Why ADHD and Human-Centered Leaders Are the Future of Remote Work
Leadership books are full of frameworks, acronyms, and models. But if you’ve ever felt like none of them quite fit, you’re not alone—especially if your brain works differently than the expected “norm.”
As a tech leader with ADHD, I’ve spent years navigating leadership not from the pedestal of perfection but from the trenches of neurodivergence. I’ve lost hours to hyperfocus, missed details in brainstorms, just plain forgotten a detail, and struggled to sustain “conventional” productivity methods. But I’ve also uncovered a truth many overlook:
Neurodivergence isn’t a flaw in leadership—it’s an edge. If we build the right systems around it.
What We Get Wrong About Leadership
Too often, we assume good leadership is about polish, consistency, and predictability. But history—and the modern tech world—tells a different story. Some of the most effective leaders are chaotic thinkers, creative misfits, or deeply unconventional minds. They lead with empathy, vision, and adaptability—not just structure.
Take Winston Churchill, for example. Behind the iconic speeches and bulldog persistence was a man riddled with self-doubt, depression (“the black dog”), and bursts of emotional intensity. Historian Andrew Roberts notes:
“He was chaotic in personal habits, inconsistent in political positions, and erratic in mood—yet his strength was in communication, conviction, and unmatched vision in times of crisis.”
Theodore Roosevelt was another icon of energetic, divergent leadership. A blur of motion, he pursued major reforms out of a relentless desire to leave things better than he found them—exhibiting many traits now associated with ADHD and Bipolar Disorder
But we don’t need to look to history alone. Today, human-centered leadership is alive and evolving in tech.
What Modern Empathy-Driven Leadership Looks Like
Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Slack, helped build one of the most widely adopted communication tools in the world—not by managing people like machines, but by emphasizing emotional intelligence and inclusive, asynchronous work.
“Being empathetic is incredibly important in product design—but it’s even more important in leadership. People want to be treated like adults, not managed like tasks.”
Butterfield’s approach prioritizes psychological safety and transparency—both crucial for neurodivergent-friendly environments.
Alexis Ohanian, Reddit co-founder turned advocate for ethical tech and mental health, offers another powerful model. He’s openly discussed burnout, the need for paternity leave, and why modern leadership must be based in listening, not domination.
“Leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room. It’s about listening—and creating space for better voices to thrive.”
These leaders show that it’s not just possible to lead with empathy, flexibility, and neurodivergent wiring—it’s necessary if we want to build resilient, distributed teams for the future.
What Human-Centered Leadership Really Means
It means acknowledging that people—yourself included—are not productivity robots. It means building workflows that don’t punish distraction but anticipate it. It means creating environments where feedback is frequent, expectations are flexible, and outcomes matter more than optics.
In short, human-centered leadership is not a “soft” ideal. It’s a resilient, inclusive, and adaptive way to build trust and results at scale.
And in a remote world where rigidity cracks under pressure, this approach isn’t just nice—it’s critical infrastructure.
What’s Next?
I’m building a toolkit and a community where neurodivergent leaders don’t have to mask, bend, or break themselves to be effective. I want us to start building systems that support the way we actually think—not how we think we’re supposed to.
If you’re tired of faking it and ready to build something real, let’s do it together. More to come soon!
