By Anita Kalmane-Boot
As a Scrum Master, Agile Coach, Agilist, or similar role, you aren’t there just to facilitate or tell your team about scrum practices. You’re there to help them become a high-functioning team, whatever it takes. For myself & Sarah Siebel-Janssen, that includes having a varied team and keeping neurodiversity in mind.
Neurodiversity – the idea that people’s brains work in different ways – is an umbrella term for various conditions, such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and 10+ more. With 15-20% of the world being neurodivergent (and this number is just growing) and product teams in tech possibly having an even higher number, it’s a topic that agilists haven’t addressed enough so far. But that’s changing as we speak!
Hence at the beginning of June, Sarah and I delivered a keynote and workshop precisely about neurodiversity during the Proximus Agile Enablement Chapter (AGE) annual summit. Almost 100 in-house agilists gathered in Proximus Lounge in Brussels, Belgium, to deep-dive into this topic and attend other workshops organised by their colleagues.
“The keynote given by Anita and Sarah showed experience on the topic, skills to talk in public, and the right confidence and facilitation needed by an event attended by agilists, coaches, and scrum masters. Being familiar and expert on the subject of neurodiversity allowed you to share tips and feedback on the topics we have been reflecting on together. My colleagues have been touched and proud we could discuss this subject in Proximus! I also appreciated the workshop, the way it was designed, and again the facilitation experience to adapt and be flexible. I believe a lot of companies shall leverage your keynote and workshop,” says Andrea Stani, one of the summit organisers and an active participant during the workshop as well.
In the opening keynote, we shared our own neurodiversity journeys and why this topic is so close to our hearts. Afterwards we talked about the most common challenges neurodivergents experience at the workplace. We provided four tips that each Scrum Master / Agile Coach can do in and with their teams to help their neurodivergent (and all other!) colleagues.
In the afternoon we hosted a 90-minute-long workshop with more focus on the participants’ stories and experiences. We looked at some of the neurodiverse conditions and brainstormed on what would be needed for colleagues with these conditions to be at their best – and that means not only looking at the tasks and things they struggle with but also paying attention to where they excel and how that could be used more.
It was moving and inspirational to hear Proximus employees share their own stories and open up both to us and each other. Every time I give such a workshop, I feel that this is a topic so important, yet often overlooked in the neurotypical world – and it gives me more motivation and energy to be out there and talk about it with my fellow agilists. As it often happens, just a talk and a workshop aren’t enough to cover everything, but I know that it’s just a start. Sarah and I have inspired others to follow and discuss neurodiversity in their teams and set the first steps to break the taboo. Mission accomplished!
