Manager with Dyspraxia

[ALADDIN]

Does anyone know a manager who has dyspraxia ? This includes a project manager. Maybe problems with working memory/organisation make it harder.

[Tom fod]

I do suspect that those with dyspraxia are under represented in management/more senior roles.
That's not to say it isn't possible. Personally I think it's a confidence thing plus not particularly motivated to want to 'climb the greasey pole'.

[Jim]

I know of anyone personally.

However, there is a member of Parliament who is Dyspraxic, which frankly I think is fantastic.

I'm not convinced it's confidence which holds us back, as I think many of us are very well aware of our own capabilities. But I do think fragile self esteem has a lot to answer for.

[yvonnel]

I am a senior manager but work in an organisation where difference is valued I manage a team of really creative and a wacky people , other ask me how I put up with them but hey they put up with me . In all seriousness my chief executive is really good and seeing people strengths and not seeing them as an obstacle .

Have I worked harder than others to get where I am the answer is yes it took me longer to get into management ( but then had a rapid progression) people call me a workaholic but I love my job . My team respect me for my skills but also know that some days I struggle than others and know to give me time and space when that the case ( and not to let me empty the dishwasher)

It hasn't also been that way a few years ago I got a job where I didn't present in the way that the rest of the senior management team felt went with the role and made my life a misery
In some ways I've been very lucky but what I would say its about being you and doing what's right for you

Oh and Emma llewlyn Buck MP is great

[RGabb]

Hi, I am new here and have just turned 18. I am Dyspraxic and I have been working for McDonalds which is probably one of the most demanding jobs in terms of remembering things, sequences, being quick, etc since May this year. One of my shift managers at work is Dyspraxic also, he seems to cope better than I do and I didn't actually for a second think he would have it. He is quite appreciative of the work I do and holds full faith in me. He always gets me to do jobs like organizing and tidying the walk in freezer and chiller, because I can organize and tidy it in my own time instead of in set time frame of say 30 mins which I probably wont complete it in. I do have my struggles at work being Dyspraxic, for example I have to be quick with just about everything I do which is hard because I cant keep up brilliantly, and I often forget things especially when on backroom (which means I have to get stuff out for everyone in kitchen and front when they need it) which means I have to go back to them to ask them again. I sometimes also say tell me a couple things at once so I am unlikely to forget them as quickly. I also have poor spatial awareness which means I end up bumping into people and getting in their way a lot and not realizing it until they tell me. Also when people give me instructions to get something for example I tend to take it quite literally meaning I may bring back the wrong thing to them. I do enjoy working there while at college, whilst at the same time it is also helping me to improve my skills that aren't not as good that other people without Dyspraxia are good at. Sorry if I rambled on a bit I have a habit of talking for a long time.

[Jim]

I wouldn't worry about being in people's way too much.

I think in reality, being in the way is more of a human thing, I.e everyone and I do mean everyone does it, and probably much more than they think they do. I don't think us Dyspraxics are any worse than other people for being in the way

[robone]

Hi, I am new here and have just turned 18. I am Dyspraxic and I have been working for McDonalds which is probably one of the most demanding jobs in terms of remembering things, sequences, being quick, etc since May this year. One of my shift managers at work is Dyspraxic also, he seems to cope better than I do and I didn't actually for a second think he would have it. He is quite appreciative of the work I do and holds full faith in me. He always gets me to do jobs like organizing and tidying the walk in freezer and chiller, because I can organize and tidy it in my own time instead of in set time frame of say 30 mins which I probably wont complete it in. I do have my struggles at work being Dyspraxic, for example I have to be quick with just about everything I do which is hard because I cant keep up brilliantly, and I often forget things especially when on backroom (which means I have to get stuff out for everyone in kitchen and front when they need it) which means I have to go back to them to ask them again. I sometimes also say tell me a couple things at once so I am unlikely to forget them as quickly. I also have poor spatial awareness which means I end up bumping into people and getting in their way a lot and not realizing it until they tell me. Also when people give me instructions to get something for example I tend to take it quite literally meaning I may bring back the wrong thing to them. I do enjoy working there while at college, whilst at the same time it is also helping me to improve my skills that aren't not as good that other people without Dyspraxia are good at. Sorry if I rambled on a bit I have a habit of talking for a long time.

Sounds similar to my problems working at McDonald's

[RGabb]

How do you find it working at McDonald's?

