You may never have heard of dyslexic thinking before, but awareness is undoubtedly going to change due to the way our understanding is developing around the subject.
Made By Dyslexia, for example, is a campaign in partnership with Richard Branson that has led to numerous steps forward in our approach to dyslexic thinking – it’s just the beginning of the way in which our approach to dyslexia is evolving.
It’s also a topic extremely close to Talent Hive and our approach to recruitment, given that our Managing Director, Will Gennard, has dyslexia, which we’ll discuss later in this blog.
But what exactly is dyslexic thinking, and why is it seen as a skill?
What is the definition of dyslexic thinking?
As defined by Dictionary.com, dyslexic thinking is an approach to problem-solving, assessing information, and learning. It is often used by people with dyslexia and involves pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, lateral thinking, and interpersonal communication.
Even having dyslexic thinking in the dictionary as a vital skill set is a major step forward in the public perception of dyslexia and dyslexic thinking.
According to Made By Dyslexia, 9 out of 10 dyslexics describe their thinking as ‘seeing past detail to gain a strategic (big picture) view of a subject/problem’.
There is also a range of skills split between specific skills (relating to the career paths that are generally preferential to dyslexic thinkers) and general skills (relating to most forms of education, activities, and careers).
This ranges from visualising and imagining, to reasoning and connecting – dyslexic thinking encompasses a range of skills that are critical and beneficial to many job roles.
How is the perception of dyslexia and dyslexic thinking changing?
Beyond being entered into the dictionary as a vital skillset, dyslexic thinking has also been recognised as a vital skill by LinkedIn.
This is a significant step, given that LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and can now offer its 810+ million members the opportunity to add ‘dyslexic thinking’ to their profile as a skill.
From his personal experience with dyslexia, Talent Hive’s Managing Director, Will Gennard, believes that things have changed considerably in the past few years.
“There’s still a bit of stigma around it…, it’s the last few years where it’s really been recognised and appreciated.”
We spoke with Will about his own experiences with dyslexia below – let’s take a look at what he had to say.
Tell us a bit about your experiences with dyslexia.
Will’s experience with dyslexia began around the age of 11 or 12, which is when he says he was just starting to become created.
It was at this point that his parents realised that he wasn’t wired like other people, at a time when dyslexia had started becoming recognised, but nobody really knew entirely what it was.
“They put me in a dyslexia programme that I was going down to London for, for tests and stuff; I guess I was a guinea pig.”
Dyslexia, Will says, was also something his dad had experienced, though he’d just assumed he was more of a hands-on worker than an academic, as opposed to knowing that it was dyslexia at the time.
Fortunately, Will’s dyslexia was recognised and as a result, he got additional support at school, one-to-ones, and extra time in exams to bring him up to the level he needed to be at.
“It’s something you get better at. You’re never ‘non-dyslexic’, but I’m probably a lot better than I was because it was recognised early on.”
Though dyslexia was something that Will considered to have the potential to affect confidence, the public figures that are now speaking of their own experiences with dyslexia (e.g. Alan Sugar and Richard Branson) are making it easier to see the benefits of dyslexic thinking and view it as a strength rather than a weakness.
Do you think that’s why you became a chef?
“Partly, because if you’re not academic, you have limited opportunities. I don’t think I was that motivated to do well at school, not that I did badly. Being a chef is one of those where you can go into it with no GCSEs.”
In Will’s opinion, those who struggle to be academically wired often excel at manual work, which is why he got into cheffing in the first place (alongside having started by peeling carrots in a local pub and enjoying it).
Additionally, cheffing meant that Will could use his skills – organisation, forward-thinking, teamwork, and working hard.
In what way would you say dyslexia has been a skill for you in hospitality recruitment?
Being wired differently than others has been a benefit, in Will’s opinion, as it means that he can use his work ethic, drive, organisation skills, methodical thinking, and problem-solving to the benefit of his work.
“It’s great to see it be recognised now, whereas before, you’d never tell anyone that you were dyslexic.”
How was dyslexia viewed in the hospitality industry before, and has it changed?
Will believes there’s likely to be a high percentage of people in hospitality with dyslexia, especially because of the way that hospitality welcomes all abilities and backgrounds.
“It’s an industry that most people fall into. I don’t think many people are at school and saying, ‘I’m going to go into hospitality’.”
Similarly, Will also notes that a lot of people in hospitality are those who have dropped out of university, who usually have a job working at a local restaurant or pub, and found themselves in hospitality instead of pursuing academics.
Is dyslexia focused on when it comes to diversity in recruitment, or is it overlooked?
From his own experience at Talent Hive, Will says that they don’t look at it as a factor.
However, he understands that a lot of people won’t mention their dyslexia until it comes to potential presentations, assessment days, or psychometric tests, which is when candidates may then say that they’ve got dyslexia.
“I’ll say, don’t worry, I’m dyslexic as well.”
If you’re given time to complete a reading or writing task, Will describes that you’ll be able to do it as well as anyone else can – it’s only high-pressure environments in which dyslexia may become more openly apparent.
“I’d encourage anyone to be honest and upfront, because there are a lot more dyslexics out there than you think.”
Has your own view on dyslexia changed over the course of your career?
Being able to be honest and open is the biggest difference for Will.
“I’m happy to tell people about it now, whereas before, I would feel horrified that anyone knew.”
Being put on the spot used to be a stressful experience, but now Will feels as though he’d have the confidence to ask people to bear with him and feel comfortable doing so.
How can hospitality improve its approach to recruiting dyslexic candidates?
Will’s best piece of advice?
“Don’t view it as a disability or a disadvantage. Think about what strengths they bring to the table – I’d love to see more people come out and recognise it.”
Though we’ve come a long way in our understanding of dyslexia and dyslexic thinking, we still have a long way to go in terms of appreciating the diversity of thinking that dyslexic people bring to the table – with any luck, the future will bring even further strides in our approach and understanding of dyslexia.
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