The world of leadership style has seen drastic changes over the last 50 years. We’ve gone from an exclusionary, top-down, command and control orientation to an inclusive, empowering, and consensus-oriented approach. Team members expect a very different style of leadership from those who hold the title.
Choosing the right diverse talent gives an organization a competitive edge and propels human thinking beyond the status quo. Team members, such as creatives, neurodivergent individuals, or those socialized by digital screen intelligence, may refrain from actively participating in office politics. However, their unique perspectives, often untapped, can bring about profound insights, exceptional performance, and brilliance.
Leaders have a crucial role in recognizing the value of personal differences, not as irreverent but as distinct. It is essential to understand that if you have hired the right person, their diverse background will bring about expansive mind-thinking, contributing to the company's long-term vision and success.
A proactive leader will seize the opportunity to engage with these reclusive types. The leader opens a gateway to new knowledge, insights, and deep, meaningful relations by asking questions and encouraging them to express their opinions in writing. The final result enhances the leader's understanding and, thus, performance and fosters a more innovative and inclusive mindset within the organization for its long-term benefit and gain.
Indeed, accommodating individuals can lead to inconsistent actions and expectations within the team. However, it may be necessary to compromise or make arrangements with talented individuals who do not prefer or cannot engage with a team and its leader as the office culture dictates and wants or needs to be left alone to produce extraordinary outcomes.
"Not everyone should be accommodated," but some might, and in the doing, increase the organization's profitable outcome.
Thanks for all the knowledge this discourse provides.
I see two nuances that seem to be missing.
First extremely gifted “artists” within a specific community such as media and entertainment, often do their best work either when left alone or catered to… I’m sure this sounds antithetical to the “team” concept, but it works well when a leader understands how to change workflows and processes that adapt to artists who, while challenging, help produce a better product and team experience when they can be left alone.
While is a “project based“ mentality, it’s challenging to maintain when the work is actually more ongoing than a specific project – – which is why both salaries and burnout are high for leaders in this environment.
The second nuance is leadership among those in the neurodiverse community. My sense is this will be a Gen Z led solution with boomers down to millennials less equipped to provide leadership skills when handling Neurodiversity compared to generation Z leaders.
I don’t see a lot of literature about nor neurodiversity, but one often finds high-performance in that community by those who need to be left alone for what are essentially medical reasons.
My experience has been team members appreciate the space given to those individuals and understand their capacity to be interdependent is more nuanced and requires more empathy.
Just like 30 years ago, many people were someone embarrassed to talk about going to see a counselor when in a work environment, I believe the generation coming finds the
opposite uncomfortable — people who don’t understand and adapt to neurodiversity on a team are often notadmired leaders.
A joyful challenge, both seem to exist within the industry I’ve chosen (media, and entertainment ) so it’s been quite a ride!
In any regard, both are nuances that look at the motivation behind the need for people to work disconnected from a team, either situationally or medically.
Just like we wouldn’t expect someone in a wheelchair to walk upstairs to a meeting, I think the challenge of the generation to come is Identifying, understanding and adapting to neurodiverse and creative individuals—- both of whom can be highly prized and unlikely to be replaced by artificial intelligence or automated systems in the years to come.
Would love to know if there is literature out there related to this topic. I’ve lived my life leading in this space and don’t see a lot out there on the topic.
Cheers to anyone who spent time reading this entire message lol!
This is not as much about productivity and which is the best way to organize for efficiency... instead this is for leaders who have individuals who seem to refuse to participate in organizational culture.
Which parts of your culture, collaboration, team chemistry are you willing to let individuals flaunt or ignore? That is a question even for fully remote teams to consider.
Well sometimes the employee that doesn’t want to interact with the manager and wants to be left alone and do its work maybe it’s because the manager has been awful with the employee, because the manager is a control freak, because the manager is a bully, because the manager never recognizes the good work of the employee , never recognizes the knowledge-experiences-strengths of the employee. And such manager unequal treatment towards member of the team. Why would an employee want to interact with such a manager. The employee might just want to serve its customers, serve its organization. Food for thought…maybe the problem is the manager and not the employee (s).
We want to help the kind of leader who has accepted the obligations that come with being a leader. The person you describe definitely needs a different kind of coaching. The person you describe should also not be accommodated in healthy organizations.
