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Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to the Leader Show with Lou Carter. We are continuing our conversation with Temple Grandin. Temple was the subject of the HBO movie bearing her name, played by Claire Danes, and is a hero to the Neurodiverse community and beyond.
In the previous episode, she discussed various topics related to autism, neurodiversity, and visual thinking. She also discussed the importance of recognizing and showcasing different thinking skills and the need for collaboration between different types of minds. Today, she delves even deeper into the topic of neurodiversity.
So, without further ado, let’s look at the insights she shares in this episode.
Temple sets the tone for the conversation by highlighting the need for embracing different ways of thinking and approaches to problem-solving. She emphasizes that the first step for business leaders is to realize that different kinds of thinking exist.
On that note, Grandin shares that in her thirties, when she realized that other people did not think visually like she did, her surprise was immense. She explains that her thinking is bottom-up, where specific examples form concepts. Grandin also mentions that some people have no visual thinking at all, while others are more mathematical pattern thinkers.
While neurodiverse people can build skills that they are not naturally equipped with, Grandin argues that innate abilities cannot be completely shaken. She uses examples from her personal experience, including her struggles with skiing and tennis.
She shares an anecdote about a judge who found that kids in juvenile detention could weld better than kids in community college, emphasizing the importance of providing opportunities for individuals to discover their strengths.
Next, Lou asks Grandin about the importance of individual behaviors and the need for diversity programs and neurodiversity programs. In reply, Grandin highlights the importance of exposure and mentoring for different kinds of minds, specifically visual thinkers.
She argues that visual thinkers need opportunities to showcase their work, which can be difficult if they have not been exposed to art classes, shop classes, or other relevant experiences.
Grandin also emphasizes the need for career exposure starting at a young age, followed by mentoring. She cites the example of Michelangelo, who dropped out of school at a young age but was exposed to great art and grew up with stone-cutting tools. He then started making art and was mentored, which led to his successful career.
Moving on, Temple Grandin discusses the importance of recognizing different ways of thinking and problem-solving in the workplace. She emphasizes the need for exposure to different career paths and opportunities to develop skills through mentoring and highlights the value of verbal thinkers in specialized sales. The author suggests that visual thinkers tend to possess in-depth knowledge of the products, enabling them to present the products more effectively to customers.
On a similar note, she mentions the importance of robotics classes for individuals with neurodiverse skills. She gives an example of how she would have been able to build mechanical parts of a robot if such classes had been available during her teenage years. She emphasizes the need for complementary skills in robotics and mentions that the technological cost is becoming a barrier for low-income kids who might be interested in robotics.
Temple recommends finding back doors for job opportunities and forgetting about the online application process. For visual thinkers, it’s crucial to get their portfolio in the hands of the right people, even if it means finding unconventional ways to contact them.
According to her, the autism spectrum is vast, and people often get locked into the label, assuming that certain individuals can’t do certain things. Instead, she encourages the listeners to challenge these labels and look for opportunities for neurodiverse individuals to contribute their unique skills and talents.
Subsequently, Temple highlights the importance of mentors and teachers in her life. She mentions that her mother was her biggest mentor, who always encouraged her art and motivated her to move forward in life. Grandin also had a great science teacher who showed her how studying could lead to a career in science. Another mentor was Jim, a former Marine Corps captain turned contractor who hired her to design and sell and had a neurodiverse crew before the term even existed.
Jim had an old businessman and a welder on his team, and he helped Temple get her business started by teaching her fundamental business skills.
Overall, Temple believes that mentors are crucial to helping neurodiverse individuals succeed, and they need to be open to different kinds of skills and needs to get things done.
Moving on, Temple and Lou discuss the impact of technology on design, particularly the switch from hand drafting to computer-aided design (CAD). Grandin notes that while the internet has been helpful for research and CAD has improved design precision, there have been perceptual mistakes in drawings made by those who have not built anything and have only learned CAD.
She believes that the loss of hands-on skills has resulted in the need to import equipment from other countries and the devaluing of shop classes as a lesser form of intelligence. On that note, she stresses the importance of keeping these skills to sustain economic growth and to prevent the power supply and other equipment from falling apart.
Lastly, the speakers discuss Temple’s book, “Visual Thinking,” and the importance of hands-on skills and experience in manufacturing. They mention the need to bridge the gap between education and industry and the importance of bringing back shop classes to encourage kids to pursue careers in manufacturing.
Temple also talks about her interest in the chip industry and the need for different kinds of minds to work together in manufacturing. Finally, Lou wraps up the conversation by urging the listeners to read Temple’s book and watch TED Talk clip.
Thank you for listening!
