Dyslexia Awareness Week - What it Means to be “Uniquely You”
This year, Dyslexia Awareness Week (taking place 2nd October – 8th October 2023), is focusing on the different experiences and perspectives of dyslexic individuals, under the theme ‘Uniquely You’.
This is a very important message to recognise when talking about dyslexia, and neurodiversity more widely, as even with the same diagnosis, people can have very different experiences and characteristics. We can see this with those in the public eye who have been diagnosed with dyslexia. Though there may be some commonalities in the skills they have attributed to their successes, there are also differences.
Dyslexic Leaders – Unique Strengths & Talents
Dyslexia is often associated with creativity, thinking outside the box, and many other unique strengths and talents. In fact, according to research, 35% of business owners and entrepreneurs in the US have identified as dyslexic.
Business magnate Richard Branson, has highlighted that his dyslexia is his ‘greatest strength’, attributing his creative and strategic thinking to his entrepreneurial success. Similarly, Steve Jobs used his creativity, imagination, and outside-the-box thinking skills to create some of the most significant innovations of this millennia.
As well as creativity and the ability to think outside the box, there are many examples of how dyslexic individuals can be excellent verbal communicators. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, a celebrated space scientist, mechanical engineer, and science communicator, has used her ability to think differently to take complex concepts and simplify them. This can both help with creative decision-making, as well as allowing her to clearly communicate complex concepts to new audiences.
Similarly, culinary icon Jamie Oliver has used his creativity and communication skills to excel as a chef, with his creative food ideas and recipes leading to several successful restaurants, cookbooks, and the launch of his own restaurant chain. His excellent communication skills and passion have also enabled him to successfully host and present several of his own TV cooking shows and guest star on others, communicating difficult recipes in a concise and engaging way.
Other strengths dyslexic individuals often possess are the ability to demonstrate high levels of empathy, and being able to understand and respond to how others are feeling. This coupled with excellent communication skills, can lead to valuable rapport-building abilities. Holly Willoughby, host of ‘This Morning’ on ITV, attributes a lot of her success to her dyslexia, enabling her to empathise with others and build strong relationships.
Whoopi Goldberg is an Academy Award-winning actress, comedian, television personality and author who has spoken publicly about her experiences with dyslexia growing up. As a talk show host on ‘The Whoopi Goldberg Show’ and ‘The View’, she has demonstrated her ability to effectively communicate with and develop rapport with others. She has expressed that her ability to think differently due to her dyslexia has helped her to succeed.
Every Individual is Unique
It is right to celebrate the achievements of these dyslexic leaders in business, science and the arts. However, there are talented neurodivergent individuals in all walks of life, and you shouldn’t have to set up your own company or have your own TV show in order to succeed and have your unique talents recognised. We need to ensure that neurodivergent individuals have the opportunity to be themselves and to succeed, whatever their talents, profession and work environment.
So wherever we work, it is important for us to consider these differences in presentations of dyslexia when we are having conversations with individuals, and employees about their workplace preferences and skills. No two individuals are the same, and everyone’s journey, strengths, and challenges may be different.
Because of this, we should never make assumptions based on what we may have seen help another person before. It is important to actively listen to everyone’s preferences and make suggestions for workplace adjustments based on this.
Where an individual and their manager aren’t sure what support or adjustments are needed, Lexxic is on hand to help. Our expert psychologists can provide workplace needs assessments which help an individual to understand the support and adjustments which will enable them to work at their best, taking account of their unique strengths, challenges and the requirements of their role. We can also provide coaching to individuals and their managers, to support them in developing and implementing strategies to help them overcome challenges and thrive at work.
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