Richard Branson believes dyslexia helps him to become successful

The billionaire Richard Branson says dyslexia is at least partially responsible for his success, CNBC reported. 

Branson noted that one of the strengths of people with dyslexia was a vivid imagination, adding that Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Steve Jobs were dyslexic.

“My dyslexia has shaped Virgin right from the very beginning and imagination has been the key to many of our successes,” he said. “It helped me think big but keep our messages simple. The business world often gets caught up in facts and figures — and while the details and data are important, the ability to dream, conceptualise and innovate is what sets the successful and the unsuccessful apart.”

The founder of the Virgin Group added that skills related to dyslexia would be necessary in the new world of work, noting a 2018 report from an EY accountant stating that dyslexics have “exactly the skills needed for the future workplace.”

“Problem solving, creativity and imagination will be in high demand with the rise of AI (artificial intelligence) and automation,” Branson said.

We should stop trying to get all children to think the same way,” he added. “We should support and celebrate all types of neurodiversity and encourage children’s imagination, creativity and problem solving — the skills of the future.”

Dyslexia is a selective violation of the ability to master reading and writing skills while maintaining the general ability to learn. Historically, in most European countries the concept of "dyslexia" includes all the problems associated with written speech.

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