We already know that diverse teams are more creative and deliver better results. We’ve seen this play out in repeated studies and real life. Sadly many organisations lag behind in adequately representing the population in terms of diversity, but those that are making strides are also outperforming the competition. But what about less visible diversity? The topic of neurodiversity is increasingly on our minds (if you’ll excuse the pun). How do we create work environments and cultures that embrace the full spectrum of neurodiversity and enable all our colleagues to perform at their best?
Creating Space for EVERYONE to be Awesome - Agile People SwedenMeri Williams
Closing keynote from Agile People Sweden 2015.
Bringing agile approaches into how we manage people and lead teams can have wonderful, far-reaching impact. How do we get the most out of these new ways of working and also ensure that we create an inclusive environment where all types of people can be successful? In this session we’ll take a closer look at diversity & inclusion, and the science behind great people management, to figure out how to bring these together and craft space for everyone to be awesome.
Practical Diversity -- Expanded EditionMeri Williams
Stopping discrimination is important, but tolerance is a terrible word (who wants to be tolerated?). What can we do to create more inclusive environments? Presenting some practical, pragmatic things that really work, based on real world experiences.
Updated expanded talk, given to GE Oil & Gas Women's Network in Florence and Booking.com Annual Meeting internal tech conference in Amsterdam, both in Dec 2013.
Agile improves how we work, can it also improve how we manage and develop people? A look at stealing some elements of agile, and working out how best to develop & manage people who are working with agile.
Given as a conference talk at Agile on the Beach, September 2014, in Falmouth, Cornwall.
Awesome People Management with Agile at Agile North EastMeri Williams
Agile people management is two things -- applying agile principles to managing people, and also figuring out how to manage people working with agile approaches. Traditional once-a-year reviews with annual targets are hardly very agile (or useful). How do we create space for our people to be awesome? Do we even need managers at all in agile?
Studies in Terror: Becoming a People ManagerMeri Williams
I was first given “people management” responsibility when I was in my 20s—and my first two “direct reports” were guys older than my Dad. As it slowly dawned on me that I was responsible not just for “people management” but for these folks’ careers—which were a major focus of their lives—I was terrified.
Once I saw through the corporate euphemisms, I realised:
1) how important being a good manager is (after all, most people don’t leave their company, they leave their boss)
2) that I was so scarred by my own poor experiences with managers that I didn’t know what “good” looked like.
Over the following years I did a bunch of research, got some great mentors, and tested a bunch of different approaches. Let’s talk about how scary and how important great people management is, and how we can get better at it.
Creating Space for EVERYONE to be Awesome - Agile People SwedenMeri Williams
Closing keynote from Agile People Sweden 2015.
Bringing agile approaches into how we manage people and lead teams can have wonderful, far-reaching impact. How do we get the most out of these new ways of working and also ensure that we create an inclusive environment where all types of people can be successful? In this session we’ll take a closer look at diversity & inclusion, and the science behind great people management, to figure out how to bring these together and craft space for everyone to be awesome.
Practical Diversity -- Expanded EditionMeri Williams
Stopping discrimination is important, but tolerance is a terrible word (who wants to be tolerated?). What can we do to create more inclusive environments? Presenting some practical, pragmatic things that really work, based on real world experiences.
Updated expanded talk, given to GE Oil & Gas Women's Network in Florence and Booking.com Annual Meeting internal tech conference in Amsterdam, both in Dec 2013.
Agile improves how we work, can it also improve how we manage and develop people? A look at stealing some elements of agile, and working out how best to develop & manage people who are working with agile.
Given as a conference talk at Agile on the Beach, September 2014, in Falmouth, Cornwall.
Awesome People Management with Agile at Agile North EastMeri Williams
Agile people management is two things -- applying agile principles to managing people, and also figuring out how to manage people working with agile approaches. Traditional once-a-year reviews with annual targets are hardly very agile (or useful). How do we create space for our people to be awesome? Do we even need managers at all in agile?
Studies in Terror: Becoming a People ManagerMeri Williams
I was first given “people management” responsibility when I was in my 20s—and my first two “direct reports” were guys older than my Dad. As it slowly dawned on me that I was responsible not just for “people management” but for these folks’ careers—which were a major focus of their lives—I was terrified.
