The Ugly Dyslexic Duckling

As entrepreneurs, we oftentimes want to think of ourselves as superheroes. We tell our peers, investors, and the media that we have no weaknesses. We’re also capable of wearing all the hats we’re given and doing all that we’re asked to do. 

The truth is, that is an unrealistic image of who we really are. It’s not until we admit and embrace our weaknesses that we can truly excel, and be honest with ourselves about the type of leaders we want to be—and teams we want to build. 

Here’s my story of embracing a weakness I have battled with for 20+ years: dyslexia. I was ashamed of my dyslexia for many years, and it took 2+ decades for me to finally embrace it. 

My story can hopefully help many other entrepreneurs feel comfortable with embracing their weaknesses, rather than being ashamed of them.

When it all started

My struggle with dyslexia began the week before my 1st week of middle school. It all started when I signed up for a tour of the school with an upperclassman. I remember it like yesterday. The tour was going great until we reached a building called “the learning center.” Very little time was spent at this building, but the thing I’ll never forget was the snide remark she made: “Oh, that’s where the stupid kids go.” I didn’t think much about her comment until the following week when I found out I would be going to that same learning center where “the stupid kids” go—on a regular basis. I felt both ugly and ashamed. 

(The building where "the stupid kids" went was right behind this sign.)

As my middle and high school years passed me by, I learned more about my learning disability. I discovered that I needed to put 3X as much time studying and memorizing a chapter in my history—or science—textbook, than most of my other peers. The doctors said that it would be near impossible to learn a foreign language and that I should give up my love for French. 

Although those findings caused me to become ashamed of myself, and my dyslexia, I decided to fight my weakness and work as hard as I could. As long as I knew that I was doing my best, things would be okay. I eventually developed a proficiency in French and regularly made the honor roll. I pushed my weakness into the back of my mind and kept it moving. 

Working hard was a great quick fix, but what I didn’t realize was the fact that I trained myself to ignore my weakness instead of embracing it—as I grew up during those tough years in grade school. I thought that working hard enough could get rid of it—but weaknesses don’t always work that way, especially learning disabilities. 

It wasn’t until Reboot—an awesome retreat for entrepreneurs I attended last quarter—that I realized I had been ashamedly covering up my dyslexia my whole life. Jerry, our facilitator, asked us this: “What kind of team would you like to build around your weaknesses?” This made me realize that I hadn’t even been honest with myself, or my team, about my dyslexia. They had no idea.

Upon my return from the Reboot retreat, I immediately started taking steps to address, embrace, and open up about my dyslexia. Instead of feeling like the ugly dyslexic duckling I felt like in middle and high school, I work daily towards identifying more as a swan, and continuing to grow, learn, and be the best leader I can be.

If I can address and embrace my weaknesses, then so can you. Here are my tips on how to do just that.

Hire individuals who complement your weaknesses. Every employee that reports to me must take a test that ensures their attention to detail, and assure their strength in grammatical skills. If they don’t pass, they do not make it to the next round of interviews.

See the positive side—the superpower—that your weaknesses have given you. For me, having a learning disability gave me a relentless work ethic that I am still thankful for today.

Build your day-to-day processes (and work schedule) around your weaknesses. Dyslexia makes it difficult for me to remember numbers. At any given point in time, I could forget anything from the time my flight takes off, to the date for a future client demo. After missing several client demos (and even a plane flight), I enabled a Google Calendar feature that texts me when I have an important meeting or plane—ensuring I never miss an important meeting again.

Address your weaknesses head on. This blog post is one of the first I’ve written for Praiseworthy, because fear of blogging—and potential grammatical errors—caused me to hold off on content marketing, and even look for a content marketing hire for our company. Don’t let fear of your weaknesses control the direction of your company, or miss out on great opportunities.

Love thyself. No one is perfect. We are not gods, we’re humans. Fully love yourself for who you are, weaknesses and all.

During a meeting on yesterday, I wrote our company name incorrectly—“Praisworthy.” (When it should be Praiseworthy). Before embracing my dyslexia, my previous ugly duckling self would have been embarrassed and ashamed. Instead, my team and I now laugh mistakes off, viewing them as opportunities to find humor and move on. 

Remember this: we’re entrepreneurs, not superhumans. Embrace and recognize your weaknesses. Only then can you become the leader that will reach his (or her) full potential. 

P.S. If you are a leader, and would like to learn more about the true stories behind leadership-- the uncertainty, failures, and challenges-- you can read additional articles here and here.