Can autistic people be a leader?

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People with autism can definitely be leaders. In high school, my school noticed that I had potential as a leader since I was often the leader in school assignments and study groups. They put me in a leadership class and the traits of being a leader don't conflict with the traits of autistic spectrum disorder.

I find myself naturally being a leader in areas I am talented at. My leadership is more to do with logic and knowledge rather than personality. I know what needs to be done and how to get it done. I tell them in a way that lets them know it is a good idea worthy of being followed. In my robotics team, I was the leader of a group of both NTs and autistics. I often acted as a guiding force than being bossy. I told the team when they were getting too off task. I gave them advice. I made strategies when we battled our robots. I listened to their input and implemented it if it was a good plan.

I can also be a good follower. But only if I view the person as being competent and having a better plan than what I would come up with. I am not a good follower when it comes to people demanding something of me when I know it won't work. It makes me feel they are an idiot, and I will refuse.

I am not a follower of authority. I am a follower of logic and humanitarianism.

I don't wish to be a leader. I'll just sit behind my drums.

I think thyat anybody can be a leader if that's what they want.

At this time i couldn't be bothere to read everything ill come back for that.

Anyway, YES of course aspies can be leaders. Its suprising and even annoying/infuriating how gutless most people are, i feel that i automatically fit the leader role in certain groups because people shove it on me. Seems like they do not want responsibility or the fact that i speak my mind about what i want and do not want unintentionally domineers their more diplomatic aproach.

80% of new businesses fail, usually because fixed expenses eat people alive. And the fixed expenses have a way of coming in before sales and before collecting on sales.

These facts needs to be laid on the table.

And then people can figure out how to keep expenses low and/or how to make sure sales are lined up.

Indeed, which is why you need a large source of capital and a detailed financial plan for the beginning (Well, you should have a detailed plan all the time, but it's especially critical at the beginning.).

If you can somehow finance the one-time cost fixed expenses, then that'll reduce the financial hurdle at the beginning.

and then a person needs to be able to zig and zag and adapt to changing conditions.

For example, if a product or service is selling well (and collecting well, that is, you need to be paid on sales), sell that. A lot of people complicate things and try and promote the product or service they think customers 'should' want. Yes, a person wants to sell something he or she can be proud of, but also respect your customer enough to let him or her make their decision.

A small example. I talked to a guy opening up a used bookstore. Customers loved the idea of a freshly opened box of books newly arrived. They like that more than the books are neatly on the shelf. (still, overall, not a good business, I mean, look at how few of these stores make any appreciable money. Again people, please be careful.)

Last edited by AardvarkGoodSwimmer on 23 Aug 2011, 3:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Okay here are some more "nuggets" for you if you are interested....

BIG red flag for me to read the words, "Betrayal and Back Stabbing" This means you are mistrusting of people. My advice... Find better people to hang out with. How do you do this? Studies suggest that we attract "like" energies. Go seek out people you admire and want to be "like" and adopt their energies. Before long all the people in your group will be "like". My goal in life is to always vibrate on a very high plane with like people except when I am mentoring people and then my goal is to bring them to this plane. The fact that you mistrust people tells me that you are hanging out with the "wrong" people.

THAT will destroy any chance you have of becoming leader. Find your "peeps" man.

Okay, I can go with that to an extent. I do believe in positive thinking and similar approaches.

But some situations, like a job, like a college dorm, the other people are just there.

And, as an intermediate poker player, I can tell you that even when you play well there is still a great deal of luck.

I was actually very trusting of the people who betrayed and back stabbed me. It was honestly quite shocking when it occurred and I learned of my grade that "the group" gave me as I worked hard and got things done and I completely wasn't expecting anything bad about their intentions.

[It was a team-based software development class]

Afterwards, I was accused of not "communicating enough" in the group which was rather surprising since I offered my voice pretty much anywhere and everywhere, even though breaking through the "conversation barrier" with their conversations comprised of lightning fast, 5-words or less sentences was a bit difficult as my communication is a bit slower and my sentences are longer. Upon further investigation, I found that the team leader purposefully framed me to look like a bad guy and covertly convinced another team member of my evilness, unbeknownst to me, which lead to my demise in that peer-graded class. (Btw, I did eventually pass that class but it was certainly a wake up call as to how sneaky people are when they're out to get you. Why was the team leader out to get me? I don't know but he definitely was. Well, okay, he said I lied in the class but on further investigation, it appears I forgot of a second meeting and when they asked if I went to a meeting, I said yes since I went to the first one when he really meant the second one. So maybe my memory is at fault there... I'm getting my memory tested soon.)

Anyway, for sure, I hope the "peeps" I find will be less diabolical than they were (Well, him anyways.) and I should definitely have more choice in who my coworkers are when I choose them. I don't know if things will turn out rosier, but I certainly hope so.

Last edited by swbluto on 23 Aug 2011, 4:05 pm, edited 2 times in total.

That is, people welcome people who reasonably assume leadership roles. Contrast that with--

Some bosses are guessers and yellers.

Some bosses, like dept managers in a grocery store, are so disengaged they're either hungover or might just as well be hungover for how little energy they put into the job.

So, a lot of leadership is largely just a matter of avoiding these obvious mistakes. Be a middle-of-the-roader. Be a steady Eddie. Be an individual who operates according to the reality principle. And if you make a mistake, just graciously recover and try not to make that particular mistake again. Employees can be amazingly forgiving.

That's kind of how I would do it. Of course we all have to do it our own way.

It's amazing how sh!tty people can be when they don't need to be. I'm sorry this happened to you.

And this second team member could have very easily and very matter-of-factly deflected the situation. For example, he could have said, 'He seems like an alright guy. He just a little bit marches to his own drummer and that's fine.'

That is, he could have been a low-key builder and a leader. I rather excel at this because I've made a point of developing these skills and because it's important to me. But it's amazing how few people do, that people are such amazingly go-along Charlies and conformists.

And this is the point, deep breath, deep breath. People just are where they're at. Need to build people from where they're at. Of course that is often way easier said than done.

Uh... this isnn't about "positive thinking" so much as hanging out with the "right" people. The people who are going to support you and lift you up. These people are in ALL the places you listed. Avoid the ones who will hurt you (like Swbluto did in his story) and find "like" energies. THAT is the skill to learn. Problem is that in order to find these people, you have to also "be" these people. It can be done though...

I'm sure they will

This. And personality traits such as self-confidence, self-esteem, being good (and quick!) at certain skills are also important. I suppose the more autistic someone is the less likely he'll become a leader. See functioning levels.

From my experience, self-confidence is a major indicator of success.

I generally like to stay in the background, but whenever I get offers to take a leadership role, I usually go for it.

Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.