26 million women think and work differently

Criticism? Bring it 🥊

The Female Quotient
December 17, 2024

Should I stay, or should I go now?

WHAT’S ON DECK

Tell Me More: Maya Angelou, Jennifer Aniston, and the Lack of Workplaces Championing Neurodivergent Women
Troublemaker Spotlight: Lo Bosworth, Founder of Love Wellness
Dear FQ: Moving on After 50
Poll the Pack: How Well Can You Take the Heat?

TELL ME MORE

Neurodivergence is a career-maker for men like Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein, but there’s often a stigma for women

What do you do when you don’t have the words or phrases to appropriately describe disabilities? You make new ones.

The Māori, the Indigenous people of New Zealand, did exactly that. In 2017, they formally added 200 words and phrases to their language to appropriately describe mental health, addiction, and disability issues in a non-judgmental way.

According to Keri Opai, who helped initiate the new language additions, it was important to avoid the "sometimes condescending English terms."

A quick glossary:

Takiwātanga: The Māori word for autism, which means “in his/her own time and space”

Whaikaha: The Māori word for disabled, which means “to have strength or to be differently able”

This commitment to honoring diversity and individual differences should be the norm all over the world, but unfortunately, it’s not, especially in the workplace. Only 7% of companies globally have neurodiversity recruiting plans in place. The current workplace is not set up for neurodivergent people to succeed, and they often encounter bias from others who dismiss them because they don’t follow the norm. Not to mention, there is a general lack of understanding about how neurodivergent traits present themselves in women. This is a huge opportunity for companies, because when neurodivergent talent are aligned with jobs they are qualified for, they outperform their peers.

Some of your favorite actresses? Neurodivergent.

Some of your favorite activists? Neurodivergent.

Some of your favorite athletes? Neurodivergent.

Maya Angelou, Jennifer Aniston, Simone Biles, and Dr. Temple Grandin, to name a few, represent only a tiny fraction of the 26 million neurodivergent women in the world who think and learn differently, and are capable of making a monumental impact. Yet their conditions often remain undiagnosed.

Despite growing awareness of neurodivergence, women continue to face staggering inequities in diagnosis. In the U.S. alone, the diagnosis rate for ADHD in men is nearly 69% higher than in women. Why? Stereotypes, bias, and dismissal of women’s symptoms. Even when diagnosed, women with ADHD face a harsh reality: 56% of U.S. adults believe women with ADHD are judged in ways that are fundamentally different from their male counterparts.

So how can we flip the script and champion neurodiversity at work?

“Actively embracing and leveraging neurodivergent talent means creating an environment where neurodivergence is seen as an asset, not a challenge. Environments that view neurodivergence as an asset make it easy for neurodivergent employees to discover and access accommodations that help them thrive,” says Christina Mallon, Head of Inclusive Design at Microsoft.

As autistic sociologist Judy Singer said, “It’s an immutable fact that every brain is different.” It’s up to companies, leaders, and managers to provide training for working with all kinds of people. Because the best ideas never come from people who do everything the same way they’ve been done before.

So, take a hint from the Māori people. Embracing neurodiversity in the workplace is not just a matter of inclusivity; it's a strategic advantage. Organizations that value the unique perspectives and talents of individuals with diverse neurological conditions, outperform their peers in innovation and creativity.

TROUBLEMAKER SPOTLIGHT

Lo Bosworth, Founder of Love Wellness

Yes, that Lo Bosworth. You probably know Lauren "Lo" Bosworth from her time on MTV's hit shows The Hills and Laguna Beach. But do you know about her second act as the founder of Love Wellness, the pioneering brand for clinically-studied vaginal, gut, and hormone health products? After years of chronic symptoms and feeling let down by traditional drugstore and prescription products, Lo launched Love Wellness in 2016. Her goal? To create effective solutions for women, created in collaboration with doctors and made with the highest-quality ingredients in the industry. Today, her best-selling brand is loved by millions of women and available at Target, Ulta, Walmart, Amazon, and lovewellness.com.

FQ: What’s the worst career advice you’ve gotten?

LB: The worst advice I got was to “stick to the plan, no matter what”—for very obvious reasons, consumer brands have to be nimble and pivot quickly in a world that is constantly evolving.

What’s the best piece of non-obvious career advice you’ve gotten?

Growing up in the entertainment industry taught me that you have to go out and make your career happen on your own; this isn’t advice I received, but realized on my own through lived experience. The most successful people I know are all self-starters.

What was a “heartbeat moment” for you in your career?

Launching Love Wellness in Target in 2021 was hugely significant for me. Not only is it a retailer that I personally love to shop at, it’s a retailer that validates new brands for a mass audience. Knowing that Target understands and supports our mission to do better for women continues to make my job meaningful every day.

Imagine you just received the marketing version of an Emmy award. Who are the three people you’re thanking that aren’t at your current gig?

My mother, Martha Stewart, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Where have you caused some good trouble in your career?

In a time where gummy vitamins have become really popular, I love sharing why they shouldn’t be in your wellness routine. Would you trust a soda company with your health? If the answer is no, then why put your faith in a sugary gummy?

DEAR FQ

Your burning career questions answered

Shelley Zalis of The Female Quotient weighs in:

Deciding whether to stay in your current job or look for something new depends on balancing financial security with your need for passion and purpose. After 18 years, it’s normal to feel torn between the comfort of what you know and the pull toward new possibilities.

Here are a couple of ideas based on what matters most to you at your life stage:

If your finances and long-term benefits are in a good place, consider following your heart. Life is too short to remain in a role that doesn’t bring fulfillment. You don’t want to look back and think, “I should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.” The excitement of a new challenge, the opportunity to grow, and the chance to reinvent yourself can be well worth the risk—especially when you’re prepared for it. Think of this as a time to ask yourself, “What would I regret more: staying in a role that no longer excites me, or taking the leap into the unknown?” As the saying goes, “No risk, no reward.”
If financial stability and benefits are a priority right now, consider ways to stay in your current job and add on new responsibilities, projects, or initiatives that challenge you. This path will allow you to push the envelope within your current role and keep things fresh. Alternatively, you might look for outside projects or part-time opportunities that let you explore new challenges while keeping the security of your day job. This way, you have the best of both worlds: a stable income and benefits, along with the chance to grow, learn, and find fulfillment. Remember, there’s always a solution—you just have to find it.

I hope this advice helps!

P.S. Got a burning career question? Serve it up here to Dear FQ to score advice from a powerhouse leader in our network.

POLL THE PACK

How well an employee handles criticism depends on what the criticism is and who is giving it

We can’t get better without feedback, both good and bad. Criticism can be a valuable catalyst for positive change, both at work and in your personal life. But where do we so often get criticism wrong? The delivery.

According to Harvard Business Review, “55% of employees said their most recent performance review had been unfair or inaccurate, and one in four said they dread such evaluations more than anything else in their working lives.”

Criticism should not be something we dread more than anything in our entire working lives! If you’re in a leadership position, make sure you're not just providing evaluative feedback (like grades, scores, or performance rankings), but also coaching feedback. Coaching feedback is what lays the roadmap for improvement.

And if you’re on the receiving end of feedback, challenge yourself to be open. Over the years, it’s common to develop a knee-jerk reaction to something that’s perceived as a personal or negative attack. Before jumping on defense, take a breath and think about how this criticism could be turned into coaching. There’s always room to grow and improve.

As always, thank you for being a changemaker in The FQ pack.

The FQ