I am #MadebyDyslexia

This article was created during a sit-down chat with Lisa Michel and Fahima Hussein from the UBS Ability networks. Check out more on how we are supporting talent with disabilities at UBS.

Let’s go back a few years! What were you finding difficult during your younger school years?

Growing up in Australia, I struggled to read and write. ?At age seven, for example, I was often the only one still slowly scribbling away at my desk while all others had finished and moved onto our next activity.

Many countries then, and still now, make you learn with mandatory cursive script, and it really exacerbated the difficulties, slowing me right down. Most of my memories from this time are about being the only kid still slowly working at my desk while the faster ones (pretty much everyone!) were enjoying story time with the teacher, long having put their pens down. ?

Dyslexia is tricky—you can have trouble reading AND writing.

But even maths, a subject in which I was much stronger, I still couldn’t avoid the difficulties because often math questions involve lots of words! Questions felt overly complicated, and I struggled to understand what was being asked.

Was there anyone that helped you at the time and if yes, what did they do?

When I was 8, and attending boarding school in England, I had access to a dedicated remedial department (terrible name). I had lots of 1:1 time reading aloud; this unlocked reading for me and it felt like being able to breathe for the first time. As did being able to write letters any way I wanted. I was also offered extra time for my exams but it was hard to accept this help in the beginning because I didn’t want to look weak in front of my peers.

Just that extra bit of support and flexibility with the ‘way things should be done’ went a very long way. We now know that ALL children benefit from more flexible and customized teaching approaches.

What are the coping skills you’ve developed over time?

It took me until well into adulthood, maybe around 25 or 30 years old to realize how the problems I had in education were manifesting themselves in my work life. I had to work a lot harder to do things that other people found easy. I learned lots of ‘hacks’ as a coping mechanisms.

The hacks I’ve developed help me take complex information and not only re-communicate it simply but also just break it down to a point where the solutions themselves can become glaringly simple. That’s useful when dealing with huge and sometimes overwhelming social impact issues.

I became a strong aural learner; I can watch someone do or say something once, memorize it, and do it myself almost straight away. Verbal memorizing was how I passed most of my exams!?

To this day, I am constantly forced to innovate and look for opportunities to solve issues with different solutions. So I’ve learnt to jump over those obstacles quickly.?It’s turned out to be a pretty useful thing in my career and I’m definitely no longer the last one to put my pen down.

You mention the challenges of early adulthood. How did it affect your early career?

Grappling with understanding and communicating almost cost me my job a few times. My ability to sell my vision and build relationships usually got me hired, but then I would struggle to deliver, particularly before I had a team to help me.?Even then, I resisted asking for help, so I would sell well and get a great opportunity and then follow up with a written proposal which was full of typos. Eventually, I got something called ‘access to work’ funding which meant I could pay a proofreader a few hours per week--this was a game changer.

Those tough moments leave their mark, but the conversation today is changing. We talk about ‘Made by dyslexia’ – do you think there are any benefits of having it, especially in the context of your leadership role?

Today, I think dyslexia is my greatest strength. Being slow at processing thoughts from brain to paper has forced me to communicate more clearly verbally and, after some years of feeling self-conscious, I finally feel real confidence as a public speaker.

In my work now I actually love maths, like finding patterns in data, especially in impact outcomes and building business cases from it.

I realized when I was in my early 30s, when I read ‘gift of dyslexia,’ that I think ‘in pictures’ so translating that into words is sometimes difficult. It turns out, those pictures often lead to connections that others wouldn’t naturally see and by having people in my team who can help me crystalize them and communicate them clearly, I can get thinking across that comes from a new direction and adds value.

Dyslexia has also helped me to be more empathetic; by being open about my own insecurities, I've built deeper relationships with people. In leadership roles these skills are sometimes more valuable than simple speed of execution.

Do you think most people understand what it means to be dyslexic?

No, most assume it means you mix your letters up, which is true for some, but not for me. For me it is more about processing thoughts from brain to paper; I often miss out prepositions or filler words when writing. It can make for some fun misunderstandings! I encourage people to have a Google and get to know it better – you’ll find there’s a whole community of high-achievers who’ve managed to navigate their Dyslexia – including 25% of all CEO’s.

But I don’t think you have to understand totally to help others thrive. ?I’ve been really privileged to have understanding and acceptance from both senior management and team members. And I have been lucky to be surrounded by people that can support on the tasks that play less to my dyslexic strengths.

Do you wish you weren’t dyslexic?

No - but I do still get annoyed at myself and feel lazy when I can’t do things as quickly as I would like. My wife and kids read books so fast, if we read the same page together, I have to fight them to not turn it over too quickly.

But I can do things that others can’t. My greatest work motto is ‘only do what only you can do’.

What do you wish you could tell younger Tom?

• Find a way to access learning; listening to books or podcasts. Whether we like it or not, we live in a written word culture and it’s the air we breathe.
• Keep persevering – don’t let negative experiences stop you from tackling habits and behaviors that hold you back.
• Don’t get frustrated with yourself.
• Always accept the extra time if it's offered to you!

What are your 5 top tips for coping with dyslexia at work? Or tips for co-workers who work with you?

• Be upfront and honest about your dyslexia and the support you need as it's nothing to be ashamed of. Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence.
• Leverage and double down on your strengths.
• Stay organized and push through the ‘swimming through treacle feeling.’
• Take any courses you can. In fact, many line managers and companies take pride in helping their employees enhance their abilities. Ultimately, just keep learning!
• And to our colleagues – just ask us how we need to work (and please don’t ask us to take the minutes!)