John Grant

Tell us about your neurodiversity and how it has shown up during your career?

My neurodiversity is actually Tourettes, but most people don't know that. I regularly twitch, which is quite visible, and I have a stutter too. It's part of who I am – not quite ‘normal’, whatever that is! 

Tell us about how you lead others? 

I try to treat everyone the same, whether they are a CEO or a graduate. I do not distance myself from others the way some senior leaders do, but try to connect with people individually. Motivating people, bringing fun and treating people with respect are important to me. 

Recently, when leading 150 people across 5 countries to deliver a project, I made an effort to get know the team and create an environment where people were able to discuss and challenge without fear. I also tried to use appropriate humour to keep things going when times got tough, with important topics such whether you’d rather eat a big bowl of spaghetti with a spoon, or big bowl of soup with a fork! I try to be a human being in the middle of high pressure situations.

How has your neurodiversity helped you as a leader? What have been the challenges?

I'll start with the challenges, as it's very obvious that I both twitch and stutter. Whilst some neurodiverse conditions can be less evident, mine are quite immediately visible – anyone who listens to me talking will pick up my stutter, and anyone who sees me in person will notice my twitching.The visibility means it can be difficult to manage the impact of a particular strange arm twitch or an elongated stutter, and I’ve had situations in work in the past where it has made things awkward. In particular, when I was more junior it could be difficult to speak up in group calls or meetings as a stutter can really disrupt the flow of conversation. Flailing my arms about on camera is quite similarly distracting! 

And how is it helped? I recognise that everyone has their quirks, so I try to see people for who they are and what they can bring to a project, rather than expecting everyone to work in a particular way. It also makes me want to give people an opportunity to prove themselves when they might not ordinarily get it. 

I remember what it’s like to be more junior; I promised myself that when I got into a position of seniority I would give my teams the support I never had. That drives me to support a lot of talent and personal development activities, which I think is really important as a leader.

What support do you think neurodiverse leaders need to excel?

Like all leaders, I think neurodiverse leaders just need the right conditions to succeed.

Being tired and stressed really makes my Tourette’s worse and Covid was a particularly challenging time for me once meetings shifted online and we worked long days. In virtual meetings you can miss the visual cues that are a key part of communication, which I think made the twitch and stutter more obvious. I’m therefore a big advocate of heading back into the office and having a balanced work day.

Having a culture that gives you confidence to embrace and talk about your diversity at work is really valuable. It can turn your neurodiversity from being felt as an issue to a strength, and help you realise that it’s not seen quite so negatively from the outside as you might think. I would also recommend some sort of talking therapy which, whilst not a cure, is helpful to understand yourself and can be great for your mental health.

Who has inspired you?

I’ve not had many role models with a stammer or twitch, let alone both! I’ve had leaders who’ve been supportive of me, but they haven’t had either issue themselves.

There are some public figures who are known to have had a stutter, but they’re normally portrayed as having ‘cured’ or fully controlled it. People like President Joe Biden, the singer Gareth Gates and the politician Ed Balls. I don’t think that’s relatable for most people who stutter.

In terms of Tourette’s, it’s occasionally mentioned in the media but rarely connected to someone I could see as a role model or aspire to be. I therefore take a lot of inspiration, particularly leadership inspiration, from reading about others and picking out the elements that apply to me. I enjoy biographies as I think that you can so much from real life examples, and helps me reflect on my leadership and what I have learned. For example, I’m currently enjoying Stephen Schwartzman’s autobiography from his time as the co-founder of Blackstone. He has a real focus on enabling strong team cultures, with the right people following clear processes. He’s someone who would very well lead a team of neurodiverse people!