Once I saw through the corporate euphemisms, I realised:
1) how important being a good manager is (after all, most people don’t leave their company, they leave their boss)
2) that I was so scarred by my own poor experiences with managers that I didn’t know what “good” looked like.
Over the following years I did a bunch of research, got some great mentors, and tested a bunch of different approaches. Let’s talk about how scary and how important great people management is, and how we can get better at it.
Stealing Project Management Lessons from Artificial IntelligenceMeri Williams
My keynote from the Digital Project Management Summit 2014 (http://dpm2014.com/) looking at what lessons we can steal from advances in artificial intelligence, for reapplication in project management.
Creating Space to Be Awesome - Tech Talent EventMeri Williams
Talk given at Augmented Vacancies' Tech Talent Event on 30 June 2016, looking at how to create an environment in which your people can be high performing.
Modern Management: Creating Space for Everyone to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Our role as technology leaders is changing. And somehow also staying the same. Though we work in new ways – for instance using Agile & Lean – we are still trying to achieve the same thing. Our mission is to create high performing teams to deliver high quality products that help our users and organizations to succeed.
So how do we go about it? First of all, we steal the best lessons we can from psychology, management science, and other fields including sports. Then we focus on how to create an environment in which a diverse range of people can be themselves and be successful.
In this keynote we’ll take a whistle-stop tour of the relevant science, then focus on how to use it in our day-to-day – to create inclusive and effective work environments in which everyone can be awesome.
Session from Women of Silicon Roundabout 2017.
Bringing agile approaches into how we manage people and lead teams can have wonderful, far-reaching impact. How do we get the most out of these new ways of working and also ensure that we create an inclusive environment where all types of people can be successful? In this session we’ll take a closer look at the science behind great people management, to figure out how to bring these together and craft space for everyone to be awesome.
Creating Space to Be Awesome at QCon LondonMeri Williams
Bringing agile approaches into how we manage people and lead teams can have wonderful, far-reaching impact. How do we get the most out of these new ways of working and also ensure that we create an inclusive environment where all types of people can be successful? In this session we’ll take a closer look at the science behind great people management, to figure out how to bring these together and craft space for everyone to be awesome.
Practical Diversity at Thinking Digital Women Meri Williams
How do we build inclusive environments that can not just tolerate but positively encourage diverse teams to do their best? We'll look at some practical things you can do to make things better.
Brilliant People Management in an Agile SettingMeri Williams
Agile people management is two things -- applying agile principles to managing people, and also figuring out how to manage people working with agile approaches. Traditional once-a-year reviews with annual targets are hardly very agile (or useful). How do we create space for our people to be awesome? Do we even need managers at all in agile?
Creating Space for People to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Talk I gave at Highland Fling Sessions (19 April 2014) where I was asked to talk about people management & diversity "in the trenches" -- i.e. what really matters day-to-day, in the workplace.
5 Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner About Scaling Teams & Culture - at Turing FestMeri Williams
In engineering we (rightly) talk a lot about how to scale our systems and our infrastructure. Yet some of our very hardest challenges come when scaling the people side of things. How do you survive your team doubling, tripling or perhaps even a 10x growth in a short period of time? What does it take to grow fast AND retain the bits of your culture as a team or organisation that made you great to begin with? How do you know when to change how you do things, without just cargo culting?
Having scaled a number of teams at different speeds, Meri talks through some of the inflection points you'll experience, how to navigate them, and reflect on all the things she wishes she'd known just a little bit earlier..
5 Things I Wish I Knew Sooner About Scaling Teams & CultureMeri Williams
Keynote at #ScaleSummit8 looking at the people side of scaling teams and organisations, with five key lessons that I wish I had learnt sooner in scaling teams & orgs & culture
Practical Diversity: Creating Space for Everyone to be AwesomeMeri Williams
How do we create space for EVERYONE to be awesome? Some practical tips on improving diversity & representation, and building inclusive environments. From my talk at Personalverardagarna in Stockholm, April 2016.
