Neurodiversity, Empathy, and People-First Leadership Through Chaos

Summary: What happens when an engineer who thrives on data is forced to navigate chaos where the rules no longer compute? Chris May shares how COVID stripped away his reliance on rigid process and revealed the true currency of business: empathy, connection, and people-first leadership. This conversation explores how Chris reshaped himself and his company to succeed by humanizing technology and centering people at the core of cybersecurity.Chapters: 00:00 – When the rules don’t compute: Chris’s messy COVID reality03:45 – An engineer meets chaos: when process fails07:30 – Facing fear, loss, and the human side of crisis12:15 – Chris’s three-month road trip: rediscovering connection17:40 – From transactions to people-first leadership23:00 – Learning to translate between tech and human27:10 – Data vs. context: why relationships matter31:20 – Cybersecurity’s biggest risk: humans, not servers36:00 – Training people, not just systems, to fight cyber threats40:45 – Mentorship, growth, and soft skills in tech careers46:30 – Cutting through the static: avoiding politics and division at work50:00 – Fighting otherization and building people-centered IT52:00 – Closing reflections: disrupting IT with empathyHost Alexa Beavers: linkedin.com/in/alexabeaverspmpGuest Chris May: linkedin.com/in/chrismaycybersecExecutive Producer Jim Kanichirayil: linkedin.com/in/drjimk Music Credit: "Lost in Dreams" by Kulakovka