Episode Details
Back to EpisodesEpisode 347-Building A World For Every Mind-Why Organizations Win When They Embrace Cognitive Diversity with Robert Annis
Description
What if the biggest barrier to inclusion isn’t awareness, but the way our systems are built? We sit down with Robert, a London-based founder of NEURO, to unpack how the “alignment trap”—cultures that prize sameness over substance—quietly locks out cognitive diversity and throttles innovation. Instead of chasing badges and box-ticking, Robert lays out a practical path where inclusion becomes a strategic engine for better problem solving, collaboration, and growth.
We explore why designing “for everyone” often defaults to the median, and how designing “for anybody” opens doors for real people with real differences. Robert shares vivid examples—from misplaced braille signage to performance reviews that reward conformity—showing how small oversights create big barriers. He explains NEURO’s accreditation model that ties recognition to verifiable investment in leadership, governance, recruiting, policies, and performance management. We also dig into Resonance, a tool that helps individuals map challenges to supports and gives organizations a shared language to act—with clarity rather than guesswork.
Robert’s personal journey brings the stakes home. Diagnosed later in life with autism and ADHD, along with face blindness and severely deficient autobiographical memory, he describes the daily friction of misread cues and expectations. The lesson is not “more hardware”; it’s deeper understanding. When teams know how different minds perceive, communicate, and process, they build trust and psychological safety—the soil where learning and innovation grow. Along the way, we spotlight curiosity as a cultural superpower, the practical role of labels in granting access, and the ripple effects of unconditional support in families, schools, and workplaces.
If you’re a leader tired of tokenism, a parent seeking clarity, or a builder who wants real outcomes, this conversation offers a roadmap. Learn how to move beyond awareness into accountable inclusion that attracts talent, lifts performance, and proves it with evidence. Ready to turn difference into your competitive edge? Listen now, subscribe, and leave a review to share what change you’re making first.
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