What if the traits you thought made you ‘weird’… are actually what make you a brilliant leader?

In this episode of Culture by Neurodesign, Dr Lisa Colledge speaks with Lee September, Software Engineering Manager at Bol.com.

Lee shares how discovering his neurodivergence, and embracing traits like sensitivity, empathy and deep perception, have shaped the way he leads. These traits have become key assets in both his leadership of a tech team and his work as a driving force behind Bol.com’s successful Neurodivergence Business Resource Group (BRG).

🎧 This episode is especially for:

• BRG or ERG leads looking for inspiration to maintain progress.

• Neurodivergent professionals finding their own leadership voice.

• Leaders ready to evolve their team culture to encourage curiosity.

🔥 Key themes include:

• How discovering his neurodivergence shaped Lee’s leadership journey.

• BRG leadership, strategy, and sustaining momentum, without burning out.

• Practical ways that team leads can build neuroinclusive team environments.

• What happens when you lead with empathy and trust, and let people surprise you. Whether you’re building a business case for neuro-inclusion, or starting to define your own authentic leadership style, Lee’s story shows why the future of our workplaces is neurodivergent-aware and -enabling.

Just starting out as a team lead?

Download my free First 100 Days Guide to start building a team that performs — and grows with you:

👉 lisacolledgeconsulting.com/new-team-lead-guide #neurodivergence

#inclusionmatters #resilience #neurodivergent #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #leadershipskills #inclusiveleadership #inclusiveteams #Sensitiveleadership #NeurodivergentBRG #NeurodivergentERG #emotionalintelligence #emotionalintelligenceskills #authenticleadership #empathyinbusiness #teamculture #psychologicalsafety #selfdiscovery #highsensitivity #highlysensitiveperson

What does a school play for neurodivergent children have to teach us about leadership and team performance?

In this personal episode, I share a moment that reminded me exactly why I started this work:

I believe that everyone can do something extraordinary—when you enable them to succeed.

- Why our expectations shape outcomes more than we think.

- How small sensory anchors created safety and enabled brilliance.

- What music, visual cues, and neutral facial expressions teach us about inclusivity.

Whether you lead teams, hire talent, or want to build a culture where people flourish, this one will remind you what’s at the roots of our aspirations.

I'm Lisa, and I take inspiration from neurodivergence-inclusion to help leaders create cognitively inclusive cultures that connect people with different cognitive styles, empowering everyone to contribute their best.

Learn how my services can transform your team: https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/services

#neurodivergence #inclusionmatters #resilience #autistic #autistictalent #neurodivergent #neurodivergentstrength #autisticchild #autisticchildren #inclusiveteams #visualcommunication #teamcalmstrategies #leadership #leadershipsupport #creativity #neurodivergentsupport #neurodivergentkids #hiddenpotential #school #psychologicalsafety #neurodivergenteducation #visualcues

What do autistic pattern recognition, Temple Grandin’s visual thinking, and Israel’s elite intelligence unit have in common?

In this episode of Culture by Neurodesign, Dr Lisa Colledge explores why neurodivergent thinking styles - such as autistic and dyslexic neurotypes - are a natural match for high-performance roles in cybersecurity and intelligence.

From Unit 9900 in the Israeli Defence Forces to the US Federal Workforce pilot, this episode explores how visual cognition, spatial reasoning, and anomaly detection are turning teams including neurodivergent individuals into national security assets.

Drawing on neuroscience from Professor Laurent Mottron, real-world recruitment practices, and Temple Grandin’s vivid personal insights, Lisa also reflects on how leaders can build teams where different neurostyles complement and amplify each other.

Other episodes referred to in this podcast are:

• Episode 15 – Autism, allism, and innovation: a case study with Professor Laurent Mottron. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/autism-allism-and-innovation-a-case-study-with-prof-laurent-mottron

In this episode, Dr Lisa Colledge introduced Professor Mottron and discussed his collaborative approach with autistic researchers, showcasing how combining different thinking styles lead his research lab to innovative outcomes.

• Episode 16 – From constraints to creativity: dyslexia and innovation. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/the-dyslexic-brain-and-a-blueprint-for-resilient-innovative-teams

Relating to GCHQ’s recruitment of dyslexic individuals for signal intelligence and anomaly detection, this episode discusses the enhanced holistic perception and big-picture thinking associated with dyslexics.

• Episode 33 – Autism and Silicon Valley: a case study in neuro-inclusive design. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/autism-and-silicon-valley-a-case-study-in-neuro-inclusive-design

This episode is another example of how a particular function – in this case the technological functions of Silicon Valley – are a natural fit with the skills associated with autistic individuals.

