Meet Mikael Efron, my colleague with ADHD

October is ADHD Awareness Month. At Telia where Mikael Efron and I work, we treat this as an opportunity for us to acknowledge and celebrate the neurodiverse among us. Around 15% to 20% of the population is considered to be neurodivergent, of which approximately 1/3rd have ADHD.

Mikael and I are working on an internal event in Telia where he will help us find answers to questions such as: What is ADHD? How do I recognize a person who has this diagnosis, and how should I alter my behavior to make it inclusive of people with similar neurodiversity? And while I do this, I can’t contain the need to share Mikael’s story more widely for the sheer inspiration and insight it offers – to people with neurodiversity who are among us, doing the best they can to shine their brightest and also feel accepted in their teams; but also for others who are keen to understand how to be a better colleague to someone with ADHD or some other neurodiversity. Most importantly, Mikael made me see how important it is to deliberately include people who are functionally diverse into our teams to untap their hidden potential for the sake of business. Here comes a synthesis of our pre-event Q&A.

Who is Mikael Efron?

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I am 33 years old and live with my family, wife and two daughters in V?rmd? outside Stockholm. My parents came to Sweden in 1988 as political refugees from Russia. For me, who has an NPF diagnosis myself, it means a lot to be able to get involved and contribute as Telia’s Ambassador for Inclusion of People with Functional Variations.

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When I'm not working, I love to spend time with my family and my children and be out in nature, I'm passionate about cooking and like to stand in front of the stove and experiment with new dishes, I would also call myself a bit of a nerd as I have an interest in all forms of technology, especially trains, ships and aircraft.

I work at Telia as a Business Manager for Business Messaging in Telia Sweden B2B. I have always worked with sales and business development in the borderland between technology and business. I worked at Telia between 2017-2019, and then stepped out of Telia for a few years, only to come back again in August 2022 in a new role. At present, in parallel with my work at Telia, I am studying Business Finance at IHM Business School, for a Business Executive Degree.

Growing up with Aspegers and ADHD

When I was a child I was diagnosed with Asperger's. For as long as I can remember I have always felt different. When I was little and went to elementary school I could not sit still, I easily ended up in conflicts and had difficulties playing with other children.

School was really tough for me, I was bullied throughout my schooling. Even though I have processed the negative feelings from school, I can still feel anxiety and uneasiness when I am in a school environment.

The challenges continued even later in life and when I was 25 years old, I decided to do a new investigation and was then diagnosed with ADHD. It was really a relief to be diagnosed because it confirmed and provided answers to everything I have experienced and am still experiencing. Even though I knew I was different, I couldn't put my finger on it until I was diagnosed and thus also got the help I need and started to read up on and take an interest in NPF diagnoses.

Before, I often felt left out and constantly battled with the fear of "making mistakes" or "not fitting in." It was really horrible. I remember that many times I promised myself to "just be normal" tomorrow, but of course it wouldn’t work out.

The difference a diverse team and an inclusive manager can make

My first stint at Telia was great. I had an awesome manager. The team itself was not very diverse and I myself had not been particularly vocal about my neurodiversity because I didn’t feel the need to, or find the occasion to. So after I took a break I decided to come back to Telia, it was of course because I had a first hand positive experience already here with the culture and people.

When I made a come back, I was placed in a new setting where there were quite a few diverse, or differently wired individuals working together. I somehow felt I wanted to be transparent with my manager and colleagues about my diagnosis – and that’s not a given in general. Most people find it quite hard to share. But I could sense people’s open-mindedness around me and I saw that we were a variety of diverse individuals making up this team, each one feeling included and encouraged to collaborate and deliver. That encouraged me, and I went ahead and shared. And I have no regrets. Having a manager who is a role model for this sort of supportive and inclusive behavior is key in driving better synergies so that everyone feels valued and important. And we as colleagues also adopted an inclusive mindset, embracing all our differences.

ADHD varies from one individual to another. The peculiarity with my ADHD is that on the one hand I'm very good at seeing details and have a very strong drive. My brain can go full speed all the time and takes in countless impressions at unimaginable speed. And then in contrast I can go down in energy to as low as 0, and can find it very difficult. That’s how it is with me. And understanding this was important for my manager and my team so that they can interpret my behavior, make use of my abilities, and accommodate my limitations.

Having both a family, employer and colleagues who support you is essential to be able to feel good and deliver top results at work. Because it is possible, a person with an NPF diagnosis is not better or worse than anyone without one. We are just differently wired. We often think outside the box, see and solve problems from a different perspective, but sometimes we also need support in the form of, say, a calm environment for concentration and an acceptance from others that our brains work a little differently.

