Name One Genius That Ain’t Crazy: 3 Mental Illnesses That 74% Of CEO’s Have & How They’ve Become Their Superpower
Almost two years ago, Kanye West released his long anticipated follow up to Yeezus titled, Life of Pablo. Aware of the criticism he often receives for his outlandish public stints, in one of the album’s songs he raps,
“I can’t let these people play me. Name one genius that ain’t crazy.”
While the validity of his antics are debatable, one thing that has never been denied is the incredible amount of talent and creativity that Kanye possesses.
But, the crazy artist is nothing new.
From Van Gogh to Beethoven, we’ve heard numerous stories throughout history of highly creative artists that mastered their craft yet, due to their psychological issues could never seem to master themselves.
However, did you know that many of the mental issues that genius artists suffer from have also been found in a plethora of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs?
In a 2015 study, Dr. Michael Freeman from the University of California San Francisco discovered that 49% of entrepreneurs have struggled from a past mental illness and 32% say they have a lifetime illness that they struggle with. The most common mental illnesses that are found in entrepreneurs are ADHD, Bi Polar disorder, and Tourette’s Syndrome. Growing up, I remember the consensus was that if someone had one of these mental disorders then something was “wrong” with them. While the symptoms of each illness are certainly not to be taken lightly, after learning more about each disorder and how they can benefit entrepreneurs I hope you’ll conclude that there’s nothing wrong with anyone who suffers from these mental illnesses and in fact they can even be a strength.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Commonly known as ADHD this has probably been one of the most talked about mental disorders found among entrepreneurs and a few famous CEO’s have been open with their diagnosis. The most common symptoms of ADHD include:
Limited attention and hyperactivity.
Aggression and impulsivity.
Absent-mindedness and difficulty focusing.
You’d think that one of the key characteristics to starting and running a successful company would be the ability to focus and pay attention, let alone stay calm under pressure, but then how does one explain the success of Richard Branson, Kinko’s founder Paul Orfalea, and Charles Schwab?
Forbes thinks they have the answer.
In 2014, Forbes published an article called, “ADHD: The Entrepreneurs Super Power”. In the article the author highlighted the symptoms of ADHD and mentioned that while we normally view these symptoms as a disadvantage, there’s far more to the disorder that can be leveraged to an advantage.
Because many people with ADHD have a limited attention span they can multi-task on a much higher level, they also seem to perform their best when in crisis mode or under an extreme amount of pressure because their brain is constantly looking for the best possible solution to a problem. Individuals with ADHD also naturally make decisions faster, are comfortable working independently, and generally are more creative-all the necessary skills needed to run a successful business. New research has also shown that there’s a genetic link between a dopamine receptor gene variation associated with ADHD and the tendency to be an entrepreneur. Those with ADHD are thrill seekers, always looking for something new that makes them feel alive, which is why those with the disorder are three times more likely to become entrepreneurs. The following are a list of a few very accomplished entrepreneurs who have ADHD:
Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Airlines.
John T. Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems.
Charles Schwab, founder, chairperson, and CEO of the Charles Schwab Corporation.
David Neeleman, founder and CEO of Jet Blue Airways.
If you or someone you know suffers from ADHD understand that while others may view it as a problem, if used correctly it can certainly be considered a solution.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is one of those mental illnesses that has many negative connotations associated with it-so much so that it’s almost taboo to admit that you suffer from it. The brain and body both function off three main brain chemicals-noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine and experts believe that a disruption of the brain’s circuits that communicate using dopamine is one of the main causes of the illness.
The most common symptoms associated with Bipolar disorder are:
Mood swings.
Restlessness.
Delusion.
Lack of concentration.
Paranoia.
Depression.
And those are just a few, if you were to Google “symptoms of bipolar disorder” you’d see that they get much worse, with psychosis and schizophrenia even being linked to the mental illness. However, the same Dr. that discovered the high number of entrepreneurs that suffer from mental illness also believes that there is a beneficial side to the condition.
“Those weaknesses come with corresponding strengths that the average healthy person doesn’t have. For all its ills, depression also brings empathy and creativity.”
He then goes on to note that uncommon levels of empathy can allow an entrepreneur to better understand a customer’s need and a creative mind can unleash incredible ideas in a start-up. While I’ve never been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I have been medically diagnosed with chronic depression and I can tell you from experience that it’s no walk in the park. Often the depression comes out of nowhere, and if I don’t catch myself an average-or even amazing-day can quickly become a living nightmare that continues to spiral into darkness. But because of my depression, I’ve noticed that I’m much more empathetic to other’s feelings and I often get giant bursts of creativity both during my depression and once I come out of it. Of course, if I had the ability to have a high level of both characteristics without the depression I’d certainly chose so. If malaria came with Superman like powers would you chose to have the disease?
The following are a list of entrepreneurs that suffer from bipolar disorder:
Larry Flynt, founder of Hustler Magazine.
Ted Turner, founder of CNN.
Heinz Prechter, founder of the American Sunroof Company and former Harvard Business Club Entrepreneur of the Year.