• Episode 34 – Anti-bias brains that excel in logic and rational decision-making. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/anti-bias-brains-that-excel-in-logic-and-rational-decision-making

Dr Lisa Colledge shared several examples of how autistic brains resist the cognitive biases associated with heuristics (cognitive shortcuts), and the importance of this enhanced rationality in decision-making.

Temple Grandin’s chapter describing her visual thinking style is: My Mind is a Web Browser: How People with Autism Think. (1995) Published in Learning and Cognition in Autism, Eric Schopler and Gary B. Mesibov (eds), Plenum Press, New York. Chapter 8, pp.137-156. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232499978_My_Mind_is_a_Web_Browser_How_People_with_Autism_Think

I'm Lisa, and I take inspiration from neurodivergence-inclusion to help leaders create cognitively inclusive cultures that connect people with different cognitive styles, empowering everyone to contribute their best.

Learn how my services can transform your team: https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/services

#neurodivergence #inclusionmatters #talentmanagement #innovation #resilience #decisionmaking #autistic #autistictalent #neurodivergent #neurodivergentstrength #teamgrowth #teamsuccess #neuroinspiredteams #autisticintelligencework #neurodivergentcybersecurity #cybersecurity #templegrandin #Unit9900autism #visualthinkersindefense #visualthinkers #patternrecognition #GCHQdyslexiarecruitment #GCHQ #LaurentMottron #intelligenceroles

Autism hiring programs, like those of SAP and Microsoft, proved that neurodivergent talent can supercharge innovation, retention, and team performance. But what if you’re a team lead, founder, or manager without a big organizational program behind you?

In this episode, D. Lisa Colledge explores why these initiatives, while groundbreaking in their time, aren’t enouigh for today’s teams. Often don’t scale: they rely on formal diagnosis, central coordination, and deep resources, and they leave out many people who could benefit.

You’ll hear how companies like ASML and EY are evolving beyond diagnosis-based models, and how Lisa’s FIT Framework - Fair, Intentional, Team-Minded - gives any team a way to anticipate the different neurostyles you know are present, and build inclusion into daily practice.

If you’re thinking about creating an environment where different thinking styles thrive, but don’t have access to one of these didicated programs, this episode is for you.

The following podcast episodes are referred to:

• The perfect match between the skills that autistic talent tends to have and the needs of technology - Episode 33: Autism and Silicon Valley: a case study in neuro-inclusive design. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/autism-and-silicon-valley-a-case-study-in-neuro-inclusive-design

• The risks associated with building a team on one star performer – episode 31: The hidden cost of rock stars—and what great leaders do instead. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/the-hidden-cost-of-rock-starsand-what-great-leaders-do-instead

• How the skills associated with different neurostyles align along the stages of the innovation cycle, from ideation to execution - episode 14: Innovation through the lens of the six working geniuses. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/innovation-through-the-lens-of-the-six-working-geniuses And this article is mentioned - Stop waiting for a diagnosis: neuro-inclusive design beats tradition so you can outpace, outperform and outlast your competition. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/inside-view/stop-waiting-for-a-diagnosis-neuro-inclusive-design-beats-tradition

I'm Lisa, and I take inspiration from neurodivergence-inclusion to help leaders create cognitively inclusive cultures that connect people with different cognitive styles, empowering everyone to contribute their best.

Learn how my services can transform your team: https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/services

#neurodivergence #inclusión #inclusionmatters #talentmanagement #innovation #resilience #decisionmaking #autistic #autistictalent #autism #techhiring #asml #FITframework #EYCentersofExcellence #Inclusionwithoutdiagnosis #Autismhiringprograms #Microsoftautism #Dandelionprogram #teamculture #Cognitiveinclusion #inclusiveleadership #psychologicalsafety #techteams #techindustry

We like to think of ourselves as rational—but science tells a different story. Our brains are wired to take shortcuts so we can take rapid, instinct-based decisions, and while that helped our ancestors survive, today it can leads to sub-optimal outcomes.

In this episode of Culture by Neurodesign, Dr Lisa Colledge discusses how the information processing style of autistic thinkers is more resistant to these “heuristics” and emotion-driven biases—and why that matters for your team’s performance. From rejecting sunk costs to resisting framing traps and decoy pricing tricks, autistic brains tend to be less susceptible to innate biases that cloud rationality.

Through real-world examples and psychological research, this episode shows why neurodivergent logic is an advantage. In high-stakes, data-rich environments, that clarity can mean the difference between good outcomes and great ones.

This is not about labels. It’s about learning to build team cultures that attract and enable different styles of thinking—so that better decisions become the norm, not the exception.

Related resources:

• If you’d like to read an article version of this material: Rational decision making: how autistic brains beat bias

• Listen to a podcast about the natural fit of autistic traits with the skills needed for successful performance in Silicon Valley: Autism and Silicon Valley: a case study in neuro-inclusive design.

