In many companies you’ll find a few employees who are chronically restless, sometimes rebellious and often unfocused, or those who have difficulty reading or dealing with printed matter. These apparent misfits—folks who suffer from dyslexia or attention-deficit disorder (ADD)—represent about 4% of the U.S. workforce, but in my observation the percentage is higher in family-owned firms.
The explanation seems obvious: If they didn’t belong to the controlling family, they wouldn’t have been hired in the first place.
For years, people with learning and attention problems were marginalized as employees. The exception occurred in family businesses where, as the employer of last resort, the family would do whatever it took to help a family member live a normal life.
This isn’t just a matter of altruism. It also offers family firms a strategic advantage—because those who suffer from dyslexia and ADD often exhibit greater ability to think outside the box than their supposedly “normal” colleagues. Einstein and Edison were dyslexic. So were Alexander Graham Bell, Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney and General George Patton, not to mention Woodrow Wilson and Winston Churchill.
Dyslexics by definition are visual, multi-dimensional thinkers, intuitive and highly creative. They excel at hands-on learning. They think in pictures rather than written words or symbols, but they can learn to read, write and study efficiently when they use methods geared to their unique learning style.
Precisely because dyslexics and people with ADD march to a different drummer, they often perceive things that the rest of us miss. And once you know how to turn people with limiting conditions into productive employees, you get a good one for life: Turnover is zero, in my experience.
Most of those I’ve worked with are in management jobs requiring much paperwork and communication. Heavy doses of reading or writing cause them great discomfort. Their tolerance for meetings is even lower than that of the rest of us. A few are gifted craftsmen who struggled in the wrong assignments before getting into a job that fits properly.
How do you get the most out of these people? First, you must define the problem.
Frequently the adult who’s wrestling with this condition was diagnosed early in his or her school years, usually in the second or third grade. One CEO, now near retirement, told me his disorder became apparent only when he entered college: His heavy reading assignments quickly became a major challenge.
Early difficulties show up in behavior or learning difficulties; often several things go wrong at the same time. The diagnosis you get may be influenced by the specialist you choose. Treatment outcomes can’t be reliably forecast. But learning difficulties often abate or disappear in primary school with the help and adjustments offered by parents, schools and medical professionals.
In addition to the learning problems, many with ADD or dyslexia have difficulty adjusting to the larger society and, specifically, to normal employment as they reach adulthood. Other related cognitive processing difficulties may include troubles with visual perception, linguistic processes, attention or memory. Not surprisingly, such adults have trouble finding or holding jobs. That’s where the family-friendly tendencies of family-owned firms have helped. Several of my clients, for example, are family firms that provide steady work to Down syndrome patients and others on a win-win basis for employee and company alike.
In the past, a dyslexic manager’s shortcomings could be covered by a devoted secretary, who worked from dictation and either read aloud or summarized the boss’s letters and memos. But the advent of computers—and the consequent decline in the number of secretaries—has thrown an enormous obstacle at those with reading and writing difficulties. The rise of voice-mail has helped fill the void, but in many company cultures voice-mail has been overtaken by the tidal wave of e-mail.
What to do? A few basic steps:
• Provide secretarial support. The few remaining secretaries at companies these days usually are assigned to senior executives. They’re generally very intelligent, well-organized people with finely honed communication skills. Every time I’ve suggested that one of them take on extra work to support a younger person with dyslexia or ADD, they’ve been agreeable. And it has worked out well. They compose e-mail, letters and fax reports; prepare presentations; keep track of schedules and records; and (since most secretaries are also mothers) provide emotional support without a big fuss.
The most successful at coping with these learning disabilities are the CEOs or people at the partner level. Their control of their environment, unquestioned command of resources, and generally high level of motivation and performance all contribute to that success. But for things to work at lower levels, deliberate culture change is vital.
The special arrangements needed may involve secretarial support for reading and writing; extra help with filing, scheduling, reminders and phone assistance; adjustments in workspace or layout; flexible or reduced hours; or other perks or privileges not generally available to those in similar jobs.
Colleagues are likely to resent these arrangements as “special privileges.” So they must be presented as a management decision and policy. For instance: “It was decided, after investigation, testing and thought that it is necessary to help Fred achieve good productivity. We will deal with all questions now.” Then: “End of discussion.”
• Re-examine company policies. One repeated area of difficulty in adapting culture arises when the person coping with the condition is exempted from an activity that all others are required to participate in. This may be an apprenticeship work experience, a normal step in training, or participation in some “all hands” event. It’s worth some effort to revisit the requirement, review the objective that led your company to establish this requirement, and see if there is another way to achieve it.
Involving others in the decision also helps. It sends the message that everyone must accomplish the objective, but the company can be flexible as to how that’s done.
• Re-think your company’s reliance on e-mail. It’s wonderful for conveying data or the full text of a document. But voice-mail is far superior in its ability to convey tone, nuance, emphasis, and detail—even if you don’t have learning disabilities.
• Provide background audiotapes. The lessons and techniques found in textbooks, histories and biographies of leaders in all fields now are available easily to those who hate to read. For long-term management development, a hidden resource is the huge number of audiotaped biographies of successful business executives, like Jack Welch and Lee Iacocca. Yes, they’re both dyslexics, too.
James E. Barrett (jebcmc99@aol.com) heads the family business practice of Cresheim Inc. in Philadelphia.