I spoke to a group of smart business people recently on
intelligence and creativity – and ADHD.
The three are closely linked and it’s remarkable how significant yet
unheralded they are in the business world, particularly in relation to
entrepreneurship.
While it’s all very well to know there are links, the question is – what
can we do about it?
Hitherto, conventional thinking has regarded such neurodiversity as ADHD a disability, but it can also be an ability – a superpower enabling hyper-focus, fast, divergent-thinking, and a bias for action.
The incidence of ADHD in the population at large is about 6% and growing, with some studies putting it nearer 10%.
With studies demonstrating connections between ADHD and entrepreneurial success, researchers say that around 65% of CEOs of companies with $20 million or more turnover have the condition.
There is also evidence that the condition is patrilineal.
Having ADHD myself and seeing such neurodiversity emerge in my son and grandson, I am determined to drill down, understand more and write about it so that others can ensure it becomes an advantage rather than a disadvantage.
It’s a trend worth following in a fast-moving world that needs fewer bureaucratic types and more creative thinkers.
Watch this space.
(Thanks Debra Chantry-Taylor for hosting me at your recent Connector event!).