Tourette’s Syndrome
Tourette’s syndrome involves uncontrollable repetitive movements or unwanted sounds and is often linked to ADHD and OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). The symptoms include, but are not limited to:
Compulsive behavior.
Meaningless repetition of own words.
Involuntary movements.
Anxiety.
Twitching and stuttering.
I’m sure many of you remember the infamous South Park episode which highlighted the illness. In the episode, you find a kid with Tourette’s explaining his condition to Kyle and his other classmates all the while displaying the symptoms that are normally associated with it.
The clip may have been funny- but the illness is not.
I grew up with a childhood friend whose mother suffered from Tourette’s syndrome, on average she had the inability to control the words that came out of her mouth, often blurting out random curse words and other obscenities. But on her worst days she would have horrible fits that also included bodily ticks such as snapping her neck back and flailing her arms and legs about. One day, she had a fit that was so bad my friend and I had to hold her arms, legs, and head down out of fear that she might snap back and break her own neck.
OCD isn’t necessarily Tourette’s syndrome, but most of the people that suffer from Tourette’s do have OCD. OCD is characterized as the compulsive need to perform arbitrary tasks over and over such as flicking a light switch on and off for a certain number of times before walking away or a constant hand washing and need for order and cleanliness like soccer star David Beckham who also suffers from OCD. The disorder can certainly have it draw backs, but for high performing CEO’s OCD can come as an advantage by the desire for perfection. For one entrepreneur, his OCD has been accredited to his incredible athleticism and success as a professional skateboarder.
Meet Andrew Reynolds, professional street skater, co-founder/owner of Baker Skateboards, and a partner in Bakerboys Distribution-who manufacture and distribute many of the popular skateboard deck brands of today.
Reynolds first hit the skateboarding scene in the early 90’s skating for the legend Tony Hawk’s team Birdhouse. In 2000, Ryan left the Birdhouse team and started his own brand with buddy Jay Strickland. Coincidently, one of the premier skaters on Andrew’s team is Tony’s son Riley Hawk.
If you ask anybody who street skates who their top 5 favorite skaters of all time are Andrew will always make the list. While Tony Hawk can be considered the Jay-Z of skateboarding, in terms of legacy and mass appeal, Andrew Reynolds is the Nas of his sport-basically he’s your favorite skater’s favorite skater. While Andrew is known for catching massive air off 20–30 foot ledges and doing insane tricks down huge staircases, he’s also known for his OCD.
In his 2012 skateboarding film titled, “Andrew Reynolds and the madness” the pro gives his fans an inside look into his life as a skater and how it relates to his OCD. You often see him riding to the edge of a ledge and stopping, then tapping his board three times, only to go back up to the top of a ramp, tap the wall next to him three times, and repeat over and over before he attempts a trick for the first time; Andrew calls this his process, and explains that it must be done before he can attempt the trick. While his ritual may seem harmless, his desire for absolute perfection is not, but it’s also one of the reasons why he is a legend in the street skating community.
The video above is a clip of Andrew attempting to land a perfect Varial Heelflip down a set of 16 stairs famously known as the Hollywood 16. Within the first 10 seconds you’ll notice that he lands the trick, but scrapes his fingers along the concrete as he rides off. For him, this is a no-no and the trick must be done again until he lands it with no hands touching the pavement and rides smoothly into the sunset. What follows is 72 attempts to land the same trick with each attempt banging his body up more and more. I don’t know if you’ve ever skateboarded before, but I can tell you from first-hand experience that continuously banging your body on the concrete like that is one of the worst pains you can ever endure, and yet Andrew keeps attempting the trick repeatedly.
At one point, he lands the trick a second time but runs into the gate in front of him, and while the camera man could have easily edited this out Andrew gets back up for more.
Eventually he lands the trick to his liking and the clip ends with a slow-motion replay and all his friends cheering him along. While most people would have accepted the first attempt or even the 20th, and been done with it, Andrew’s desire for absolute perfection due to his OCD drove him to land the trick flawlessly. While Tourette’s syndrome is certainly the extreme version of OCD, those suffering from either disorder can harness the ability to do things to perfection through their obsessive behavior.
The following are a list of entrepreneurs who suffer from Tourette’s syndrome or OCD:
Howard Hughes, Investor, Entrepreneur, Film Producer.
Dan Aykroyd, Comedian, Actor, par Owner of Diamond Estates Wine & Spirits.
David Beckham, Professional soccer player, co-owner of Beckham Brand Holdings.
Andrew Reynolds, Professional skateboarder, owner of Baker Skateboards, co-owner of Bakerboys Distribution.
Anyone who suffers from a mental illness will tell you that it’s not easy to deal with. What may seem like a normal routine to one individual can seem like hell to one who suffers from a mental illness.
However, it’s time we stop assuming something is wrong with someone just because they have a mental illness. The businesses owners that are listed in this article are living proof that you don’t have to be perfectly mentally stable to be successful; and while you certainly don’t have to have ADHD or Tourette’s to be an entrepreneur, if you are one who suffers from a mental illness realize that it can be more of an advantage to you than a disadvantage.
Thank you
