I'm Dyslexic, get over it and let's get the job done.
Ok so I have Dyslexia, it's a great gift and yet it can be a pain and make me seem rude at times and it does make working with others quite difficult for me and others. I hope by writing this it gives Managers some help in working with those who have dyslexia and using their talents for the benefit of your organisation.
Over time I have been told amongst many things, that I’m difficult to manage, I don’t follow the rules, I go off and do my own thing, my written work is poor and he can’t do basic maths. Though all these things may be true, give me a difficult problem to solve, leave me to it and I'll get it done I’ll plan it in detail, in a cost efficient way, quickly, without the need for supervision or management.
A lot of managers sometimes have a problem with this, they need to be seen to be managing. Someone who self manages and just goes and gets on with it and gets the job done, just doesn't fit in to a traditional team mentality. Someone who shows them that impossible things can be done, isn’t liked very much. Time and again I have been told throughout my career that things can’t be done, yet time and again I manage to go out and do it anyway. I'm sorry I'm not trying to rub your nose in it or be a big I am. It may be that I’m just wired that way and this may be due to my dyslexia.
Yes they're are traditional
rules to follow and a way of doing things particularly in large organisations.
However I don’t think policy and processes should get in the way of
getting things done. Or been told that’s the way it's always been done.
Policies and process should in my view be seen as a basic rule book, that
should assist not hinder the work that needs doing.
Perhaps you have a team member who you see as acting as above. Perhaps they too are wired differently. I believe we all have a destiny we all have a role to fill. Please don't shoot me if I see my role and do things differently.
So how best to work with someone who thinks differently. The first rule is talk to me. No seriously talk to me. I will often say something that comes across as rude or arrogant. The problem is that my mind has had a whole conversation in my head when you’ve talked to me. What comes out is but a fraction of what I’m trying to say. In order to voice it I have to shorten it so a lot gets lost in translation. But if you take the time to ask me and understand what I mean you'll often find my reasoning is sound.
Don't tell me things? Help me visualise it. Drawings and diagrams are better. If I’m not fully explaining it to you ask me to draw it or tell you a story. How would you do that?
Please don't ask me to report in all the time. Leave me to it. It is ok to just ask if I’m ok? Or remind me a dates coming up. But please trust me to get on and deliver.
Don't ask me to participate and sit in meetings. Especially those that happen to massage ego's Just tell me what needs doing and give me a time frame.
If I need help or don’t understand I will, go and learn what I’ll need to complete the job. I'll train myself.
If I’m doing something that seems weird or pointless there is a reason. Sometimes you'll have told me a problem in discussion and I'm just solving the problem without even discussing it.
I tend to see patterns in things and can react to potential problems before they occur. I'll often solve things before they are on your radar.
When I plan things I can actually see it happening. I walk through the problem. I will try and think of most eventualities, even down to making sure the people I work with have the sustenance they need.
My brain has the capacity to be interested in a lot of things at once, I can take on huge amounts of information by using different learning techniques.
Once I've started on something I’ll see it to the end, usually in a very short focused time.
Finally please bear with me, I'm really not a pain to work with, trust me and let me get on. Just don’t use a hammer on a screw! It will still do the job but just not the way it's intended. I can be a very useful asset to you and your company.
Perhaps you have a team member who you see as acting as above. Perhaps they too are wired differently. I believe we all have a destiny we all have a role to fill. Please don't shoot me if I see my role and do things differently.
So how best to work with someone who thinks differently. The first rule is talk to me. No seriously talk to me. I will often say something that comes across as rude or arrogant. The problem is that my mind has had a whole conversation in my head when you’ve talked to me. What comes out is but a fraction of what I’m trying to say. In order to voice it I have to shorten it so a lot gets lost in translation. But if you take the time to ask me and understand what I mean you'll often find my reasoning is sound.
Don't tell me things? Help me visualise it. Drawings and diagrams are better. If I’m not fully explaining it to you ask me to draw it or tell you a story. How would you do that?
Please don't ask me to report in all the time. Leave me to it. It is ok to just ask if I’m ok? Or remind me a dates coming up. But please trust me to get on and deliver.
Don't ask me to participate and sit in meetings. Especially those that happen to massage ego's Just tell me what needs doing and give me a time frame.
If I need help or don’t understand I will, go and learn what I’ll need to complete the job. I'll train myself.
If I’m doing something that seems weird or pointless there is a reason. Sometimes you'll have told me a problem in discussion and I'm just solving the problem without even discussing it.
I tend to see patterns in things and can react to potential problems before they occur. I'll often solve things before they are on your radar.
When I plan things I can actually see it happening. I walk through the problem. I will try and think of most eventualities, even down to making sure the people I work with have the sustenance they need.
My brain has the capacity to be interested in a lot of things at once, I can take on huge amounts of information by using different learning techniques.
Once I've started on something I’ll see it to the end, usually in a very short focused time.
Finally please bear with me, I'm really not a pain to work with, trust me and let me get on. Just don’t use a hammer on a screw! It will still do the job but just not the way it's intended. I can be a very useful asset to you and your company.
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