Transform Weaknesses Into Strengths with Compensatory Skills
In my work with clients, we usually discover that they have all of the resources that they need to transform apparent weaknesses into strengths. This is because they develop additional skills and qualities to compensate for these so-called “weaknesses”. These “compensatory skills” give you the opportunity to reach goals and your full potential despite any obstacles that may be in your way. I’m going to go into a little more depth about this using dyslexia as an example.
Steve Jobs, IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad and the Swiss chemist, and 2017 Nobel Prize winner, Jacques Dubochet, all have at least two things in common. On the one hand, they all achieved extraordinary success. On the other, they all were or are experiencing dyslexia – the umbrella term that describes difficulties with reading or interpreting words and letters. People with dyslexia often experience great challenges with reading texts properly or writing without mistakes. That it is in fact possible to develop new strengths out of a weakness and even become successful in the process of doing so, is demonstrated by many other well-known individuals. Film director Stephen Spielberg, actress Jennifer Aniston and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver all experience dyslexia.
Now you may be asking yourself, how is this even possible? How is it possible to have dyslexia and still experience such immense success in your career? This is absolutely possible, as the above individuals demonstrate. In fact, it is because of the limitations that something like dyslexia can create, that inspires the development of additional skills. These compensatory skills (as well as ample endurance) open up the path to achieve those goals – even without perfect reading and writing abilities.
London professor Julie Logan demonstrates this phenomenon in her study.
The study revealed that people with dyslexia often:
- Give excellent verbal presentations
- Quickly find creative solutions
- Readily delegate tasks that don’t align with their strengths to better suited individuals
Additionally, this study revealed that a surprisingly large number of CEO’s are dyslexic. And their compensatory skills allowed them to successfully navigate their professional lives.
Additionally, it’s important to emphasize that dyslexia, or any other learning disabilities for that matter, have nothing to do with a lack of intelligence. And yet, individuals with dyslexia often experience a sense of inadequacy. Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, used to believe that she was slow and stupid as a child, until she was diagnosed with dyslexia. And nowadays, using a little bit of diligence, she memorizes her royal speeches instead of reading them off of a teleprompter. Also, know that children or teens with dyslexia can often receive support from their educational environment.
My hope is that today’s blog post also inspires you to discover your compensatory strengths, or those of your child, so that you can navigate those obstacles and achieve those goals with élan.
Further Reading:
Study shows stronger links between entrepreneurs and dyslexia