Dyslexic Intelligence – Why GCHQ recruits dyslexic spies!

“Dyslexic Thinking is Mission Critical for GCHQ”

This is a quote by GCHQ Director Jeremy Fleming that introduces a video interview hosted by Kate Griggs, Founder of Made by Dyslexia charity as part of their D-Spot new vodcast series that looks to redefine dyslexia.

In this video Kate interviews GCHQ’s Director of Strategy, Jo Cavan, along with Intelligence Analyst Charlotte and Transformational Innovator Rob who will share how their dyslexia makes them amazing at their jobs! They reveal why Dyslexic Thinking Skills are ‘mission critical’ to keeping the UK safe and secure. Kate says “There are five reasons why dyslexics make great spies and it’s all based on their dyslexic thinking skills and heir dyslexic strengths. Seeing the big picture, spotting patterns in events and data or communication, seeing things differently, finding different solutions to things, thinking laterally and using their intuition to solve impenetrable digital puzzles and simplifying complex info and analysing data.”

A key aspect that both Charlotte and Rob pick up on in the interview is how their puzzle-solving ability ‘just happens, like a light bulb going on’. It seems this is a common experience for people with dyslexia – they can tell you why a solution is the right answer, but cannot explain how they got to the answer – neurons just seem to come together. This is key for managers in the workplace to realise – learn to trust the given solution and not worry about detailing the path taken to get there.

It is clear from this interview how GCHQ creates a culture to help neuro-diverse employees thrive – ensuring they will always make the reasonable adjustments to support individuals – so they keep attracting the top level talent needed for analytical thinking.

Follow this link to see the original Made by Dyslexia D-Spot Video “Dyslexic Intelligence” on You Tube.

All publishing rights and copyright remain with Made by Dyslexia as the original publisher and author.

Cartoon representation of a spy