Peter Ampe Knows ‘Great Minds Think Unalike’
Some of the most groundbreaking ideas in history have come from people with neurodivergent minds, from ADHD to dyslexia. But the creative industry has somehow got this far without doing much to nurture the atypical minds that have contributed so significantly to its progression. That’s something FamousGrey’s chief creative officer Peter Ampe wants to change.
At 3:30pm on Wednesday June 21st Peter will host an interactive networking session at Cannes Lions, on ‘The Creative Power of Neurodiversity’. He will speak about the talents of neurodiverse minds, how to leverage the skills that come with them, and help the audience to discover if they identify with some of these qualities.
It builds on the journey that Peter has been on writing his book, ‘Great Minds Think Unalike’, which has recently been translated from Flemish to English and will be released in less than a month. He has distinct traits of ASD and ADHD, which he has spoken about on LBB before. The book was co-written with Emily Rammant, a business engineer, business coach and co-founder of the coaching firm YIN United. With her mild form of ADHD, slight traits of OCD, and a hefty dose of emotional intelligence, she supports people and businesses struggling with issues of identity, leadership and corporate culture.
Without realising it, many people lie somewhere on the spectrum of a neurodivergent condition. We often tend to focus on the many downsides of neurodivergent conditions such as AD(H)D, ASD, dyslexia and OCD. This book takes a different approach by looking in depth at the special talents that go hand in hand with these conditions. Whether you already have a diagnosis or simply feel you’re somewhere on the neuroatypical spectrum, one thing is certain: once you’ve identified your unique talents, you’ll be able to make more focused choices in your life and work. You’ll discover which jobs best showcase your talents, which colleagues complement your personality, and which environments and corporate cultures are right for you.
Peter and Emilie also have a stand as part of the ACT Responsible exhibition this week.
LBB’s Alex Reeves caught up with Peter to hear why he thinks it’s so important for the ad industry to embrace and nurture the talents of neurodivergent people.
LBB> How did the book come to be translated into English?
Peter> The book came out last year in Flemish and after only four months we had a second edition out.
The audience it brought in was not just the creative industry, but everyone. The book appeals to everybody, but it can also be interpreted specifically for our industry. Then the publisher decided we should try an English version because there were a lot of demands from people who said they would like to read it. The publisher decided to invest, with the support of Grey more broadly and Laura Maness, the global CEO, who strongly believes in inclusion for neurodivergent minds.
LBB> What is the main message of the book and how does that apply to the creative industry?
Peter> I think it's a book of hope. I want people to embrace the positive sides of neurodivergent minds and not focus on the negative sides. That's one message – embrace their talents and be a bit more tolerant of the differences or the weaknesses they have. If you look at the naming, everything is a disorder, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, etc. So the negative is already in the naming most of the time. You have to learn how to compensate for these negatives. We turn the table around and we ask people who are on the spectrum to embrace their talents and the other people to respect these talents. Look more at the talents neurodivergent people have and not at the weaknesses.
In our industry, we live by the sake of creative ideas. And a lot of the time these creative ideas come from neurodivergent minds. So it's time that we embrace this invisible diversity.
The second message to the industry is don't forget that the best ideas often come from neurodivergent minds. It's the diversity that's the last that will be put on in the daylight, but it's equally important as the other DE&I topics.
LBB> How can that appreciation change the way the industry works?
Peter> Something I've learned – and it took a very long time for me – is to know which colleagues and working environment suits you best. I believe in constellations. Sometimes we work together and it works great – it's like one plus one is three – and then sometimes with other people you implode, you don't function at all, there's a blockade. That's because you have to find the right people. For every neurodivergent profile, the best type of colleague is different. People with ADHD are all over the place, jump from one topic to another. They have a lot of ideas. They start a lot of things but they don't finish them. So if you put two ADHD people together, there will be a lot of thoughts but nothing will happen. But if you put someone with ADHD with someone who's slightly OCD, the finishers, then that can be a good mix.
This is something that we unconsciously look at now in our agency. And we tend to understand why, say, a certain trio of an account director, account manager and account executive don't work together and are super inefficient. But that's because it's not the right constellation. If all three are ADHD people, it will be some chaotic account handling.
LBB> It’s interesting that you speak about account handling because the tendency is to think about creative departments being more neurodiverse.
Peter> Neurodivergent people are present and should be present in all areas. For example, as a producer, if you have slight OCD, then that might be a plus. As a CFO, if you're on the autism spectrum and you use different logic, this might lead to creativity in that area. The cliche is that a lot of art directors or designers have dyslexia. But dyslexic people are also holistic thinkers, because they are visually very strong and have a helicopter view. I've heard that lots of managers with dyslexia like to doodle. It's like they're mapping their thoughts in pictures. A lot of great leaders have dyslexia. It can be a plus if you are a leader and you want to drive efficiency.
We are in a world where everything changes. Every morning when you wake up, there’s coronavirus and then war in Ukraine and then the gas prices go up. Every time we have to rethink everything. Here again, neurodivergent people can play a role.
I'm on the autism spectrum. They always say it's not that people with autism think outside of the box, they just don't have a box. It's like the book from Paul Arden 'Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite' – whatever we think is already the opposite. Every new space in the world calls for disruptive thinking. But it’s very important that neurodiverse people should not be isolated. That's what I experienced in some agencies. You have the ideas, but nobody listens to you. You have to have the confidence to speak up. You have to also have the psychological safety to say things that are maybe a bit off the beaten track. You have to surround yourself with people who respect your thoughts. So it is very important that you have a neuro-inclusive work environment.
I'm rather introverted and the danger is that I stay isolated with my ideas. This is something I've found out. I have to surround myself with extroverted people who say, "This is a great idea. I will sell it to the client." I'm like, "Can I stay here?" "Yes, you can stay here."
If you're isolated and you don't surround yourself with the right people, your ideas remain isolated as well. That's why constellations and psychological safety in the work environment is very important.
LBB> The book begins with the story you told on LBB before about your first Grey global council, where you felt a “giant brain freeze” at the social atmosphere. Why did that experience lead you to writing the book?
Peter> It is something personal. Our son was diagnosed with ASD and ADHD. My wife sent me the symptoms, just with the simple words, "please read this". I was reading it and it was like a description of myself. This was really confronting at first and then immediately afterwards very liberating. Because now I understand why I'm different, why I'm not social, or why I want to leave parties at 10pm. Suddenly, I understood myself, but I also understood why my thoughts were different and why I have creative skills. This was, for me, an eye opener. And that's very important as well – the message that you have to accept yourself and it helps accepting yourself if there's a talent attached to your neurodivergence. You can tap into a talent.
LBB> Beyond what we've already discussed, why should everybody in advertising read your book?
Peter> It might be an eye opener for you. A lot of people have a self diagnosis via their children at this moment, because now school systems are more sensitive to the issue. The feedback we got in Flanders and in the Netherlands – a lot of people suddenly understood themselves and realised that they were on the spectrum.
Secondly you should read the book because if you are on the spectrum, or you work with somebody on the spectrum or you have children on the spectrum, it gives you a positive perspective on life.
