BRIDGING THE GAP

Business coach Judson presents a practical guide to neurodiversity in the workplace—understanding it, supporting it, and benefiting from it.

This book has several potential audiences, including managers, neurodivergent employees, colleagues, and career advisers. Judson begins with her own story: After her son and daughter were both diagnosed—he with dyspraxia and autism spectrum disorder and she with ADHD—the author began recognizing neurodivergent traits in herself. Her definition of neurodivergence includes dyslexia, OCD, and Tourette syndrome, among other disorders, and she argues that workplaces already are neurodiverse—and they need managers who notice this fact and can respond accordingly. What follows is a thorough manual on how to embrace neurodiversity in the workplace, including maximizing a neurodiverse employee’s skills, helping neurodiverse graduates prepare for their first role (whether it’s an internship or job), and onboarding, coaching, and conducting one-on-one meetings with neurodiverse employees. Her message to employers is to set concrete goals, and she encourages neurodiverse employees to ask for help and clarity along the way. The central theme of the book is that organizations miss out on talent when they dismiss those who communicate or act differently from what management expects in the workplace. Managers can succeed, she says, through the use of SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals, providing regular feedback, and recognizing strengths instead of just calling out weaknesses, among other strategies. Judson writes in a warm, accessible tone that brings to life abstract concepts in a conversational manner. The book covers a lot of ground, but it’s loaded with practical tidbits and anecdotes, eschewing a more textbook-like approach. In the end, the author offers a useful road map for people who are dealing with neurodivergence themselves, and for those who are trying their best to help them succeed.

A smart and approachable book that offers concrete ideas for creating a better workplace for all.