches - anything neurodiversity at work related!
- Coaching: One-to-one coaching to help support an individual navigate the world of work as someone who is neurodivergent
- Speaking: From a fireside chat to a keynote, podcast guest to panellist
Reply to this email to find out more!
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