Neurodivergence - A superpower or a disability for entrepreneurs?

(In the context of this article, I'll mostly be referring to my experiences of ADHD)

Many times during my working week, I ask myself the question: is my neurodivergence is a superpower? Or is it in dispite of my disability that I am destined for greatness? That because I'm irrational, impulsive, confident, and hyper-focused, these are what make me successful?

But then perhaps it was inevitable that I became an entrepreneur, and here’s why I think that is true.

Open and Agile

Neurotypicals (NT), who are running a very linear mindset, are often living by firm boundaries and rules. However, the main issue with this is that it can prevent things from changing as fast as they need to in a start-up. It can take longer for new ideas to be brought into the mix.

Someone who is NT is also more likely to think, ‘I’ll try and solve it myself first’. Making them less open to listening to others from the get-go, thus struggling to get outside of the box and any new solutions slow to arrive, if they come at all. This is where being Neurodivergent (ND) can be a superpower, because often the first instinct as an ND is to connect with someone who has the solution to the problem. I would bet over 90% of very successful people have some kind of neurodivergence.

I know this is a largely under researched area, but the question is why do we think of this kind of thinking and skillset as a disability? When in reality it can bring new solutions quickly, make businesses more agile, and grow successful businesses.

A Palette of Emotion

When someone has ADHD, people label that brain as being ‘not normal’, when in reality it's just a different kind of normal. The reason why there might be sparks, energy, and excitement, as well as crushing and deep sadness is because ADHD’s experience an intense palette of many different moods.

However, when you have an extensive palette of moods, it means you are more likely an extremely good storyteller, in whatever creative outlet that speaks to you. People with limited emotional palettes are often more difficult to engage with, as they are more monotone and lack the spark people connect to. This doesn’t work well in the entrepreneurial world of today, where you have to put on a performance to show and tell the world what you’re doing.

Those with an overactive imagination are the ones who will be able to really get out there and get their story heard, which is a beautiful superpower to have. This can become amplified when these entrepreneurs are connected to those they can help them focus on and break down what needs to be done.

The Right Tribe

Another aspect of ADHD, which can be seen as a superpower or a disability, is your energy charge. When it’s positive, it can be uplifting for all those around you, creating a buoyant and strong driving force for your team, however the same applies to the opposite. When your energy is low or negative, it can drain the team.

This energy level can be very dependent on those you surround yourself with. You’re almost like a mood ring or stick, responding to the energy closest to you. This means it’s even more essential that ADHD entrepreneurs surround themselves with people who keep their energy levels high or balanced. Avoiding spending large amounts of time with those that drain them, which could affect their enegy levels, and thus the business too.

I know I found at times I was surrounded by the opposite of what I needed. And that negative charge made me feel like there was something wrong with me, making me question my entire being of who I am. The right people will make an ADHD entrepreneur feel like they can fly.

So I’ve talked a lot about why it’s a superpower to me, but there are also some reasons why it might feel more like a disability at times…

Working with ADHD Early Founders

There is a really important thing I do when I talk to ADHD Early Founders. I can see them trying to do everything all at once. They have all these ideas, but they’re kind of all over the place.

What we do is work on narrowing them down to just talking about one of those things. Pulling it back to the one problem. But what happens is people who are ADHD founders, as soon as they find a room in which they feel safe, it becomes a waterfall of emotion. So it can be hard to move them forward, with so much to process before then because as they open up, and show their vulnerability, this is when everything that’s been playing on their mind comes out.

So you need to be prepared for that as a founder, or someone supporting a founder. These rivers of emotion are created from every interaction they’ve had, from heightened rejection sensitivity and struggling with executive dysfunction (very difficult when your whole role is about making decisions) to dealing with shame, guilt, feeling lazy, getting distracted in meetings, and awkwardly unable to make eye contact with investors.

A literal waterfall of emotions, felt and stored inside with nowhere to go until it comes pouring out. Often wiping the feet out from underneath them as they do.

The Hidden Impact

And finally, of course, the hidden impact of ADHD on people and entrepreneurs who are noted as ‘high functioning’ in society.

For all the moments when their ADHD symptoms and behaviors don’t get seen by those on the outside of their minds. How they don’t see the inner turmoil going on, the extra labor and energy that goes into just seeming ‘normal’ and passing, to the life-destroying co-morbidities such as anxiety and depression which tag alongside ADHD. And then to deal with everything that comes with being an entrepreneur and a founder.

Society has accepted that if someone's dealing with their ADHD, they don’t need help (even whilst they are drowning), but what society hasn’t accepted is that these entrepreneurs are also changing the next evolution of life and business. These are the people are are filled with the ability to move and think on multiple levels, and who can envision a whole new way of life. They operate on a level that is transformative for the entrepreneur sector, but it comes at a high cost.

A Positive Outlook

But what if, it hasn't been completely invisible this whole time? What if it actually has been very visible? What if maybe we just haven’t understood the visibility of these conditions and our perception of them.

What if it’s an incredibly positive thing to be an ADHD entrepreneur. Something to be celebrated. A positive diagnosis to receive, because there are so many ways in which you can do something with it now, there's no fear.

So now it’s up to you, to figure out what you want to do with your superpower?

A word of advice though, make sure to also figure out what support you need for the parts which are difficult to cope with and build the team that helps you be the best leader, entrepreneur, and person. So you can do so in return for them.