Grow your neuro-entrepreneurs

Neuro-entrepreneurs are sitting in our schools and universities but hurdles stop them from being successful

If we want to see success then we need to not only plant the seeds but continue to feed them once they have grown otherwise they will wither.

I wrote a newsletter in June about the employment gap and harnessing talent (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/neuroentrepreneurship-dont-miss-out-talent-prof-amanda-kirby/) and this newsletter builds upon that one.

Wasting talents

In the last few years, I seem to have had too often conversations with bright and capable graduates who are sitting at home (often in their parent's homes) unemployed. I am seeing real talents being wasted. Some have several degrees. This is crazy!

This is not only neurodivergent graduates but also others who could and should be at work. There are hurdles to jump to get into a job but they are often unseen till they trip over. The code to crack is not given to them in school and education.

Unless we support all learners at times of transition how can they be prepared? I always find it funny that despite knowing every year when it is Xmas time it still surprises us. In the same way, we know years before when children will leave school or students leave college and university. We also know they will generally want to find work. However, we still fail to prepare them for this.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

said Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

What do we need to do?

Some people who have neurodivergent traits have a high rate of entrepreneurship skills but may have real challenges with planning, organization, including managing their diaries, putting finance plans together, or presenting their ideas in a way that others can envision and want to be a part of. For some interviews will be a nightmare as showcasing skills in a compressed time period is both a performance skill and also relies on interpretation skills too. It requires good working memory and the ability to compose articulate answers under pressure. These can all be problematic and at the same time, a lack of performance in the interview may not reflect a lack of skill at all.

Isn't educating others not about growing some talents but about supporting all to grow and thrive?

The World Economic Forum document of 2020 makes a point that:

“Universities should support more student entrepreneurs" .

The report is called" Here’s why – and how” and describes the ways to do so. However, in this comprehensive document, there is no mention of the 1 in 5 neurodivergent students who may require different approaches to maximize their talents and be successful.

There remains discrimination. It is essential we are inclusive.

This starts without bridging and supporting people from education to employment. One area where there are high levels of innovation that we need to harness is STEM. It swings both ways for society as Innovation is?critical to our economic growth. By supporting students in STEM subjects we can encourage a generation of innovators who have the potential to change our worlds.

2Empower is one excellent joint project between?Professor Sara Rankin?of?Imperial College London?and?Dr Susen Smith?of?GERRIC, UNSW?Sydney Australia, that is making a difference in the field of STEM. They provide workshops to build some of the skills students who are neurodivergent need to be able to increase their competence and confidence to navigate successfully the world of work.

We also know that the skills, characteristics, and competencies needed to launch businesses go hand in hand with those that are developed in STEM education. But without support, encouragement, and mentorship talent can wither on the vine.

Interestingly, there was an APPG ( All-Party Parliamentary Group) report published in 2020 which concurs with this. They gathered and analyzed the evidence on whether the education system and schools provide equal opportunities for students of all ages to learn STEM subjects.?It makes interesting reading and highlights the low level of 'disabled' people in academic positions and also in different workplaces including engineering.

They reported that:

" Disabled people are underrepresented in Royal Astronomical Society membership (2021) and Wellcome (2021a) reports 5% of staff are disabled, compared with a baseline of 19% in the UK workforce.

The Equilibrium Network (2021) reported to this APPG that the construction sector is ‘particularly poor at supporting disabled employees’ and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (2021) states there is no sector-wide consensus or targets for disability.

Cumulative disadvantage

Challenges start young and inequity starts in school.

“The future is already here – it's just not evenly distributed.”

The Economist, December 4, 2003, said, William Gibson.

Disabled people of all ethnicities are marginalized in the STEM workforce. The gap in representation between STEM workers and others is also larger for disabled women than disabled men.

This report goes on to say that :

"The majority of disabled workers in the wider workforce are women (59%), in the STEM workforce only one third (33%) of disabled workers are women seniority"

It is important to note that these figures are representing those who have declared a disability or have been given a diagnosis as we need to remember that not everyone defines themselves as disabled or has the economic advantage to gain access to assessment of needs and so the gap, in reality, is likely to be much wider.

Recognizing our spiky profiles is important

We all have spiky profiles, but some are much spikier than others. To be successful entrepreneurs we need to recognize both our strengths and patterns of challenges. But in the early stages of our careers, there is little chance of having a PA to help organize our diaries. However, if we don't get support or strategies with time management or interview skills this can limit our success. No one is good at everything. I have met many people who become so anxious before a meeting when they get through the door they can't speak in coherent sentences.

