Business leaders today face an endless convergence of complexity, disruption, and human needs. The marketplace is relentless. The pace of transformation is unyielding. Yet, at the heart of every business challenge lies a consistent truth: companies are only as strong as their people.
That’s why the journey of entrepreneurs like Katherine—who fused personal resilience, lived experience of neurodiversity, and relentless innovation—offers profound lessons for those of us charged with steering businesses through change.
As an executive advisor, I’ve had the privilege of hearing her story firsthand. What struck me most weren’t only her accomplishments—the first anti-bias Applicant Tracking System (ATS); her creation of Make Accommodation Standards; her not-for-profit The Neuroverse; or her international speaking influence. What resonated deepest were the patterns and principles executives can apply immediately—because they aren’t “HR issues,” they’re business imperatives for productivity, retention, and innovation.
So here are the three key takeaways from Katherine’s journey that translate directly into C-suite strategy:
1. Conquer Ego First: Curiosity is the Antidote to Change Resistance
Executives know this truth instinctively: organizational change is not blocked by technology, processes, or market conditions—it’s blocked by people. Not because people are unwilling, but because our primitive brain equates change with threat.
Katherine starts every engagement here: teaching leaders and teams to acknowledge the universal ego mechanism. This isn’t arrogance. It’s biology. Our survival mind resists uncertainty. In boardrooms and business units, this emerges as skepticism, defensiveness, or denial.
What’s extraordinary—and very executable—is her solution: replace ego with curiosity.
- Instead of shutting down opposing perspectives, leaders are coached to open with: “Help me understand why you see it that way.”
- In doing so, conflicts transition from fear-fueled to mission-aligned conversations.
- The neuroscience matters: moving from adrenaline-dominant stress states to oxytocin-fueled collaborative states literally changes brain chemistry, boosting health and cognition.
For executives, this isn’t “soft skills.” This is decision-making capacity, cultural alignment, and reduced turnover wrapped in one. Research Katherine cites shows productivity gains of 30%+ when curiosity, mission alignment, and flexibility replace ego-driven workplaces.
Executive application: Ask yourself today—where in my organization are decisions being made defensively instead of curiously? That’s not a “people problem.” That’s a profitability and risk problem.
2. Lead Through Universal Design: Flexibility Around Mission
The second shift is equally disruptive: Universal Workplace Design isn’t about accommodation—it’s about optimization for all.
Borrowed from architecture and IT, Katherine reframes universal design in business terms:
- Mission is the anchor.
- Every process, policy, and role flexes around that mission.
- Inclusion doesn’t water down performance—it unlocks it.
Executives often fear “designing for everyone” as complexity or cost. The truth? It’s simplicity at scale. When Hewlett Packard piloted this thinking, one team’s productivity surged 33% without additional budget—just by designing workflows that aligned with human needs.
The core levers for executives are:
- Mission over method: Stop locking employees into rigid “how-tos.” Anchor them in “why.”
- Flexibility as structure: Flexibility isn’t chaos; it’s resiliency. Teams design options into work, reducing bottlenecks.
- Thoughtful leadership: Anticipating needs (like world-class hostesses Katherine observed growing up in Southern culture) is what moves organizations from good to great.
Executive application: Conduct a 30-day universal design sprint inside your org. Map your hiring, performance reviews, or meetings against two questions: Does this align to mission? Does this allow flexibility for diverse humans? Eliminate anything that fails both.
3. Scale Humanity to Scale Business
Finally, Katherine’s work reminds executives that expanding humanity is not charity; it is competitive advantage.
Inclusion boosts retention, reduces litigation risk, and drives brand equity with both customers and talent. But more importantly, when leaders embody integrity, inclusion, and innovation, they differentiate in marketplaces where trust is fragile, and disruption is constant.
The Neuroverse (Katherine’s not-for-profit dedicated to neurodiversity) proves that change doesn’t come from slogans or “diversity days.” It comes from embedding humanity into systems: from ATS tech that removes bias, to operational standards that normalize accommodations.
When organizations operate with these standards:
- They hire better talent pools (neurodivergent, disabled, globally diverse).
- They retain innovators—because neurodiverse and marginalized voices are often the source of breakthrough ideas.
- They future proof: regulatory frameworks and societal expectations are moving toward inclusion. Leaders that lag will pay in fines, attrition, and brand decay.
Executive application: Replace your diversity “vision statements” with operational standards. Standards communicate seriousness. Standards create culture. Standards de-risk strategy.
Why This Matters Now More Than Ever
We are past the point where inclusion can live in HR checklists. For enterprise survival, this is board-level. Deloitte, McKinsey, and Gartner data continue to confirm: inclusive companies outperform peers in revenue, innovation, and market share.
But beyond metrics, as Katherine demonstrates, inclusion transforms individual wellbeing, moving teams away from cortisol-driven stress into serotonin-powered creativity. That directly reduces healthcare costs, burnout rates, and litigation risks.
For executives, the message is clear: universal design, ego-free curiosity, and mission-driven systems are not optional—they’re the future.
Final Thoughts
Katherine’s story started with playful HR experiments as a child “firing” her mother, but it matured into a powerful model for rethinking business leadership. Her lived experience of neurodiversity fuels, but does not define, her brilliance. What defines her is the insistence that human-focused leadership is the most profitable, resilient, and future-ready leadership.
Executives—this is not rocket surgery, as I like to say. It’s simple. Elegant. Game-changing.
- Conquer ego with curiosity.
- Anchor in mission, flex around it.
- Scale humanity to scale business.
Your bottom line will thank you. Your people will thank you. And perhaps most importantly, the future of business itself will thank you.
