The skills AI cannot replicate may be the ones neurodivergent communicators have always had. In our latest series, we speak with senior neurodivergent communications professionals to explore what that means for talent, teams and the future of the industry. In this interview, Madeleine Weightman spoke with a Head of Communications in Trade and Supply Chain about hyperfocus as a professional tool, the environments that make deep work possible, and why the industry's relationship with language and credentials may be holding it back.

When you're doing your best creative work — really in flow with a piece of copy or a communications strategy — what does that environment look like? What makes it possible, and what tends to break it?

‘What tends to break it?’ is the easier question to answer - and it’s also the start of explaining just how I cultivate my environment for productivity and creativity. I’m very comfortable - and familiar - with independent working. Writing is innately solitary, and it sparks that ability to hone in on a singular task and topic. It’s the only thing that’s ever quietened everything else. The challenge is balancing this need to complete deep, complex, intricate work, and cater to my teams’ short, sharp asks. When I see a little red number pop up on my Slack, or my email inbox count go up, it immediately breaks focus. And with the level of detail needed in my industry, that’s tough.

My environment is clear and open. I face a bright window on a quiet street and my immediate visual is nature. I plug in with huge, over-ear headphones, listen to the same tracks I have for decades, and ignore any busy-ness around me.

The notifications is a mindset change. They’ll always be there, and just because you’re contactable, doesn’t mean you need to shift your attention to someone else’s priority. That’s a quick way to reach burn out - speaking as someone who’s been there.

I’m always trying new tactics; gum, the trifecta of drinks, dramatic soundtracks, refreshing scents. Bringing together the senses calms and soothes.

ADHD is often associated with hyperfocus — the ability to go very deep on something when the conditions are right. Has that shown up as a strength in your communications work? Can you give me an example of what it produces that a more linear thinker might not?

Tenfold. I’ve historically worked in highly complex industries, despite my training being the complete opposite of STEM. And I’ve loved it. It means I can dig further and further into a subject without finding the floor. Communications is also a unique combination of data and logic, behaviour and trends, and a significant amount of gut instinct. That means strategy and creativity need to work in tandem, and it can be a challenge I really appreciate.

A lot of my background is in ghostwriting and C-Suite thought leadership. When I interview a leader, I’m breaking down the brief and their angle, but also how they express their views and the vernacular they use - in real time. I’d strongly assume the ADHD enables me to observe all of that at once, and still take notes.

Has there been a point in your career — in-house, freelance, or both — where the way a team or organisation was set up actively got in the way of your best work? What was it about the environment that didn't work?

Too much talking about work, and not enough doing the work is my greatest barrier. I’m a planner, but at some point you have to put down the chalk and get to work. If I can’t actively progress a project or initiative, I can very quickly become frustrated.

Also firms which don’t embrace creativity and open-mindedness. If ain’t broke don’t fix it, but that’s not to say there isn’t a stronger, more engaging, impactful way of executing comms.

Communications has traditionally placed a lot of value on certain markers — grammatical precision, formal credentials, linear career paths. Do you think those filters have shaped who gets heard in the industry, and who doesn't?

Not necessarily - but I am a sucker for a good backstory. I interviewed someone recently who was a semi-pro athlete before entering the marketing world. There’s no one way to get started, the getting started is what counts.

Where grammar and linguistics is concerned, I’d say what’s more harmful is not appreciating that language can take a thousand different shapes. Just because a piece of comms isn’t written in “BBC English” doesn’t mean it’s incorrect. It’s a bug bear of mine when I receive a perceived correction over syntax. There’s rhyme and reason.

There's a growing argument that the skills AI cannot replicate — divergent thinking, unexpected angles, genuine audience instinct — are disproportionately neurodivergent strengths. Does that land for you, based on your own experience?

I think it’s less likely that they’re specific to neurodiversity, and more likely that there’s an increased focus on skills typically associated with neurodiversity. Critical thinking is a good example - this is incredibly important in communications and PR, and something that AI doesn’t have a capacity for. I’d argue it’s an inherently human skill. It’s also an undervalued and undertaught skill. That’s not relegated to one mindset of typicality.

Having said that, I think there are strong traits in neurodiversity that can push progress in giant leaps by comparison. In a STEM-centric environment, neurodiversity is stereotypically embraced. In humanities and corporate or private services, maybe there’s some catching up to do.

What would a communications team or organisation that genuinely valued neurodivergent thinking actually look like in practice — not in its values statement, but in how it operates day to day?

The same way we can support individuals from all walks of life. Listening to understand. Asking for clarity. And meaningful action where it’s genuinely possible. You’ll see a lot of firms keen to implement this with their audience, but comparatively less with their teams. That contradiction will be obvious to your employees.

I’m a firm believer in flexible working, and building a culture of trust and integrity. I’m a firm believer - and from experience - that the vast majority of people want to demonstrate work ethic, and have genuine pride in their work outputs. Flexible working with some parameters of structure brings out the best in most high quality talent. Plus, it often reduces a lot of the bug bears leaders have, like retention, workplace absence, discontentment, and so on. Bottom line, there needs to be an appreciation for the individual as much as the professionalism. Businesses cannot accommodate each and every need they’re faced with, just as an employee can’t meet each and every criteria on the JD. 

There’s ultimately a person at the centre, no matter which way you look. And that’s what we need to remember.

Is there anything you wish you'd been able to say earlier in your career — about how you work, what you need, or what you bring — that you felt you couldn't?

“If you ask me to complete a task, and I’m not equipped with the ‘why’, I won’t perform my best.”

Madeleine Weightman is Co-Founder and COO at The Work Crowd, working with businesses to find flexible solutions and helping consultants build rewarding portfolio careers.

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