Practical Diversity: Creating Space to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Practical tips for improving diversity & inclusion in your organisations, with a focus on creating environments in a broad variety of people can be themselves and be successful
My Monolith is Melting - PIPELINE CONF 2015Meri Williams
Bringing change to legacy systems and monolithic waterfall programs is daunting, but doable. In this session we’ll look at a real world example of how we undertook the technical, cultural and process challenges to move to continuous delivery in a big organisation. You’ll hear about the epic battles with the dreaded CAB (Change Approval Board), the fight to move architecture discussions from Word documents to the whiteboards, and the myriad smaller skirmishes along the path to delivering features to our users faster, safer & more measurably.
Modern Leadership & Team Science: Creating Space to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Our role as technology leaders is changing. And somehow also staying the same. Though we work in new ways – for instance using Agile & Lean – we are still trying to achieve the same thing. Our mission is to create high performing teams to deliver high quality products that help our users and organizations to succeed.
So how do we go about it? First of all, we steal the best lessons we can from psychology, management science, and other fields including sports. Then we focus on how to create an environment in which a diverse range of people can be themselves and be successful.
In this keynote we’ll take a whistle-stop tour of the relevant science, then focus on how to use it in our day-to-day – to create inclusive and effective work environments in which everyone can be awesome.
DPM UK: Stealing Project Management Lessons from Artificial IntelligenceMeri Williams
Slides from today's talk at the Digital Project Management UK conference, on what project management lessons we can steal from artificial intelligence.
Baking Accessibility In Using Agile - Fronteers 2014Meri Williams
Slides from my #fronteers14 talk in Amsterdam, October 2014.
Looking at how we bake accessibility and other good practices into how we work day-to-day, so they aren't an afterthought.
More info including links to books on blog.geekmanager.co.uk
Facebook Business Briefing with Mari Smith - March 2018Mari Smith
The Future of Facebook: What Marketers Need To Know for 2018 and Beyond
Watch the companion Facebook Live here:
https://www.facebook.com/marismith/videos/10155226323975009/
From the Eduserv Symposium 2013 (http://www.eduserv.org.uk/newsandevents/events/2013/symposium) -- blog post with links to the suggested resources at http://blog.geekmanager.co.uk
December 3, 2014 Neurodiversity in the Classroom - Plymouth, MN - HandoutsThomas Armstrong
These are handouts for a full-day workshop I did on December 3, 2014 in Plymouth, Minnesota for a group of educators on the topic of neurodiversity and its applications to the classroom.
Stealing Project Management Lessons from Artificial IntelligenceMeri Williams
My keynote from the Digital Project Management Summit 2014 (http://dpm2014.com/) looking at what lessons we can steal from advances in artificial intelligence, for reapplication in project management.
Creating Space to Be Awesome - Tech Talent EventMeri Williams
Talk given at Augmented Vacancies' Tech Talent Event on 30 June 2016, looking at how to create an environment in which your people can be high performing.
Modern Management: Creating Space for Everyone to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Our role as technology leaders is changing. And somehow also staying the same. Though we work in new ways – for instance using Agile & Lean – we are still trying to achieve the same thing. Our mission is to create high performing teams to deliver high quality products that help our users and organizations to succeed.
So how do we go about it? First of all, we steal the best lessons we can from psychology, management science, and other fields including sports. Then we focus on how to create an environment in which a diverse range of people can be themselves and be successful.
In this keynote we’ll take a whistle-stop tour of the relevant science, then focus on how to use it in our day-to-day – to create inclusive and effective work environments in which everyone can be awesome.
Session from Women of Silicon Roundabout 2017.
Bringing agile approaches into how we manage people and lead teams can have wonderful, far-reaching impact. How do we get the most out of these new ways of working and also ensure that we create an inclusive environment where all types of people can be successful? In this session we’ll take a closer look at the science behind great people management, to figure out how to bring these together and craft space for everyone to be awesome.
Creating Space to Be Awesome at QCon LondonMeri Williams
Bringing agile approaches into how we manage people and lead teams can have wonderful, far-reaching impact. How do we get the most out of these new ways of working and also ensure that we create an inclusive environment where all types of people can be successful? In this session we’ll take a closer look at the science behind great people management, to figure out how to bring these together and craft space for everyone to be awesome.
Practical Diversity at Thinking Digital Women Meri Williams
How do we build inclusive environments that can not just tolerate but positively encourage diverse teams to do their best? We'll look at some practical things you can do to make things better.