Mikael is now Telia’s ambassador for Inclusion of people with NPF

To have the honor of being an ambassador for "neurodiversity" means a lot to me, because then I can be involved and contribute to more people both inside and outside Telia being able to get the right conditions to succeed in life and avoid feeling bad through misunderstandings, ignorance and prejudices. If I manage to make one individual feel better, I have fulfilled my purpose, but of course I hope that there will be many more. It's all about knowledge and breaking prejudices, such work takes place over time and on a personal level it means a lot to me to be involved and contribute to a better work environment here at Telia but also society at large.

What can we do better to integrate people with neurodiversities?

All people function differently, neuropsychiatric disabilities are not visible on the outside as, for example, some disabilities are. So the challenge becomes people’s lack of knowledge of your capabilities. In the case of visible disabilities – for example if someone is in a wheelchair - , you would never ask a person who is in a wheelchair to run 500 meters. But it is not uncommon for us to not accommodate the way of working of people who have NPF diagnoses. We often make unreasonable demands that are impossible to meet for a person with NPF diagnosis. We don't do it out of malice, but since it's not visible and since not enough is known about it, we do it unwittingly.

We can start as individuals, but ultimately companies should stand behind individuals to who spread knowledge about neurodiversity outside of their own four walls. This will help mitigate ignorance and create greater understanding at scale. This will enable people like me to achieve their full potential.

If we do this, the word will spread and we will gain a positive reputation which goes to attract, appreciate and retain neurodiverse talent with their unique skills and qualities.

People like me are the proof that Telia welcomes diverse talent

I think Telia has a very strong foundation and a culture that promotes all people's differences and equal value. Telia is very good at recognizing each person's potential and building a strong culture all the way up from Top Management to the entire organization. There are so many fantastic colleagues and managers at Telia who prove every day how strong a culture we have and who make everyone feel included.

I'm also incredibly happy and proud that Telia doesn't just talk about doing things, but that we actually do things! For example, there are people who work just to build culture and together with us ambassadors do different activities and workshops, I think that's a concrete example of how we do things and not just talk about doing things.

We need more awareness and more involvement

I think it’s important for companies to never stop and think they’ve done enough. And this is true for all inclusion work. We should never drop our guard. We must realize that we can always do better; we can get better at learning more about NPF diagnoses and talking openly about it, many people today live their whole lives without knowing that they have an NPF diagnosis. And I think that everyone at whatever level they are in an organization can contribute to creating more awareness and a more inclusive work environment.

We need to open our minds and absorb new knowledge. Managers and leaders need to learn more about this and help spread knowledge among their teams and to early notice signs of people who are at risk of suffering from e.g. exhaustion as a result of NPF.

We have to let go of the prejudices and understand that all people are different and we work in different ways, I think we have come a long way on the road but we can always be better!

To my NPF diagnosed folks in the workforce out there

You are not alone, dare to get help!

If you live with an NPF diagnosis, you don't need to tell your employer, but I must share with you that I did inform my manager and I think that was a very good decision for me – I do not regret it. I am also now often participating in an internal Telia network for people with NPF diagnoses.

It’s extremely important to share, so if you don’t want to do that with your colleagues or manager, try joining different network groups and read up.

There are many different forums and help to get, ?both from and outside the healthcare system. ?There are lots of different tools that make everyday life easier, such as working in focus corners, using timers for concentration and getting help to structure and organize your work.

If you suspect that you have a diagnosis do not hesitate to seek help. I was afraid of being labeled and ending up in a box, but the diagnosis really helped me - I got so much new knowledge that made me understand why things have been the way they have been and I could through the understanding get help to create a better well-being.

Message to all those who may be working with neurodiverse colleagues

Keep in mind that all people function differently, neuropsychiatric disabilities are not visible on the outside as, for example, disabilities are, feel free to ask questions and let the person tell you. Absolutely do not feel sorry for the person or treat the person differently, because people with NPF diagnoses are not less than anyone else. They just have brains that work differently.

Sometimes we might say or do things that are considered rude or strange. Let this not anger you. Consider that this rude person perhaps is a diagnosed individual who just has a different way of communicating or operating. Very importantly, if a colleague tells you that they have an NPF diagnosis, don't belittle them, instead try thank then for sharing it with you.

I want to share with you a funny incident recently when a colleague told me something in a meeting and the second after I asked the exact same thing, instead of getting mad at me for not listening, we joked about it and had a good laugh. My brain had simply run out of energy right then and there. Dare to take it lightly and joke, it doesn't hurt.

Some people call it a superpower. Not I!

Many people say that ADHD is a superpower. But I challenge that. ADHD and other NPF diagnoses can in many ways be perceived as superpowers, because our brains can sometimes achieve results that would not be possible without an NPF diagnosis. But there are also downsides where some periods are very tough, getting out of bed or following a normal conversation can be very stressful and drain all energy.

You don't succeed thanks to your ADHD, you succeed despite your ADHD!

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