If I told you, "I am autistic," would you believe me?

I had a difficult time believing it myself until I began to reflect on my past personal and professional experiences with friends and colleagues, and more importantly, my behavior. Since this is LinkedIn, I'll share my professional experiences to create awareness and understanding about employees like me in the workplace.

During my 35-year professional career, I have been employed with over 20 companies in five different industries. And throughout my career, I have burned bridges, committed career suicide, and almost surely left employers scratching their heads, wondering what went wrong in the process because, as they would say, "She was great in the beginning, and over time she began to change." If you are one of my previous employers, please understand I never saw it that way because I have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or what is often described as "high-functioning autism."

Yes! I am autistic, am on the spectrum, have Asperger’s syndrome, am neurodivergent – whatever you choose to call it, my brain works differently. And this is not a bad thing in the workplace once it is recognized, understood, and accepted. Chances are, there are employees in your workplace who are just like me, who are high functioning but have a hard time with social interaction and communication.

You may wonder how someone like me could be perceived as challenging to work with. I’ve had the ability to train for over 30 years; I’ve achieved a doctorate; my friends and colleagues would describe me as having high-level skills and high energy, being extraordinarily creative and innovative, and being phenomenally focused, with a unique set of self-taught skills and talents. Also, I have been called brilliant and a visionary. Why was I a difficult employee? Well, it’s time to have that crucial conversation and provide you with insight into how my brain works.

Over time, not only will I post articles on my professional journey, but I will also continue to educate companies, particularly HR leaders, on the importance of neurodiversity in the workplace and provide insight into why so many of us choose not to disclose what is labeled as a disability for fear of repercussions that may cause us to leave your workplace, voluntarily or involuntarily, all because we do not fit in with your work culture!

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Dr. Harris has spent over 30 years in training & development and talent management, working in the hospitality, automotive, education, sales & marketing, and healthcare industries. She received her doctorate in educational leadership & management and her MBA in human resource management. Her passion for learning motivates her to be an advocate for education as she continues to work as an online adjunct professor for Rasmussen College. Dr. Harris also serves as an advisory board member for the Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathway Program at Southeastern High School in Detroit, Michigan. In 2018, Dr. Harris was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. This was a defining moment that changed her life. As a result, she became a certified neurodiversity professional and self-advocate, and her company, Trainingphase, provides consulting services to help organizations improve their talent management process by attracting and increasing the tenure of current and future neurodivergent employees.

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