Brilliant People Management in an Agile SettingMeri Williams
Agile people management is two things -- applying agile principles to managing people, and also figuring out how to manage people working with agile approaches. Traditional once-a-year reviews with annual targets are hardly very agile (or useful). How do we create space for our people to be awesome? Do we even need managers at all in agile?
Creating Space for People to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Talk I gave at Highland Fling Sessions (19 April 2014) where I was asked to talk about people management & diversity "in the trenches" -- i.e. what really matters day-to-day, in the workplace.
5 Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner About Scaling Teams & Culture - at Turing FestMeri Williams
In engineering we (rightly) talk a lot about how to scale our systems and our infrastructure. Yet some of our very hardest challenges come when scaling the people side of things. How do you survive your team doubling, tripling or perhaps even a 10x growth in a short period of time? What does it take to grow fast AND retain the bits of your culture as a team or organisation that made you great to begin with? How do you know when to change how you do things, without just cargo culting?
Having scaled a number of teams at different speeds, Meri talks through some of the inflection points you'll experience, how to navigate them, and reflect on all the things she wishes she'd known just a little bit earlier..
5 Things I Wish I Knew Sooner About Scaling Teams & CultureMeri Williams
Keynote at #ScaleSummit8 looking at the people side of scaling teams and organisations, with five key lessons that I wish I had learnt sooner in scaling teams & orgs & culture
Practical Diversity: Creating Space for Everyone to be AwesomeMeri Williams
How do we create space for EVERYONE to be awesome? Some practical tips on improving diversity & representation, and building inclusive environments. From my talk at Personalverardagarna in Stockholm, April 2016.
Practical Diversity: Creating Space to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Practical tips for improving diversity & inclusion in your organisations, with a focus on creating environments in a broad variety of people can be themselves and be successful
My Monolith is Melting - PIPELINE CONF 2015Meri Williams
Bringing change to legacy systems and monolithic waterfall programs is daunting, but doable. In this session we’ll look at a real world example of how we undertook the technical, cultural and process challenges to move to continuous delivery in a big organisation. You’ll hear about the epic battles with the dreaded CAB (Change Approval Board), the fight to move architecture discussions from Word documents to the whiteboards, and the myriad smaller skirmishes along the path to delivering features to our users faster, safer & more measurably.
Modern Leadership & Team Science: Creating Space to Be AwesomeMeri Williams
Our role as technology leaders is changing. And somehow also staying the same. Though we work in new ways – for instance using Agile & Lean – we are still trying to achieve the same thing. Our mission is to create high performing teams to deliver high quality products that help our users and organizations to succeed.
So how do we go about it? First of all, we steal the best lessons we can from psychology, management science, and other fields including sports. Then we focus on how to create an environment in which a diverse range of people can be themselves and be successful.
In this keynote we’ll take a whistle-stop tour of the relevant science, then focus on how to use it in our day-to-day – to create inclusive and effective work environments in which everyone can be awesome.
DPM UK: Stealing Project Management Lessons from Artificial IntelligenceMeri Williams
Slides from today's talk at the Digital Project Management UK conference, on what project management lessons we can steal from artificial intelligence.
Baking Accessibility In Using Agile - Fronteers 2014Meri Williams
Slides from my #fronteers14 talk in Amsterdam, October 2014.
Looking at how we bake accessibility and other good practices into how we work day-to-day, so they aren't an afterthought.
More info including links to books on blog.geekmanager.co.uk
Facebook Business Briefing with Mari Smith - March 2018Mari Smith
The Future of Facebook: What Marketers Need To Know for 2018 and Beyond
Watch the companion Facebook Live here:
https://www.facebook.com/marismith/videos/10155226323975009/
From the Eduserv Symposium 2013 (http://www.eduserv.org.uk/newsandevents/events/2013/symposium) -- blog post with links to the suggested resources at http://blog.geekmanager.co.uk
December 3, 2014 Neurodiversity in the Classroom - Plymouth, MN - HandoutsThomas Armstrong
These are handouts for a full-day workshop I did on December 3, 2014 in Plymouth, Minnesota for a group of educators on the topic of neurodiversity and its applications to the classroom.
