Interview with Mike Bedford- Neurodiversity Special

Q: What’s been your career journey so far?

I've had a varied and diverse career, but the people development space has been my career anchor. I've always coached and mentored in some capacity but really got into professional coaching over the last few years.

Running my own coaching company’s always been a dream for me. The more I've been exposed to the coaching world, the more I've been inspired to develop my own ability to reflect and address the self-limiting beliefs that held me back, and become a qualified coach. One of the key things that's happened over the last six months is turning my dream into a set of goals to take me towards my end goal.

Q: What does neurodiversity mean for leaders, managers and individuals in organisations?

There are more academically qualified people who can talk about this subject but what I do have is lived experience. I've seen organisations mature in terms of their understanding of what neurodiversity is, and how they can get the best results out of people who think differently. Because essentially, that's what neurodiversity is - a spectrum of different conditions that fall under the neurodivergent umbrella: ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia...

There's debate in the neurodiverse community about whether people are comfortable being labelled as disabled. When you apply for a job, you almost have to say you are, to be on a level playing field with other candidates. For me it comes down to how that individual feels about it - it's one of the questions you might want to ask someone in an open authentic conversation. What feels right for them and what are their needs? Shared characteristics don’t automatically equate to the same needs. I won't be offended if someone comes from a genuine place of positive intent, wanting to find out more about me and how we can best work together.

People are afraid to have that conversation for fear of saying the wrong thing. But when you have it, they realise the different skills you bring and different ways you look at things and solve problems. Some of the greatest minds and creative thinkers of our time are neurodivergent. So I don't understand why organisations are frightened - they need to realise they don't have to do things the way they've always done them.

Q: How has neurodiversity impacted you throughout your career?

It's been mixed – there have been some terrible experiences that knocked my confidence, riddled me with self-doubt and created imposter syndrome. But I've also worked with brilliant people who’ve been supportive and opened their minds to my potential. They’ve changed entire ways of working to get the best of both worlds by harnessing the power of both neurotypical and neurodivergent minds. My experience tells me people fear change. Someone who’s different and challenges your perspectives and way of doing things can feel quite threatening. We must overcome those perceptions, and have psychologically safe spaces where anyone can put ideas out there, no matter where they sit in the hierarchy or system.

Q: A coaching culture is built on organisation-wide effective conversations. What would you say to organisations who want to use coaching conversations to build a culture that uses neurodiversity as a superpower?

Start slowly. Influence people in the right places. Make coaching conversations a skillset and a mindset. Slowly but surely those behaviours will change, creating communities of practice. Support people who want to train as coaches and support line managers to have more effective and authentic coaching conversations that help them, for example, identify the talent right under their noses and create a more inclusive environment. These kinds of conversations create the environment where neurodiverse people feel safe talking about their differences. Get the right people on board and win over hearts and minds to really get traction and results.

And encourage authentic leadership; leaders and managers who live and breathe those values, champion that safe space to have those coaching conversations and show that they value different thinking and approaches. As leaders and managers, make sure people know you want to work with them to help them be the best versions of themselves.

GCHQ is a great example of an organisation that lives and breathes this - they actively go out and recruit neurodivergent people, because of their ability to spot patterns and identify trends. Look at some of the Workplace of the Future reports and it’s clear many linear skills are going to become automated, but creative and different thinking, empathy and human-centred skills won’t - artificial intelligence isn’t in a position to replicate that yet. Forward thinking organisations are already onto this. It's a great time to be alive if you're a different thinker right now.

Q: What would you say needs to change in organisations?

A lot of organisations still have blinkers on - they make the right noises but they’ve got to be prepared to change and authentically live up to those values. Across diversity and inclusion in general, the system isn’t designed to bring people through who think differently. Cultural barriers are still in place. We’ve made progress but there's a long way to go.

There’s an issue with recruitment for example. It’s not just about adjustments, giving me an extra ten minutes in an interview… the whole way the interview’s designed isn’t getting the best out of me. Let's have a conversation about how much you're prepared to change the whole interview process so you can see me at my best. How many organisations are willing to have that conversation?

Q: Will the next generation bring different expectations into the workplace – are they more understanding and empathetic towards different cultures and needs?

As a parent with two children, I’ve noticed they’re more switched on, partly due to their education where they’re learning about diversity, inclusion and wellbeing. They’re being taught about respect, how to treat people well, to celebrate differences, and values and ethics. So yes, kids coming into the workforce will have very different expectations about what employment means to them.

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