“It’s fascinating how much we judge others on their ability to spell – when in reality most of the time this has little effect on our ability to do our work effectively. If you get an email that no one else will see apart from you and the recipient, does it matter that much? Being clear and concise is more important to me!”

– Richard Branson

Dyslexia has a frequent mention on Richard Branson’s blog, and there are many who appreciate his call to be more understanding of people who make mistakes while spelling.

“One of the biggest challenges us dyslexics face is how people perceive us from our writing and typing – especially now that we often tap away on our phones more than we talk face to face.

When I was at school I was often labelled lazy and dumb because I struggled to keep up. In the classroom, words just looked like a jumble to me on the blackboard.

More than 50 years have passed and I’m still as bad at spelling as I was at school. I’m not alone with this…My struggles have shaped Virgin as a company – I like clear, direct communication and we have an inclusive culture that is more like a family than a business. It’s time to be a bit more lenient with each other and tolerant of our shortcomings. We all have them, whether it’s bad spelling, or forgetting to pick up our socks. We can keep working on them, and in the meantime, let’s remember that kindness is the most important trait we can all practice every day.”

Let’s look for the things to be grateful for, and celebrate our differences – for wouldn’t the world be rather boring if we were all the same?