Neurodiversity in the Team: What Does It Mean for You as a Leader?
Different brains require different approaches. As a leader, it's essential to understand and support the well-being of your employees, regardless of whether your team includes neurodivergent individuals or not.
Neurodiversity refers to the natural variation in the human brain, meaning that people think, learn, and process information in different ways. In a workplace context, this includes employees with diagnoses such as ADHD, autism, and other cognitive differences.
According to the Danish organization Specialisterne, approximately 15% of the workforce in Denmark is neurodivergent. However, the same source reports that up to 80% of working-age neurodivergent individuals are currently outside the labor market.
This reveals a significant untapped potential for companies that succeed in including and effectively leading neurodivergent employees.
Why Neurodiversity Should Be a Leadership Priority
Including neurodivergent employees is not only a matter of social responsibility—it also strengthens a company’s competitiveness. Neurodivergent individuals often bring unique strengths such as strong attention to detail, creative problem-solving, and the ability to think and operate in different ways.
When teams include neurodivergent employees, there is often a natural need for clearer communication, more structured processes, and collaborative practices that accommodate different working styles. This tends to have a positive effect on the team’s overall dynamic and resilience.
Companies like EY and Specialisterne have shown that an inclusive approach to neurodiversity can lead to greater innovation and better decision-making. Furthermore, a study by the Hans Knudsen Institute and Norstat, as reported by Cabi, shows that 35% of neurodivergent employees have considered quitting because their needs were not being met.
If, as a leader, you develop a general awareness of your employees’ needs and learn to lead with that in mind, it can result in positive outcomes for the entire team.
Learn more: How to Strengthen Mental Health in the Workplace
6 Practical Leadership Strategies for Neurodiversity
Creating an inclusive and effective workplace where both neurotypical and neurodivergent employees thrive requires more than good intentions. It calls for a conscious, systematic approach to leadership in practice.
Below, we present six practical leadership strategies that are particularly effective in teams with cognitive diversity. They are based on principles of relational leadership and organizational flexibility — and they all have one thing in common: they enhance both well-being and performance across the entire team, not just for individuals.
1. Clarify Roles and Expectations Clearly
Clear roles and expectations are the foundation of effective collaboration. As a leader, you should use job descriptions, visual work plans, and realistic deadlines to create structure and direction within the team. This kind of clarity not only supports neurodivergent employees but also benefits the entire team by making tasks and responsibilities easier to navigate.
2. Foster Psychological Safety Without Singling People Out
Promote a culture where it’s normal to talk openly about different work needs. As a leader, avoid isolating neurodivergent employees by offering “special treatment.” Instead, integrate adjustments into the team’s overall workflows. A healthy team culture allows room for individual differences without making anyone feel singled out.
3. Communicate Clearly and in Multiple Formats
Combine written and verbal communication. Repeat key messages and use visual aids. This helps ensure that all employees understand and remember important information. It also gives your team reassurance by making it clear where, when, and how important updates will be communicated.
Learn more: What is assertive communication and how is it used?
4. Flexibility in the Workday
As a leader, it’s a good idea to offer flexible working hours and the option to work from home when possible. Fortunately, we live in a digital world that allows for asynchronous and hybrid work approaches. Enable asynchronous task execution so that, within your organization’s framework, employees can adapt their workday to suit their individual needs.
5. Provide Ongoing, Tailored, and Action-Oriented Feedback
Feedback is a crucial part of any leadership role—and even more so in a neurodivergent team, where the need for clarity, recognition, and structure can vary significantly from person to person.
Feedback should always be specific, context-based, and focused on behaviors and actions—not personality. Avoid vague generalizations like “you’re too slow” or “you’re not committed.” Instead, speak in concrete terms, for example:
“I noticed that the task was submitted after the deadline. What was the challenge, and how can we adjust the schedule going forward?”