Some sound points made. For those in retail and hospitality industries, compromise is imperative. Remember we have set this country up to be reliant on frontline workers. This means a good strategy is often give and take. A boss isn't that smart and/or that devoted if they do not meet people where they are. If they force people out, guess who management will require to pick up the slack...? Good luck carrying out executive orders by yourself or maybe one other team member (I speak from experience).
We show up, do our job/s well (or at least to the best of our ability), and go home to focus on what's important. A lot of these corporate cats have gotten fat off the backs of the working class. The working class is finally realizing this (especially when they work forty plus hours and can barely afford rent).
I haven't seen a solid answer strategy yet, but perhaps we are finally ready for a results only work environment aka R.OW.E. (Pink. 2009).
Doesn't sound like we disagree... there is definitely room for large differenced in various organizations. Let's keep this in the setting of retail and hospitality and explore it a bit more.
You might have less occasion to look for your team to be as collaborative or create team chemistry than other corporate teams, but in many ways you easily have many more, right?
How might you best advise that a front line manager address the team member who undermines chemistry and collaboration because they want to work independently?
In many ways, corporate teams, through remote and hybrid work situations emerging, might be dealing with this more now than ever... while front line work have always had strategies in place. Looking forward to the insight you might offer.
Interesting piece and discussion. I am sending to my grown kids as this is more their world.
I believe this underscores the importance of the interview process - to have clarity in expectations of employees and, for those hiring, to do all they can to understand the culture that the potential employee best works in. If it is not a match from the start, why do you believe it will get better?
The simple question is - what companies perform best: those that allow people to not join in the company culture (assuming it is a positive work environment), or those that don't do their best to have have employees join in? To me it is Marriott vs Super 8. I stay at Marriott.
You might be interested in the 15 minute conversation we conducted to unpack this entry a bit more:
https://x.com/i/spaces/1vOxwjEQVvRJB
Choosing the right diverse talent gives an organization a competitive edge and propels human thinking beyond the status quo. Team members, such as creatives, neurodivergent individuals, or those socialized by digital screen intelligence, may refrain from actively participating in office politics. However, their unique perspectives, often untapped, can bring about profound insights, exceptional performance, and brilliance.
Leaders have a crucial role in recognizing the value of personal differences, not as irreverent but as distinct. It is essential to understand that if you have hired the right person, their diverse background will bring about expansive mind-thinking, contributing to the company's long-term vision and success.
A proactive leader will seize the opportunity to engage with these reclusive types. The leader opens a gateway to new knowledge, insights, and deep, meaningful relations by asking questions and encouraging them to express their opinions in writing. The final result enhances the leader's understanding and, thus, performance and fosters a more innovative and inclusive mindset within the organization for its long-term benefit and gain.
Thanks Phil.
Another reason that making accommodations is not always the default approach to take.
Indeed, accommodating individuals can lead to inconsistent actions and expectations within the team. However, it may be necessary to compromise or make arrangements with talented individuals who do not prefer or cannot engage with a team and its leader as the office culture dictates and wants or needs to be left alone to produce extraordinary outcomes.
"Not everyone should be accommodated," but some might, and in the doing, increase the organization's profitable outcome.
Thank you for your reply and your time.
Have a great day.
Best wishes.
Thanks for all the knowledge this discourse provides.
I see two nuances that seem to be missing.
First extremely gifted “artists” within a specific community such as media and entertainment, often do their best work either when left alone or catered to… I’m sure this sounds antithetical to the “team” concept, but it works well when a leader understands how to change workflows and processes that adapt to artists who, while challenging, help produce a better product and team experience when they can be left alone.
While is a “project based“ mentality, it’s challenging to maintain when the work is actually more ongoing than a specific project – – which is why both salaries and burnout are high for leaders in this environment.
The second nuance is leadership among those in the neurodiverse community. My sense is this will be a Gen Z led solution with boomers down to millennials less equipped to provide leadership skills when handling Neurodiversity compared to generation Z leaders.
I don’t see a lot of literature about nor neurodiversity, but one often finds high-performance in that community by those who need to be left alone for what are essentially medical reasons.