5 Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner About Scaling Teams & CultureMeri Williams
In engineering we (rightly) talk a lot about how to scale our systems and our infrastructure. Yet some of our very hardest challenges come when scaling the people side of things. How do you survive your team doubling, tripling or perhaps even a 10x growth in a short period of time? What does it take to grow fast AND retain the bits of your culture as a team or organisation that made you great to begin with? How do you know when to change how you do things, without just cargo culting? Having scaled a number of teams at different speeds, Meri will talk through some of the inflection points you'll experience, how to navigate them, and reflect on all the things she wishes she'd known just a little bit earlier...
Introspection: The Key to Making Your Environment Conducive to Continuous Lea...Jeremy Willets
The heartbeat of the IT world isn’t technology; it’s the people. After all, we work in companies to have company! Whatever our relationship with each other – be it as a peer, manager, or coach – learning is often the essential unit of currency that’s necessary to move our relationships and businesses forward. Unfortunately – and sometimes unexpectedly – the people you work with probably aren’t very good at learning. How can we teach our colleagues, direct reports, and team members to be better learners; and even blossom into continuous learners? I’m a firm believer that practicing introspection is the first step to making your environment conducive to continuous learning.
Managing Design 2016 - building a respectful design team cultureCameron Rogers
In this presentation, I’ll discuss in detail how a less-than-respectful culture of design can unintentionally evolve. I’ll touch briefly on some of the established tools, techniques, and gurus you can call upon to set up your own respectful design culture. Finally I’ll discuss the hard yards you, as a Design Leader, need to put in to avoid or change this culture from crippling your company, and the continual steps you’ll need to take to ensure your respectful design culture remains intact for the long haul.
ThinkNation: "Women quotas in tech" Meri Williams from Chromerose and M&S Dig...Lizzie Hodgson
Diversity isn’t just about the numbers. Though it’s been clearly shown that organisations with better gender representation outperform the competition, somehow this isn’t enough of a “carrot”. Do we need the “stick” of quotas, as has been somewhat successful in the Nordics? How do we build our organisations to be inclusive, so we don’t just place a meat grinder at the end of the pipeline? Meri’s talk looks at these questions and more.
If you are representing a large brand how do you appropriately handle representing them on social media? This presentation discusses how to look at social media communication therapeutically, how to know your audience, how to focus on the people while protecting the brand, how to define your own outlook, how to be prepared for times of crisis, how to plan for community and also how to focus on self preservation.
A simple model to improve meetings. I.C.E. stands for Intent, Content, and Extent. These simple and easy to remember concepts will let us quickly assess any meeting.
Social media is a powerful tool that is currently underused by churches, ministry leaders, and non-profits nationwide.
Most entities under utilize or do not utilize social media at all because they don't understand it. How can this new technology actually help?
Let us show you.
This is a presentation that I gave to a high school entrepreneurship class. I loved their energy and how driven some of them were to make a difference.
Content the Searh Engines will Love with Andy ArestodinaDigital Megaphone
As search evolves, so does optimization. Search results are less about phrases (combinations of words and letters) and more about topics (semantic meanings and entities). So a smart content marketer optimizes for “things, not strings.”
But what exactly does this mean for the writer? In this presentation Andy Crestodina will cover five specific actions we take as content marketers to make sure that your marketing is aligned with the future of SEO.
Watch the presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlclI4k8vRk
Find out more about upcoming events at www.digitalmegaphone.com
Similar to Neurodiversity: The Next Frontier (Agile People Sweden) (16)
The case study discusses the potential of drone delivery and the challenges that need to be addressed before it becomes widespread.
Key takeaways:
Drone delivery is in its early stages: Amazon's trial in the UK demonstrates the potential for faster deliveries, but it's still limited by regulations and technology.
Regulations are a major hurdle: Safety concerns around drone collisions with airplanes and people have led to restrictions on flight height and location.
Other challenges exist: Who will use drone delivery the most? Is it cost-effective compared to traditional delivery trucks?
Discussion questions:
Managerial challenges: Integrating drones requires planning for new infrastructure, training staff, and navigating regulations. There are also marketing and recruitment considerations specific to this technology.