As a leader, you should also consider what type of feedback is most meaningful to each employee. This requires understanding individual preferences and needs, and setting clear expectations around the feedback situation. It’s often helpful to agree on regular check-ins (e.g. every two weeks) instead of only providing feedback when something goes wrong. Regularity creates predictability and psychological safety—and gives you, as a leader, a better chance to spot patterns and adjust early.
Finally, feedback should be given in a calm and supportive tone that clearly signals the purpose is development—not control. The goal is not to “fix” the employee, but to give them the best possible conditions for success. That’s both good leadership and good well-being policy.
6. Create Inclusive Work Routines
Establish consistent routines for your team—for example, weekly check-in meetings on Mondays and check-out meetings on Fridays. By introducing regular elements that employees can rely on, you create predictability for the whole team.
Over time, these meetings can also help build trust and psychological safety—especially if you foster an inclusive and curious atmosphere. One simple way to do this is by opening with a question like:
“What’s taking up your headspace this week?”
Keep it concrete and relevant. What your employees did over the weekend isn’t always important—and if it is, it will likely come up in the response to the question anyway.
Read more: Trust-Based Leadership: Creating Success Through Trust
Frequently Asked Questions from Leaders
How can I support employees without focusing on diagnoses?
The key is not the diagnosis, but the behaviors and working conditions. As a leader, you often don’t have full insight into an employee’s internal thought processes, so it's important to approach with genuine curiosity.
Pay attention to patterns in work behavior:
Does an employee struggle with shifting deadlines, open office environments, or unstructured meetings? It’s not your job to diagnose—but to support employees who clearly aren't thriving or may need a helping hand.
Instead of focusing on labels, ask open questions like:
“How do you work best?”
“Is there anything in the team’s structure that feels like a barrier in your day-to-day work?”
By asking open, neutral questions about work preferences, you create a safe space for adjustments without crossing personal boundaries.
How can I ensure the team doesn’t view accommodations as unfair treatment?
A common concern among leaders is that colleagues may perceive individualized support as favoritism. But as a leader, you shouldn’t treat neurodivergent employees fundamentally differently—you should practice differentiated leadership.
A relational leadership approach means tailoring your leadership to the needs and strengths of each individual, regardless of cognitive profile.
The key to avoiding perceptions of unfairness is to normalize flexibility as a shared condition—and to clearly communicate that adjustments are made to support performance and well-being, not based on personal preferences or special treatment.
Example: When adjusting workflows—such as offering flexible meeting participation or using visual task management—frame it as part of your leadership philosophy:
“In our team, we work with flexible structures because we know that people thrive and perform differently. It’s part of how we create progress and development.”
Learn more: What Is Agile Leadership and How Can You Master It?
Where Should I Start?
Start small—begin with team dialogue and leadership structure. You don’t need a fully developed HR setup or expert knowledge to be an inclusive leader. Most initiatives are simply sound leadership practices for everyone:
- Review your meeting culture: Is it structured, predictable, and inclusive?
- Evaluate your feedback culture: Is feedback thoughtful and adapted to individual needs?
- Assess task distribution: Is it transparent, realistic, and clearly communicated?
The most important step is to move from intention to action. You don’t need to have all the answers, but you do need to ask the right questions and remain open to making adjustments.
What If I Make Mistakes in My Leadership?
You probably will—and that’s okay. Inclusive leadership isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being transparent and open to change. As a leader, you should set the tone for a culture where mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn, not failures.
Try saying something like:
“I’m trying to create the best possible conditions for all of us. If something isn’t working or could be improved, I’d love to hear about it.”
Leadership in practice is about relationships, dialogue, and continuous learning. Neuroinclusive leadership isn’t a special form of leadership—it’s simply qualified leadership for modern, diverse teams.
Neuroinclusive Leadership Is Good Leadership for Everyone
Leading neurodivergent employees requires awareness, adaptability, and empathy. But the benefits are clear: increased innovation, improved well-being, and a more inclusive workplace. By implementing the strategies outlined above, leaders can create an environment where every employee can do their best work.
Would you like a no-obligation conversation about how you, as a leader, can better support your employees? Get in touch with us here.
