ADHD traits can be an 'opportunity' for entrepreneurs
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- Last Updated on Thursday, 06 August 2015 09:09
Which would you say is most useful to an entrepreneur; perseverance, the letters MBA on your CV header, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? Serial entrepreneur and business coach Cameron Herold might punt for the last. In his popular 2010 TED talk – “Let’s raise kids to be entrepreneurs” – Herold argued that behavioural traits associated with the disorder, such as a tendency to see the whole picture rather than remember detail, should be encouraged and developed by schools, because they are key entrepreneurial qualities. “Attention deficit [hyperactivity] disorder can be a problem, or it can be an opportunity,” he told us.
The Canadian, who has ADHD, launched his first business aged 21 and has since grown three companies past the $100m mark. He was previously vice president of Ubarter.com (a B2B bartering services company), chief operating officer of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? and is now chief operating officer of coaching company BackPocket. He opened his TED talk with the line: “I would be willing to bet that I’m the dumbest guy in the room because I couldn’t get through school” and describes how he struggled in the classroom.
Taken from article by Emma Featherstone at The Guardian Saturday 18 July 2015 16.00 AEST
http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2015/jul/18/adhd-opportunity-entrepreneur-ted-edge
