Aug 12, 2023
Episode 30: Gerard Atkinson
Welcome to episode #30 We’re thrilled to be joined by Gerard Atkinson today.
Gerard is a director at ARTD Consultants. He is well-versed in program and policy evaluation, business analytics, and data visualization. His expertise extends to market and social research, financial modeling, and non-profit, government, and business strategy. A dedicated advocate for neurodiversity, Gerard serves as a board member for various Australian not-for-profits and advises on diversity, equity, and inclusion committees within the research and evaluation community. Outside of his professional endeavors, Gerard is a keen trail runner and was trained as an opera singer.
Welcome to the show Gerard!
Questions
* JN: Can you tell us about your experience with neurodiversity? When did you realize that you weren’t neurotypical? What challenges did you face? What is it like now?
* Diagnosed as autistic in 2019
* But always felt outside the neurotypical norm.
* Always felt different from others
* In terms of processing information.
* Experiencing the world.
* Was able to mask and was highly intelligent
* Placed in the gifted bucket.
* Diagnosis gave a new framework to experience the world
* Motivated by seeing other friends go through the diagnosis.
* There is a lot more awareness around autism, the challenge is around the way society is structured, not necessarily people with autism.
* Still a lot of opportunities not taken
* JC: What "work" projects are you concentrating on?
* Evaluation consultant
* Governments will design a program, roll it out and spend a lot of money
* Answers questions: “How effective was it?”, “Was it worth it?”
* Currently manages 10-12 evaluations at one time
* Evaluation framework
* Program logic:
* What activities are we doing?
* What outputs will that create?
* What outcomes will that generate for the target group?
* Short term
* Mid term
* Long term
* Sometimes measuring outcomes indirectly by measuring other things
* If we can’t measure this directly, what can we measure as a proxy?
* Being data and method agnostic.
* JN: How about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
* Peaks and Trails 50k at Dunkells
* Long run
* Training via
* 25k trail run.
* Weight training (several decades)
* Music
* (former opera singer)
* Sing
* Art
* Gardening
* JC: What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?
* 5:30 am wake up
* go for a run - social but not too social (or weight training)
* Coffee
* Newspaper
* 8:30 am begin work
During COVID bad habits of getting straight into work after waking up. Changed habits by working with a mentor. Created a covenant with himself
* JN: What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours?
* Lives by calendar
* Chargeable work
* Non-chargeable work
* E.g. capacity building
* Supporting staff
* Tries to block out free time so staff can get time with him.
* No phone calls out of the blue.
* When there are calls
* Have some social time, some small talk.
* Deep work vs empowering team
* Blocks out deep work
* Will tell the team: “This is deep thinking time” - I need something urgently, put it through email.
* COMMERCIAL BREAK
* JC: What is one habit you'd like to remove from your life (either a bad habit or one that takes up too much time)?
* Coffee
* Mindless scrolling (LinkedIn)
* JN: How do you switch off at night?
* In bed by 9:30 pm
* Looks after recharge time.
* Wind down routine
* Chat with wife. Looking at memes.
* Doesn’t drink much alcohol
* Because affects the sleep cycle.
* JC: What resources (books, philosophies, apps, sensory toys) do you find most helpful for productivity and habit formation?
* Calendar/Microsoft Bookings
* “Thinking Fast and Slow” Daniel Kahneman
* Masking = system 2 for ND people. Whereas NT people are in system 1 #short
* David Mayster - thought leader in the consulting industry “First among equals”
* Sounds great! Tough job to get the high performers to shine but also get coordination!
* “Let my people go surfing” founder of Patagonia
* JN: Where can people connect with you or find your work?
* LinkedIn
* Website (needs updating)
* Research Society conference in Melbourne
* JC: Do you have any final words or asks for our audience?
* 1 in 3 neurodivergent Australians are unemployed vs 1 in 6 for the disability workforce and 10x higher than the general unemployment rate
* ND workers have insight, qualifications, and experience yet are often not able to reach their full potential
* Autism, ADHD, and dyslexia diagnosis rates are increasing - we need to make sure there are jobs for them.
* Eliminate barriers to employment
* Need ND people to be transparent so that there are role models
Joey’s creativity course
https://thepluckyjester.com/habitling-habit-building-course