So, first the good news. According to Fred Wilson, partner at VC firm Union Square Ventures, many successful entrepreneurs have ADD.
But if you look at most successful entrepreneurs, they exhibit many of these characteristics too. They can’t focus on anything for long periods of time, but they lunge into new stuff with a voracious appetite to figure it out.
I don’t know about the clinical side of this disorder. I am sure that there are many cases where the disorder is terribly disabling. But I really wonder if a moderate amount of ADD is a bad thing. I think it may in fact be a good thing. It’s certainly a trait I have come to know and love in entrepreneurs.
This is good news for me! I wouldn’t mind having to ask Fred for money one day, or a job, and if bringing along an official diagnosis can help, so much the better.
But the ADD has a dangerous and scary side. Our first term at Babson just ended and we had to write a short paper – 6 pages – reflecting on our experience and the process of learning. Or we could hand in something creative. I had five perfectly good pages typed out last night before bed. This morning I scrapped it all in favor of a slide show/presentation. Is it better now? More expressive? More passionate? Sure! Will it meet my professor’s expectations? We’ll see….