Ref: Picture from Do-IT Profiler Neurodiversity Workplace Profiler.

Our systems don't fit everyone

Exams often measure good working memory, and skills in handwriting requiring speed and accuracy. They benefit those who can present information in a set time. ?

These are often areas that are more challenging for children with ADHD, and DCD (also known as Dyspraxia). Interpretation of questions in exams can also be harder for children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC).

A lack of success in the exam room can drive rates of anxiety and affect future performance.

I remember not being able to decode the words in exams, and my exam results never reflected my abilities. My teachers were disappointed as they said I was so much better in class. This increased my levels of anxiety till the point I became unwell before exams. It became better for me to avoid the situation than deal with it... until I worked out to effectively work for exams and crack the code others seem to know about. I didn't realize that certain words had very specific meanings such as contrast, critique or define. No one told me this. Why did I have to work this out myself? It took a long time and only when I was doing my postgraduate qualification as a GP that I really learned the language of exams.

I was also talking with a colleague this week and he reminded me how true that was. He is on the autism spectrum and was only diagnosed in his 50s. He told me that when he was in university he was barely passing his course until he developed a system of completing drafts of all his assignments for the year in the first few weeks of the term ( before he had even had the lectures) and then had gained feedback from his tutors ( who were impressed) and then his marks went up and up.

How do we level the playing fields to measure skills in a fair way so those with entrepreneurial talents can grow these?

Neuro-entrepreneurship skills are increasingly being recognized in individuals with traits relating to ADHD, Autism Spectrum Conditions, and Dyslexia that may benefit all. Supporting someone to showcase their talents needs to start young and continue at all transitional stages.

But we may need to find alternative ways that are different to show skills than the way we do today.

“Plan for what it is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.”

―?Sun Tzu, The Art of War

There are four ways we can do this.

·?????We need to consider ways to make an assessment of talents as ‘inclusive’ as it can be so that as many participants as possible can participate.

·?????Where required allow specific adjustments for neurodivergent pupils to allow them to have their skills and talents assessed.

·?????Provide personalized transition plans as early as possible so we map out someone's steps and help build the skills they require.

·?????Support executive functioning skills training that are generically needed in life such as planning, time management, and organizational skills.

We have a legal duty

Under the Equality Act, 2010 educational provision has a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments. Schools and education authorities have had a duty to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils since 2002: originally, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (the DDA 1995); and, from October 2010, under the Equality Act 2010. ?

The duty to make reasonable adjustments requires a school to take positive steps to ensure that disabled pupils can fully participate in the education provided by the school and that they can enjoy the other benefits, facilities, and services that the school provides for pupils. This means not being disadvantaged. The reasonable adjustments duty is triggered only where there is a need to avoid ‘substantial disadvantage’. ‘Substantial' is defined as being anything more than minor or trivial. This could be having to write at speed in an exam when handwriting is hard to do and becomes difficult for others to read (e.g., often problematic for those with DCD). (For guidance see https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/reasonable_adjustments_for_disabled_pupils_1.pdf )

We have a moral duty - Is it the role of a college or university to prepare all for work?

I think universities and colleges need not only to prepare students for graduation but also prepare them for the workplace. You need to be able to seek out jobs, create a CV, apply for the jobs, and be able to interview well. Gaining successful employment takes planning, organization, and communication skills. There is extensive evidence that neurodivergent students can struggle with some of these aspects. If self-organization is required to seek out jobs and apply, work out how to get to an interview, and even what to wear then it means some people remain at a huge disadvantage. I remember going to do a 'pitch' about my company and thinking that the 'elevator pitch' with the need for a rapid response to questioning favors some far more than others.

How many neuroentrepreneurs will not get the chance of telling others about their ideas because this is the way we measure them?

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

― Benjamin Franklin

The author

Professor Amanda Kirby comes from a very neurodivergent family. She has entrepreneurs who successfully designed things like Patient Controlled Analgesia ( very proud of her late Dad -?Professor Michael Rosen?who was known as having the most untidy office in the hospital and the worst handwriting ever!) and children and grandchildren who are coming up with some amazing ideas and want them to flourish too but knowing they need to be seen in a positive framing.

As CEO of Do-IT Solutions, she has developed with colleagues Neurodiversity Profiling tools that allow people to see their spiky profiles and help organizations to maximize talent.

She is very excited about her book she has written with the fab Theo Smith on:

Neurodiversity at Work: Drive Innovation, Performance and Productivity with a Neurodiverse Workforce

“Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."

said Warren Buffett