Divergent Leadership
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Personal Challenge
Kate is a high-performing strategic leader known for creativity, rapid problem-solving, and visionary thinking. However, as her responsibilities expanded to include leading a large cross-functional team, she began experiencing challenges with prioritization, executive presence in meetings, and sustaining focus in environments with high sensory and social demand:
- Identify her “Spikes” and how to leverage them appropriately to enable personal and business success.
- Better understand, influence and emphatise with her neurotypical collegues while protecting her authenticity.
- Reposition her assumptions around the need to “Manage Up”.
- Deploy a number of strategies unique to her that enables enhanced stress management.
Enhance self-awareness and self-regulation to manage cognitive load and attention.
Build systems to prioritize effectively and maintain strategic oversight.
Develop communication strategies aligned with Kate’s authentic leadership style.
Strengthen resilience and well-being to prevent burnout.
Foster psychological safety and neuroinclusion within her team
| Area | Intervention / Opportunity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Focus & Attention | Time-blocking + visual task mapping | Created visual frameworks to manage complex projects and reduce overwhelm. Implemented structured “deep work” blocks aligned with her natural focus rhythms. |
| Strength Identification | Identify and leverage “spikes” | Mapped Kate’s exceptional abilities in systems thinking, creative problem-solving, and rapid synthesis. Designed strategies to channel these strengths toward innovation, mentoring, and strategic influence. |
| Communication | Authentic executive presence | Reframed “professionalism” to highlight directness, creativity, and deep focus as leadership strengths. Introduced narrative techniques that align with her communication style. |
| Energy Management | Sensory regulation plan | Adjusted workspace, introduced decompression time after high-stimulation meetings, and leveraged remote flexibility to maintain peak performance. |
| Team Dynamics | Neuroinclusive leadership practices | Trained Kate to model transparency around neurodivergence and implement flexible collaboration norms that improved team empathy and adaptability. |
| Strategic Impact | Align strengths with business outcomes | Developed frameworks to translate Kate’s visionary thinking into tangible business strategy. Focused on identifying “high leverage” areas where her spikes created measurable organizational value. |
| Self-Leadership | Sustainable performance systems | Built routines that integrate rest, reflection, and structured planning, ensuring consistent performance without burnout. |
Outcomes:
Improved Strategic Clarity: Kate reported a 40% reduction in time spent on reactive work, enabling more focus on long-term strategic planning.
Enhanced Team Engagement: 360-feedback showed a 25% increase in team trust and psychological safety scores.
Authentic Leadership: Kate presented a new strategic vision to the executive board with high confidence and authenticity, receiving commendation for clarity and originality.
Sustainable Performance: Reduced work-related fatigue and increased recovery time, resulting in consistent productivity without burnout.
Cultural Ripple Effect: Kate initiated a neuroinclusion discussion series within her division, influencing broader culture and leadership practices.
Client
European Director of Strategy
Date
`4 March 2025
Category
Neurodiverse Coaching
Location
Europe