External forces vary by country: Regulations, consumer acceptance, and infrastructure all differ between countries.
Demographics matter: Younger generations might be more receptive to drone delivery, while older populations might have concerns.
Stakeholders for Amazon: Customers, regulators, aviation authorities, and competitors are all stakeholders. Regulators likely hold the greatest influence as they determine the feasibility of drone delivery.
Senior Project and Engineering Leader Jim Smith.pdfJim Smith
I am a Project and Engineering Leader with extensive experience as a Business Operations Leader, Technical Project Manager, Engineering Manager and Operations Experience for Domestic and International companies such as Electrolux, Carrier, and Deutz. I have developed new products using Stage Gate development/MS Project/JIRA, for the pro-duction of Medical Equipment, Large Commercial Refrigeration Systems, Appliances, HVAC, and Diesel engines.
My experience includes:
Managed customized engineered refrigeration system projects with high voltage power panels from quote to ship, coordinating actions between electrical engineering, mechanical design and application engineering, purchasing, production, test, quality assurance and field installation. Managed projects $25k to $1M per project; 4-8 per month. (Hussmann refrigeration)
Successfully developed the $15-20M yearly corporate capital strategy for manufacturing, with the Executive Team and key stakeholders. Created project scope and specifications, business case, ROI, managed project plans with key personnel for nine consumer product manufacturing and distribution sites; to support the company’s strategic sales plan.
Over 15 years of experience managing and developing cost improvement projects with key Stakeholders, site Manufacturing Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Maintenance, and facility support personnel to optimize pro-duction operations, safety, EHS, and new product development. (BioLab, Deutz, Caire)
Experience working as a Technical Manager developing new products with chemical engineers and packaging engineers to enhance and reduce the cost of retail products. I have led the activities of multiple engineering groups with diverse backgrounds.
Great experience managing the product development of products which utilize complex electrical controls, high voltage power panels, product testing, and commissioning.
Created project scope, business case, ROI for multiple capital projects to support electrotechnical assembly and CPG goods. Identified project cost, risk, success criteria, and performed equipment qualifications. (Carrier, Electrolux, Biolab, Price, Hussmann)
Created detailed projects plans using MS Project, Gant charts in excel, and updated new product development in Jira for stakeholders and project team members including critical path.
Great knowledge of ISO9001, NFPA, OSHA regulations.
User level knowledge of MRP/SAP, MS Project, Powerpoint, Visio, Mastercontrol, JIRA, Power BI and Tableau.
I appreciate your consideration, and look forward to discussing this role with you, and how I can lead your company’s growth and profitability. I can be contacted via LinkedIn via phone or E Mail.
Jim Smith
678-993-7195
jimsmith30024@gmail.com
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities to radically reinvent the way we do business. This study explores how CEOs and top decision makers around the world are responding to the transformative potential of AI.
Oprah Winfrey: A Leader in Media, Philanthropy, and Empowerment | CIO Women M...CIOWomenMagazine
This person is none other than Oprah Winfrey, a highly influential figure whose impact extends beyond television. This article will delve into the remarkable life and lasting legacy of Oprah. Her story serves as a reminder of the importance of perseverance, compassion, and firm determination.
The Team Member and Guest Experience - Lead and Take Care of your restaurant team. They are the people closest to and delivering Hospitality to your paying Guests!
Make the call, and we can assist you.
408-784-7371
Foodservice Consulting + Design
6. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Diversity is a Spectrum
Active hatred &
discrimination (*isms)
Micro
aggressions
Indifference
Active inclusion
Tolerance
7. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
“A micro-aggression is
telling young boys that
they are very smart,
and telling young girls
that they are very
pretty. ”
- Faruk Ates @kurafire
8. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
ISN’T A FULLY INCLUSIVE
ENVIRONMENT BETTER?
PROTIP: Helps Everyone!
9. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
BUT WHAT DOES THAT INCLUSION
MEAN IN TERMS OF MANAGING &
LEADING PEOPLE?
10. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
As much as 40% better
Much energy is spent
if you have to hide
your private life, or
pretend to be
something you’re not
12. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Neurodiversity
“Neurodiversity is an approach to learning and disability that
suggests that diverse neurological conditions appear as a result
of normal variations of the human genome.