I'm Lisa, and I take inspiration from neurodivergence-inclusion to help leaders create cognitively inclusive cultures that connect people with different cognitive styles, empowering everyone to contribute their best.

Learn how my services can transform your team: https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/services

#neurodivergence #Inclusion #talentmanagement #innovation #resilience #decisionmaking #autistic #autistictalent #groupthink #decoyeffect #Framingbias #Ultimatumgamepsychology #neurodivergent #neurodivergentstrength #teamgrowth #teamsuccess #neuroinspiredteams #neuroinclusivedesign

In this episode of Culture by Neurodesign, Dr Lisa Colledge explores what happens when culture meets people where they are—not where we think they should be.

Using Steve Silberman’s now-classic Wired article The Geek Syndrome as a starting point, Lisa describes how Silicon Valley became a pioneer in neuro-inclusion—by attracting talented people, with traits that made them well suited to technology and that also happen to be associated with autism. These people created a particular culture in which they could lead with their strengths.

We explore:

• Why autistic talent gravitated towards Silicon Valley—and thrived.

• What cultural features made this possible (hint: clarity, logic, structure, and asynchronous workflows).

• What companies keen to build capabilities in AI team performance can learn from this.

• Why designing for neurodivergence is not about charity—it’s a performance strategy.

Related resources:

• Culture by Neurodesign, Episode 15: Autism, allism, and innovation: a case study with Prof. Laurent Mottron. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/podcast/autism-allism-and-innovation-a-case-study-with-prof-laurent-mottron

• The classic referenced article: The Geek Syndrome by Steve Silberman (2001, Wired). https://www.wired.com/2001/12/aspergers/

• If you’d like to read an article version of this material: Autism traits and high-performing teams: lessons from Silicon Valley. https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/inside-view/building-high-performing-teams-lessons-from-silicon-valley

I'm Lisa, and I take inspiration from neurodivergence-inclusion to help leaders create cognitively inclusive cultures that connect people with different cognitive styles, empowering everyone to contribute their best.

Learn how my services can transform your team: https://www.lisacolledgeconsulting.com/services

#siliconvalley #siliconvalleylife #SteveSilbermanGeekSyndrome #Geeksyndrome #SteveSilberman #autismatwork #neurodivergence #ai #autisticstrengths #autistictalent #neuroinclusiveteams #neuroinclusive #designingfordifference #inclusion #futureofwork #futureofinclusion #neuroinspiredteams #neuroinclusivedesign #neurodivergence #talentmanagement #innovation #resilience

In this episode of Culture by Neurodesign, Dr Lisa Colledge speaks directly to leaders who aim to take advantage of a growth opportunity, but sense that something is not quite right in their team—even when everything on the surface looks fine.

These early signals—low energy, stalled projects, reduced initiative—are culture alarms. They are subtle, and easy to ignore, but they are real. And most leaders, pressed for time or doubting their instincts, hit snooze and settle for lower levels of success than are available.

Lisa shares personal and client stories that illustrate what happens when those alarms are ignored—and what becomes possible when they’re heard and acted on. She discusses spotting the early signs of employee disengagement, and why proactive cultural design is one of the smartest growth moves a leader can make.

This isn’t about blame—it’s about reclaiming momentum. If your team is drifting, it can be reshaped. Culture can be adjusted. And with the right actions, you can reignite energy, recover your growth trajectory, and safeguard your competitiveness in the future—fast.

I’m Dr Lisa Colledge, and I help ambitious leaders build future-ready teams they trust to deliver now and adapt to whatever’s next — driving engagement, performance, and enduring resilience.

Learn more about building Neuro-Inspired Teams that outpace, outperform, and outlast your competition.

What if the team member you rely on most—the one who always delivers—is quietly limiting your team’s growth?

In this episode of Culture by Neurodesign, Dr Lisa Colledge explores the risks of over-relyiance on high performers, and what it really takes to build a high performing, innovative team.

Through personal stories, research, and actionable insights, Lisa unpacks why rewarding only individual brilliance alienates others, leads to burnout, and limits growth.

You'll hear how Neuro-Inclusive Teams inclusive team design unlocks sustainable performance from everyone on your team, including your stars.

Learn about:

• Why rock stars can unintentionally limit growth.
• Four key risks of over-relying on individual brilliance.
• A real-life, game-changing experiment in inclusive project selection.
• How neuro-inclusive teams outperform the competition now, and tomorrow.

I’m Dr Lisa Colledge, and I help ambitious leaders build future-ready teams they trust to deliver now and adapt to whatever’s next — driving engagement, performance, and enduring resilience.

Learn more about building Neuro-Inspired Teams that outpace, outperform, and outlast your competition.