ADHD and Entrepeneurs
Today, April 9, there is a great story in the Chicago Tribune business section profiling successful business people who attribute their success in part to ADHD. It is a wonderful source of inspiration for those who are trying to overcome their "disorder deficit"
Happily the story by Kathy Bergen mentions my book The Gift of ADHD.
here is the link to the story:
and an excerpt:
Lara Honos-Webb, author of "The Gift of ADHD," said, "there is substantial overlap in what it takes to be an entrepreneur and the traits [often are] associated with ADHD," among them high energy, a tendency to do many things at once, a proclivity for innovative thinking and taking risks.
The Chicago landscape is dotted with success stories so varied that it seems almost impossible to make broad generalizations about where individuals with learning issues will find success. Some of the highly accomplished have been honored by the Rush Neurobehavioral Center in Skokie, including Jacobs, Swonk, futures industry leader Jack Sandner, former Chicago Public Schools chief Paul Vallas, chef Charlie Trotter, real estate executive Harvey Alter, Molex Inc. co-Chairman Frederick Krehbiel and Illinois Appellate Judge Anne Burke.
Nationally, business leaders with learning differences include brokerage innovator Charles Schwab, JetBlue Airways Corp. founder David Neeleman, Kinko's founder Paul Orfalea and John Chambers, chief of Cisco Systems Inc.
Rocky starts
For many of today's business leaders, childhood was peppered with frustration, humiliation and a sense of being different. When many of them were growing up, there was very little public awareness, if any, of learning differences, and very little help was available.
The Chicago landscape is dotted with success stories so varied that it seems almost impossible to make broad generalizations about where individuals with learning issues will find success. Some of the highly accomplished have been honored by the Rush Neurobehavioral Center in Skokie, including Jacobs, Swonk, futures industry leader Jack Sandner, former Chicago Public Schools chief Paul Vallas, chef Charlie Trotter, real estate executive Harvey Alter, Molex Inc. co-Chairman Frederick Krehbiel and Illinois Appellate Judge Anne Burke.
Nationally, business leaders with learning differences include brokerage innovator Charles Schwab, JetBlue Airways Corp. founder David Neeleman, Kinko's founder Paul Orfalea and John Chambers, chief of Cisco Systems Inc.
Rocky starts
For many of today's business leaders, childhood was peppered with frustration, humiliation and a sense of being different. When many of them were growing up, there was very little public awareness, if any, of learning differences, and very little help was available.
For more resources on The Gift of ADHD and changing the way parents, teachers and schools look at this diagnosis, stop by my website at
Recent Comments