Parenting

Three years ago I was diagnosed with Adult ADHD.  Since the ADHD diagnosis  I have identified that I also meet the criteria for Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or previously Asperger Syndrome. Essentially, I am neurodivergent. Neurodivergence is a concept originally attributed to the 1990s sociologist Judy Singer, and is a non-medical umbrella term that describes people with variation in their mental functions, and can include conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other neurological or developmental conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

I write this article to describe my experience of being neurologically diverse, and in particular how I have ‘masked’ my natural and hard-wired behaviours and thinking. Masking is essentially when a person presents to the external world what is socially expected while doing their utmost to manage their internal emotional and cognitive reactions to the world around them.  The evidence suggests that young girls with ASD are most prone to ‘masking’ and in many cases go undiagnosed resulting ultimately in not meeting their potential.

In this short video Greg discusses how important it is to assess our relationship with feedback i.e. our self-talk about feedback, particularly as a leader.

The Challenge: Take just 5 minutes every morning and write down ONE thing that you APPRECIATE in your life today.  Do this for 30 days.

Essentially, if we believe that mental health is our choice, then we can choose to perceive the world in a certain way. If we believe that mental health is a choice then we empower ourselves to improve our mental health.  We give ourselves a chance to live the lives we want to live.

The “Choice Mindset” empowers a person to choose their life and to create the life they want.  The “Choice Mindset” eliminates excuses.  The “Choice Mindset” generates success and improvement.  The “Choice Mindset” enables the higher road and lifts us to display integrity and authenticity.

I have recently observed and heard a number of senior leaders (and senior OD and HR professionals) seeking only positive emotions in the workplace from their employees.  Furthermore, these same organisations have a view that the experience of negative emotion is ‘bad’ and should be avoided. I am deeply concerned by this growing trend and share below not only the compelling evidence and research but also explain why negative emotions are necessary for success.

No doubt if you are reading this right now you are also a parent.  Like me, you probably ask yourself how you could be better preparing your child for life.

As a parent of two beautiful girls I understand the desire to protect and nurture.  I also know that every parent has the best intentions for the way they parent and provide the caring and nurturing environment that our children need. As a leader I also know that I have a similar genuine intention to develop my people and generate a high performing team.

How important are mistakes?  This question has been playing through my mind over the last few weeks while working on a conference presentation on ‘Disruptive Thinking’ and the work with a number of our clients on cultivating a ‘Culture of Accountability’.  In addition, as a father of two young girls I have been considering the role of mistakes in my daughter’s development and our response as parents to their mistakes. I believe we need to re-evaluate how we respond to mistakes, as both parents and leaders, and consider if we need to re-think how best to harness the power of a mistake.