Dyslexic thinking

The British spy agency GCHQ and weapons manufacturer BAE Systems have issued an appeal to attract more neurodiverse women to work for them in cybersecurity jobs.

The employers are actively seeking women with autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for cybersecurity roles to address gaps in their workforces.

As a child, I struggled with reading and spelling and carried a sense of failure. This continued until I left school as being a child in the 60’s and 70’s as most teachers didn’t diagnose or recognise dyslexia as a disorder. I remember my school reports saying the same thing every year “must work harder with his spelling & grammar” They saw me as being a bit slow or worse still stupid to the extent I thought I was just a failure. But teachers back then just ignored this disorder entirely and left it unrecognised.

This really continued until my early 30’s when I was given the opportunity to work in a manufacturing quality engineering department at a well-known lock manufacturer. My manager who was a bit of a quality guru realised the positive side of my disorder and the advantages and strengths it could bring into the workplace.    

This was the first time I realised that anything positive could ever come from being different has I became very good at complex problem solving & having cognitive abilities, which  helped me see solutions where other saw problems.

I still continue to struggle with my dyslexia to this day, but I know I was fortunate as even today most people are unaware that dyslexia has a positive side. According to 2017 YouGov research, only three per cent of the general public believe having dyslexia is an advantage.

Head of GCHQ, Sir Jeremy Fleming, says: Dyslexics are also overrepresented in intelligence operations, with those on the GCHQ apprenticeship scheme up to four times more likely than average to be dyslexic. This is because many dyslexic strengths – advanced reasoning, pattern spotting, lateral thinking and data analysis – are critical in counter-terrorism. 

Across all of our missions, we have people who are dyslexic. I have everyone from the country’s best mathematicians to our most talented engineers and our best analysts and I can see dyslexics among every one of those.” 

Today dyslexics are known for being creative thinkers & having excellent problem-solving abilities! This could be a natural-born skill, or it could also be a trait they developed over time by having to find different and innovative ways to address the challenges they face, which coincidentally, makes them likely to be skilful problem-solvers. Well as someone who is dyslexics the answer to that question is yes to both. I just found different ways of overcoming problems and addressing challenges I encountered.   

People simply see the struggles with bad spelling and grammar. But they don’t recognise that dyslexics are often excellent at reasoning, problem solving and communicating, plus they typically have good visual, verbal and creative skills.

Dyslexics have the exact skills needed for the workforce of today: creativity, empathy, problem-solving and communication skills. These Dyslexic Thinking skills are highly valued in a fast-changing world of work – and are now recognised by the world’s largest careers network, LinkedIn, who offer their members the chance to add Dyslexic Thinking to their profile as a searchable skill.

NOW is the time for dyslexics to share their sought-after skills with the world and for employers to do all they can to empower Dyslexic Thinking in the workplace – or risk being left behind.