Magnus Hedemark, openly Autistic Business Leader
Historically, Autism has been associated with lower levels of empathy – there was an assumption that Autistic people were less able to determine what others were thinking and therefore less responsive to their needs, in daily interactions. This is known as “cognitive empathy,” and it is distinct from “affective empathy,” which is the extent to which one can emotionally relate and respond to another person's emotions. “Theory of Mind” includes these two types of empathy. Theory of Mind (ToM) represents a critical point in child development, wherein an individual realizes that their internal worlds are not the same as those around them, that individuals are distinct, and having their own experiences as “I.” Diagnoses of Autism have previously relied on observations that a person lacks ToM and that this is a defining characteristic.
Criticism of Theory of Mind
Since the advent of Autism online advocacy and the neurodiversity movement, Autistic people have increasing challenged ToM assumptions. Many autistic people report being sensory and emotionally hypersensitive, experiencing deep cognitive and affective empathy with those around them and the world at large. Critically, however, they may lack the ability to communicate their experience and therefore may appear unresponsive or disengaged. Many autistic people experience “Alexithymia” which means that they can’t identify the right words to communicate emotions. So ToM, which is assessed by clinical observation and self-report, may not be an accurate measure of internal experience. This very assumption causes many Autistic people to be stereotyped and discriminated against, as people assume they don’t care rather than assuming they are finding it difficult to communicate their caring.
Double Empathy Deficit
Dr Damian Milton observed that while Autistic people may appear to lack empathy for non-autistic concerns, indeed non-autistic people lack empathy for Autistic concerns. He called this the “double empathy problem”. Milton’s critique has gone on to support rising awareness of how much Autistic people have to “mask” their true communication styles to reduce stigma and fit in at work. Autistic community activist Whitney Iles of Project 507 points out that this can result in “double or triple masking” when Autistic people are also female, people of color, from LGBTQ+ communities, in a different class or age bracket, which can further compromise inclusion and belonging.
Altruism
While all this research has been going on, other studies have found that Autistic people can display highly altruistic traits. Critically, Autistic people are more likely to display altruism when they aren’t being observed – i.e. they are less hypocritical. So where am I going with all this? Here’s the point: The evidence that Autistic people are less empathetic is shaky. The evidence that Autistic people are less dependent on passing opinion and more likely to stick to their values is developing. These traits are useful in a strong, diverse leadership team. They are traits in which we can have pride, and a sense of identity as distinctly pro-social at the long term, bigger picture level, even when everyday communication might be compromised. Think Greta Thunberg chastising world leaders, as the epitome of prosocial Autistic culture, but note that this style is not, actually, unusual in the Autism community.
Autistic Leaders
Magnus Hedemark is an openly Autistic Leader who has worked in a variety of companies, both start ups and large corporates. He speaks frankly about his experiences of empathy and altruism for his staff and work:
“What motivates me is finding, exploring, and nurturing hidden potential. Both in myself and in others. And, taken in meta, the hidden potential of groups of people. It's probably fair to say that I was always curious about a lot of things. But this took a bit more direction when I found out late in life that I am Autistic. Now a lot of the direction is figuring out how to be a better human being, and to help others to do the same.
At work I've become a bit of an organization "fixer". That is to say, I'm drawn to dysfunction. I roll up my sleeves, so to speak, and start cleaning up the dysfunctional bits so they can run more effectively. Partly this is addressing team culture and processes. And partly this is working with individuals on the team to help them to feel more engaged with their careers again and the work they are doing. Seeing dejected, disengaged people find their spark again brings me a lot of joy.”
Hedemark has recently joined me as CIO at my non-profit, Genius Within to support delivery of our neuroinclusive cultural change consulting program.
Neurodivergent Pride
With every minority neurotype, there comes strengths, values, ways to be in the world that add value to our communities and families. We might be loyal, affectionate, hypersensitive to emotions or sensory input, able to spot risks before anyone else. We could have a talent in visual thinking, mechanical skill, languages, in knowing exactly the right time to ask if someone is okay. Our empathy could be directed at immediate family, politics, animals, plants, making logistics user friendly. As part of disability pride month, we are breaking down assumptions of negativity, challenging the idea that disability is equated with low value and asking serious questions about how we calculate and experience value. The overriding message to refrain from making assumptions when interacting with disabled people, give us the benefit of the doubt and amplify our strengths. Disabled people are a fact. We are, and have always been, part of human communities and progress.
