Autistic People Belong at the Leadership Table

When we talk about leadership, I think we still have a pretty narrow idea of what a leader is supposed to look like.

Charismatic. Polished. Diplomatic. Good at networking. Comfortable working a room. Someone who knows what to say, when to say it and how to say it without making anyone too uncomfortable.

Those things can certainly be useful.

But are they leadership?

Or are they just qualities we've become accustomed to rewarding?

Because I think we seriously underestimate autistic people as leaders.

I'm talking about leadership in workplaces, businesses, organizations, community groups, advocacy, boards, systems, government and politics.

Autistic people are often misunderstood before we're ever given the opportunity to lead.

We can be blunt.

We don't always sugar coat things.

Sometimes we say exactly what we mean and expect other people to do the same.

We ask questions.

We notice inconsistencies.

We can become incredibly focused on something that matters to us.

And many of us have a very strong reaction when something doesn't seem fair or when the rules being applied to one person suddenly aren't being applied to somebody else.

None of those things automatically make someone a good leader. Autistic people aren't all the same, and I'm certainly not suggesting every autistic person should be running an organization or standing for political office.

But I do think some of the very characteristics autistic people are criticized for can become strengths in leadership.

The problem is how they're interpreted.

Blunt honesty becomes "rude."

Direct communication becomes "confrontational."

Asking why becomes "challenging authority."

Pointing out inconsistencies becomes "being difficult."

Refusing to participate in office politics becomes "not being a team player."

Standing firmly on principle becomes "inflexible."

And sometimes simply communicating differently gets interpreted as having an attitude.

I've experienced enough of that in my own life to know how quickly somebody can be characterized based on how they communicate rather than what they're actually saying.

That's where I think organizations need to do some serious thinking.

Because sometimes the person making everyone uncomfortable is identifying a problem that actually needs to be addressed.

Sometimes the person asking why a system operates the way it does is asking exactly the question leadership should be asking.

Sometimes the person who refuses to tell you what you want to hear is the person you should be listening to.

There is another part of autism that I don't think gets talked about enough when we discuss leadership.

Loyalty.

Autistic people can be fiercely loyal.

When we believe in someone, something, an organization, a community or a cause, that commitment can run incredibly deep.

And when something matters to us, many of us don't just casually learn about it.

We go down the rabbit hole.

We research.

We ask questions.

We pull things apart.

We want to understand how the whole thing works.

Then we start noticing where it doesn't work.

That ability to recognize patterns, identify inconsistencies and look at systems differently can be enormously valuable in leadership.

Especially right now.

Look at the problems we're trying to solve in our communities.

Housing.

Addiction and recovery.

Homelessness.

Health care.

Mental health.

Poverty.

Public safety.

Accessibility.

Government systems that have become so complicated that sometimes the people working inside them don't even seem to understand how all the pieces connect.

Maybe we don't need everybody at those tables thinking the same way.

Maybe having different kinds of brains in the room is actually an advantage.

I also think autistic leadership can challenge something else we've accepted for far too long.

The idea that leadership is primarily about popularity.

It isn't.

At least it shouldn't be.

Leadership should involve integrity.

It should involve listening.

It should involve evidence.

It should involve loyalty and accountability.

It should involve recognizing problems and finding solutions.

And sometimes leadership means being willing to tell people something they don't particularly want to hear.

That matters in business.

It matters in community organizations.

It matters in advocacy.

And I think it matters enormously in politics.

Politics in particular rewards people who are skilled at messaging, networking, reading a room and giving carefully constructed answers.

But government isn't supposed to be a popularity contest.

These are enormous systems making decisions that affect millions of people's lives.

There should be room in those systems for people who think differently.

People who ask uncomfortable questions.

People who notice contradictions.

People who care more about whether something works than whether it's politically convenient.

People who are willing to say, "This doesn't make sense. Why are we doing it this way?"

I want to see more autistic people at those tables.

Not because autistic people are somehow better than everyone else.

We're not.

We have strengths and weaknesses like anybody else.

And we need workplaces and organizations that understand communication differences, sensory needs and accessibility instead of expecting everyone to function according to one neurological standard.

But I also don't want inclusion to mean simply allowing autistic people into the room as long as we learn to behave more like everyone else.

That's not really inclusion.

If you're inviting different minds into the room, you have to be prepared for different minds to actually think differently.

I want to see autistic people leading businesses.

Leading organizations.

Leading community initiatives.

Sitting on boards.

Building programs.

Working inside government.

And running for political office.

Not despite being autistic.

Sometimes because of what being autistic brings to leadership.

Maybe leadership doesn't always need another person who knows how to work the room.

Maybe sometimes it needs the person willing to tell the room the truth.