My experience has been team members appreciate the space given to those individuals and understand their capacity to be interdependent is more nuanced and requires more empathy.
Just like 30 years ago, many people were someone embarrassed to talk about going to see a counselor when in a work environment, I believe the generation coming finds the
opposite uncomfortable — people who don’t understand and adapt to neurodiversity on a team are often notadmired leaders.
A joyful challenge, both seem to exist within the industry I’ve chosen (media, and entertainment ) so it’s been quite a ride!
In any regard, both are nuances that look at the motivation behind the need for people to work disconnected from a team, either situationally or medically.
Just like we wouldn’t expect someone in a wheelchair to walk upstairs to a meeting, I think the challenge of the generation to come is Identifying, understanding and adapting to neurodiverse and creative individuals—- both of whom can be highly prized and unlikely to be replaced by artificial intelligence or automated systems in the years to come.
Would love to know if there is literature out there related to this topic. I’ve lived my life leading in this space and don’t see a lot out there on the topic.
Cheers to anyone who spent time reading this entire message lol!
Hi Joesph, so happy to see your thoughts here.
This is not as much about productivity and which is the best way to organize for efficiency... instead this is for leaders who have individuals who seem to refuse to participate in organizational culture.
Which parts of your culture, collaboration, team chemistry are you willing to let individuals flaunt or ignore? That is a question even for fully remote teams to consider.
Very relevant discussion.
Well sometimes the employee that doesn’t want to interact with the manager and wants to be left alone and do its work maybe it’s because the manager has been awful with the employee, because the manager is a control freak, because the manager is a bully, because the manager never recognizes the good work of the employee , never recognizes the knowledge-experiences-strengths of the employee. And such manager unequal treatment towards member of the team. Why would an employee want to interact with such a manager. The employee might just want to serve its customers, serve its organization. Food for thought…maybe the problem is the manager and not the employee (s).
Yes, Anne, poor people managers exist.
We want to help the kind of leader who has accepted the obligations that come with being a leader. The person you describe definitely needs a different kind of coaching. The person you describe should also not be accommodated in healthy organizations.
A manager like you describe probably isn't a regular reader of a newsletter dedicated to helping people be better leaders. :)
Good morning,
Some sound points made. For those in retail and hospitality industries, compromise is imperative. Remember we have set this country up to be reliant on frontline workers. This means a good strategy is often give and take. A boss isn't that smart and/or that devoted if they do not meet people where they are. If they force people out, guess who management will require to pick up the slack...? Good luck carrying out executive orders by yourself or maybe one other team member (I speak from experience).
We show up, do our job/s well (or at least to the best of our ability), and go home to focus on what's important. A lot of these corporate cats have gotten fat off the backs of the working class. The working class is finally realizing this (especially when they work forty plus hours and can barely afford rent).
I haven't seen a solid answer strategy yet, but perhaps we are finally ready for a results only work environment aka R.OW.E. (Pink. 2009).
Thanks for your time.
Doesn't sound like we disagree... there is definitely room for large differenced in various organizations. Let's keep this in the setting of retail and hospitality and explore it a bit more.
You might have less occasion to look for your team to be as collaborative or create team chemistry than other corporate teams, but in many ways you easily have many more, right?
How might you best advise that a front line manager address the team member who undermines chemistry and collaboration because they want to work independently?
In many ways, corporate teams, through remote and hybrid work situations emerging, might be dealing with this more now than ever... while front line work have always had strategies in place. Looking forward to the insight you might offer.
Interesting piece and discussion. I am sending to my grown kids as this is more their world.
I believe this underscores the importance of the interview process - to have clarity in expectations of employees and, for those hiring, to do all they can to understand the culture that the potential employee best works in. If it is not a match from the start, why do you believe it will get better?
The simple question is - what companies perform best: those that allow people to not join in the company culture (assuming it is a positive work environment), or those that don't do their best to have have employees join in? To me it is Marriott vs Super 8. I stay at Marriott.
Hi Jo Lein!
Did you intended to add a thought to this conversation?
We have to trust that your copy and paste of the post was an odd mistake, but don't want to look past your intention to comment.
Nope! That was a mistake! I meant to share your post on LinkedIn
Oh, thank you very much. Please do!
🤦♀️