Neuroinclusion isn’t a perk. It’s a performance strategy.

When I heard the words “your son has autism,” I started seeing something I’d never noticed before: how many of the systems around us are designed for one kind of mind. Schools. Doctor’s offices. Social events. And, it turns out, most workplaces.

Job descriptions full of vague, jargon-heavy requirements. Interviews that reward fast small talk more than skill. Meetings with no agenda where the loudest voice wins. None of it is malicious. But all of it quietly filters out people who think, communicate, or process differently, often the same people who would have spotted the risk no one else saw.

Neurodiversity, in plain language

Neurodiversity is the natural variation in how human brains work. It includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourette syndrome, and more. Neurodivergent people are already on your team, whether or not they’ve told you. The question is whether your ways of working help them contribute fully, or make them spend their energy masking and compensating.

Why this is a performance issue, not a perk

Here’s what I’ve seen across 20+ years of leading teams: the practices that make work accessible to neurodivergent people make work better for everyone. Clear written expectations help the new hire, the person working in their second language, and the exhausted working parent. Agendas sent in advance help the deep thinker and the person juggling five meetings. This is the “curb-cut effect.” Design for the edges, and the middle benefits too.

And teams that genuinely think differently make better decisions. They challenge assumptions, catch errors earlier, and find solutions a room full of similar minds would miss. More diversity means more success. That’s why I treat inclusion as non-negotiable.

What this looked like in practice

At Microsoft, I put this into action alongside my day job leading a national technical sales team. I removed biased language from our job descriptions, referred diverse candidates for open roles, and mentored neurodiverse candidates and employees through Microsoft’s Neurodiversity Hiring Program and Neurodiverse Community. I also mentored a participant from the Chicago Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities and presented to teams on neurodiversity and inclusive hiring.

None of that slowed the business down. That same period included some of my team’s strongest results, and 100% retention.

Five changes any manager can make this quarter

1. Rewrite one job description. Cut the jargon and the long “nice-to-have” wish list. Describe the actual work and what success looks like in the first six months.
2. Share interview questions in advance. You’re hiring for how someone will do the job, not how fast they perform under surprise pressure. Offer a work-sample option where it makes sense.
3. Make agendas and written follow-ups the norm. Every meeting gets a purpose up front and a short written recap after: decisions, owners, and dates.
4. Ask everyone “How do you work best?” Put it in every 1:1, not just for people who disclose a diagnosis. Communication style, focus time, feedback preferences, and sensory needs all count.
5. Offer more than one way to contribute. Chat, comments in a shared doc, or a follow-up note after the meeting. Great ideas don’t always arrive out loud and on the spot.

Different minds. Stronger teams. Better futures. It isn’t a slogan. It’s a strategy.

If you want a longer checklist, my free Neuroinclusive Manager’s Starter Kit has 25 practical changes, from the job posting to the 1:1. And if your ERG or leadership team wants to go deeper, I’d love to talk.