Before turning HighTower Advisors into a financial advice company with $35 billion in assets under management and 500 employees, Elliot Weissbluth had to learn how to live successfully with dyslexia. Most notably, he figured out how to use it to his advantage.
Among the most important tactics Mr. Weissbluth employs to overcome this learning disorder is to shun multi-tasking. He allows himself to focus intently on one thing at a time, Mr. Weissbluth said last Wednesday on an episode of the “Faster than Normal” podcast,, which describes how people are living well with attention deficit and other disorders.
Mr. Weissbluth said he felt embarrassed and stupid for many years of his youth. He described having to lug around a typewriter in second and third grade so that he could take notes during classes, because he could not read his own handwriting.
He encouraged others with similar ailments to look for “the gifts” in the compensatory steps one has to take to deal with these difficulties. For instance, his early typing experience prepared him well for computers when they came out.
“There are ways and tactics to convert what you may perceive as a disability into an advantage or asset,” Mr. Weissbluth said. He welcomed those struggling to live with dyslexia to reach out to him via LinkedIn for more tips.
Dyslexia is a term that covers various disorders involving a difficulty learning how to read and understanding words and letters. It's unrelated to intellect, but it impacts the brain's ability to process and respond to information.
Mr. Weissbluth said he becomes overwhelmed and upset if he's distracted by multiple issues at once, which is why he emphasizes concentrating on one thing at a time.
“When I'm in a meeting, I never have my phone or my laptop in front of me; I'm focused intently on the person I'm talking to,” he said. “Ironically, that's an asset today, because people are pleased that you're not checking your phone or not distracted. And all of a sudden, because you're focused you hear things differently, you notice things differently.”
He also described his belief that executives should fire, then rehire, themselves every year — something HighTower officials practice each summer.
The company's executives analyze what they did wrong over the past year, and each imagines they are “the new guy on the job” and what they'll do differently going forward.
“That's where the interesting conversations start to happen,” he said.
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