I got a performance review a few weekends ago, now I was scared at first as the new manager since October never said anything to me about how well id done, he would say thanks when I go or if he's going home. Turns out he thought I was very good, he said I am hardworking, do a good job and keep everything going, know your stuff and other good things too, maybe I doubt myself to much and put myself down or focus onethings when i do it wrong and stew on them. I got a three out of 4 which is quite good I would of been 4 the best performance you can get if i knew the last of the stations.

I also got star of the shift on that performance review day too, and won an Easter egg, I won star of the shift again this Sunday just gone so won another Easter egg.

[robone]

I am 18 also, a trainee crew trainer. Well the main problems I have is my speech a lot of time people who I'm working with have problems understanding what I say or they pretend that they have understood which is irritating as it makes training more difficult and people treat me differently because of this. Because I put hard work into my job I have been able to progress at it but it took a while for me to gasp certain skills because of having a poor short term memory. With certain things like dive I was really slow I would start it at 10:30 and would be fished at 2:00 which was embarrassing as it should of been done for 12:00.But I've all ways had a felling that I was going to lose my job due to the problem that I've had there. before people have joked with me saying that they needed 8 cheese burgers or something like that and I thought that they meant it when they didn't want the food. All of the problems which I have ate away at my self confidence because I felt worthless but after I received recondition from my work colleague and got employee of the month I started to feel better about my self and more confident.

[RGabb]

I only get 30 mins to do dive which i always run over, and they don't want to do it now as i take to long, i don't have bad speech but sometimes i jumble up what im saying and they cant understand, i always feel that i may loose my job but when i get good PR's and easter eggs it makes feel happy and that maybe im not as bad as i think, don't let it bring yourself down what people say just stay positive as it looks like they think your a good employee. they are thinking of promoting me to crew trainer to a some point, but the general stars for your badge workbooks are quite hard.

[manu666]

I work in Mcdonalds to I am a customer care assistant. I have been there 6 years. I generally get good prs but I always get a low score for my closes. I ask if a manager can check them but they never do
I get moaned at alot the next morning for not doing stuff. other than that Its been good.

[RGabb]

What do you mean by low score for your closes, i've not heard that one?, i'm assuming you mean closes when the restaurant closes in the evening in my case or where it says open but everything gets washed in other stores?

[Buyer1]

Hi ,

I am a very senior manager and have dyspraxia for me success has been driven by a mixture of understanding my limitations and building on my strengths. As my career has progressed my greatest concern has been emotional and organisational skills. These are the area s that require me to make double the effort and I often find that having a disability allows me to build very strong diverse teams that usually outperform goals.

I do feel that one of the main difficulties with dyspraxia is that how it affects people can vary a lot and it is unseen issues that make it challenging for people to understand. With many other areas such as dyslexia people are able to get an understanding of how it affects an individual. But with dyspraxia if you try an explain that it takes a few second to work out left from right or the impact to confidence that often that happens it is almost impossible for people to register.

[JJR]

Hi everyone. This is an interesting topic and for me personally, I have been a manager, but always seemed to regress back somehow to the beginning. At work on the other hand, there are two other colleagues with dyspraxia one of which is a manager. The one who is a manager certainly has a cluttered desk, but appears to do his job absolutely fine. He also seems very responsible and approachable as a manager.

Interestingly, and a little off the topic, although the three of us at work have dyspraxia, we are all so different. The guy who is the manager is tall and bulky and an extrovert, it seems. He hangs out with all the lads at work and talks about football and goes out partying at the weekend. The other guy is on the IT technical support desk. He is skinny and prone to falling over and being overly blunt with people (I understand this winds a few people up, but they are unaware of how dyspraxia affects people). He is also quite sociable and extroverted, but I think he get himself into trouble with certain things, for instance he told me about how he got friendly with a guy on the train, who in turn got the wrong impression and started stalking him. On the other hand, he is very good at his job and tells me he is learning to drive and has a nice girlfriend. Then there is me; well I only do my job whilst I am studying at Open University, so it is unlikely I would stay there and look for progression. I consider myself introverted and don't really like socialising. Luckily the team I work in is very amenable and the people are decent, but I won't really go on any staff nights out (although I will be attending one of my colleagues weddings). I am the only one who is married with children, but then I am in my mid thirties and the other two are in their early to mid twenties, not that age matters in any way shape or form.

I guess the point of my post is that we are all different in our own ways, whether it be physical or mental. Some of us are introverted and others extroverted. In addition to this, and going back to the original question of managers with dyspraxia, it is possible to pursue a successful career with dyspraxia as I have seen it with my own eyes.