The neurodiversity movement frames autism, bipolarity and
other neurotypes as a natural human variation rather than a
pathology or disorder, and its advocates reject the idea that
neurological differences need to be (or can be) cured, as they
believe them to be authentic forms of human diversity, self
expression, and being”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurodiversity
19. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Across industries, across
countries, the best
performing teams
answer certain
questions positively
20. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Predictors of High Performance
1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for good work?
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a
person?
6. Is there someone at work who cares about my development?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is
important?
9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
11. In the last 6 months, have I talked with someone about my development?
12. At work, have I had opportunities to learn and grow?
23. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Predictors of High Performance (remix)
PURPOSE
• Does the mission/purpose of my company
make me feel like my work is important?
AUTONOMY
• Do I know what is expected of me at
work?
• At work, do my opinions seem to count?
INCLUSION:
• In the last 7 days, have I received
recognition or praise for good work?
• Does my supervisor, or someone at work,
seem to care about me as a person?
• Do I have a best friend at work?
MASTERY
• Do I have the materials &
equipment I need to do my work
right?
• At work, do I have the
opportunity to do what I do best
every day?
• Is there someone at work who
cares about my development?
• Are my co-workers committed to
doing quality work?
• In the last 6 months, have I
talked with someone about my
development?
• At work, have I had
opportunities to learn and
grow?
25. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WE NEED TO STOP LEVELLING
PEOPLE OUT TO EQUAL
CONSISTENT MEDIOCRITY
AND INSTEAD
FOCUS ON GETTING THE MOST OUT
OF DIFFERENCE
34. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
SPACE TO BE AWESOME =
+ PURPOSE (Do I believe in WHY?)
+ AUTONOMY (Do I get a say in WHAT?)
+ MASTERY (Am I proud of HOW?)
+ INCLUSION (Do I BELONG HERE?)
- ANY NEGATIVE FACTORS THAT DETRACT
35. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Craft Inclusive Environments
1. Am I EXPECTED here?
2. Am I RESPECTED here?
3. Can I BE MYSELF and BE SUCCESSFUL
here?
36. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Am I EXPECTED?
• Be prepared
• Educate yourself & others
• Adjust your recruitment & interview process
• Craft roles that embrace some of those hidden
abilities
• Look for the missing skill that might bring
unique value
• Enable pairing / team-ups
38. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Am I EXPECTED?
• Think about environments
• Understand how many office environments
are particularly difficult for folks with different
abilities
• Enable respite
(we provide prayer rooms; how different is
this?)
39. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Am I RESPECTED?
• Are my superpowers valuable here?
• Do I get to focus on the things I am brilliant
at?
• Do people understand and respect difference?
• Do we value diversity, rather than just tolerate
it?
40. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Am I RESPECTED?
• Educate the team
• Invest in people
understanding better
and not dismissing
difference
• Find ways to appreciate
all kinds of contributions
41. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Can I BE MYSELF and BE SUCCESSFUL?
• Does this culture reward people like me?
• Do I have to change who I am to succeed
here?
• How much energy do I have to spend
pretending?
• Does my manager care about me? Will they
adapt when they can?
42. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
ENERGY SPENT HIDING IS WASTED
ENERGY INVESTED IN FINDING
MIDDLE GROUND LESS SO
43. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Some Adjustments I Made As a
Manager of Aspies (YMMV)
• Side-by-side 1:1s (for folks who struggle with
eye contact)
• Offering to give feedback by text / email /
Slack to allow extra processing time
• Split 1:1s (talk … break ... talk)
• Acting as a “translation layer”
44. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
IN GENERAL, CHALLENGE THE MERE
EXISTENCE OF “NORMAL”
DON’T ACCEPT A DEFAULT
45. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
WHEN WE SAY “THIS IS NORMAL”
WE ARE AUTOMATICALLY
“OTHERING”
48. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
Craft Inclusive Environments
1. Am I EXPECTED here?
2. Am I RESPECTED here?
3. Can I BE MYSELF and BE SUCCESSFUL
here?
49. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
GO!
SHAPE/MAKE SPACE
BE AWESOME
BE INCLUSIVE
And thank you for participating
Need help? meri@chromerose.co.uk