by Tom Nugent

“In the midst of all the chaos swirling through your brain ... this condition also seems to trigger a certain kind of creativity.”

One of our most successful entrepreneurs, he built a $1.2 billion-a-year airline from scratch in less than seven years.

He’s credited with such innovations as the paperless ticket, jets with 36 satellite TV channels at every seat and airline “clearance sales” that let passengers fly from New York to Florida for $49 one way.

An impressive record? You bet. But the remarkable thing about 46-year-old David G. Neeleman — chairman and CEO of JetBlue Airways, now the 10th-largest U.S. carrier — isn’t his ability to attract investors or keep 378 flights a day on time. What’s truly remarkable about his odyssey from college dropout to world-class entrepreneur is that he made it with attention deficit disorder (ADD).

Triggered by chemical imbalances in the brain, this chronic illness can make life a struggle. ADD can leave you forgetful, impulsive, restless and distracted. It’s often tough to focus on the task at hand.

While doctors have long seen ADD as a problem for children, mounting evidence shows that it plagues grown-ups, too. In fact, researchers say more than 8 million adult Americans have ADD. Researchers also say the ailment often seems linked to artistic creativity and entrepreneurial skills in adults. These positives can, in some ways, balance ADD’s downside.

Ask Mr. Neeleman if ADD slows him down and he’ll laugh. His typical JetBlue day lasts about 16 hours. “There’s no doubt that I work pretty hard, running this company day in and day out,” he says. “And you’ve got to remember that I’m also the father of nine children. But you know what? I actually thrive on all the challenges, and I don’t feel like ADD has impaired my ability.” Still, he admits being “totally impatient and frustrated” when it comes to such mundane tasks as paying the family’s electric bill.

ADD’s rapid-fire mental activity hasn’t paralyzed Mr. Neeleman. Instead, he says, he’s turned it to his advantage.

“In the midst of all the chaos swirling through your brain — all the disorganization and impulsiveness — this condition also seems to trigger a certain kind of creativity,” he says. While ADD “can make some aspects of life more difficult, it also provides many people with a great deal of creative energy.”

Mr. Neeleman was a millionaire by the time his disorder was diagnosed in the late 1990s. But as a high school student, he struggled. Restless and often bored, he launched new projects eagerly, only to abandon them a day later.

After quitting Utah State University and a series of short-lived jobs, Mr. Neeleman struck gold in the early 1980s. He linked up with a travel agent to create a charter airline that flew tourists from Utah to Hawaii. He sold that business for $20 million a few years later. Soon he was making airline reservation software, a venture that inspired the paperless ticket. By then, he was already dreaming of a new kind of low-cost airline.

People often ask him to describe the philosophy of JetBlue, which started to fly in 2000. “The key to our success is that we don’t spend millions of dollars telling people how cool we are. We put low fares out there and let them tell us.”

What’s his advice for other adults with ADD?

“Look at the positives,” he says, “and don’t get discouraged. Just keep thinking about the good side of ADD — the creativity and the originality it can stimulate. Believe me, if I could take a magic pill to get rid of my ADD, I wouldn’t do it.”

Coping With ADD
Attention deficit disorder (ADD) affects about one in 25 U.S. adults. Symptoms include an inability to concentrate on vital tasks and intense disorganization at work and at home.

Though the cause isn’t clear, studies link ADD with chemical imbalances that impair people’s ability to focus while they do things that need careful attention, say researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health.

“There’s no doubt that ADD is a significant health condition that can cause major disruptions in a patient’s life,” says professor Keith Bennett, M.D., of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. “The most important thing to remember about ADD in adults is that it affects everyone differently.”

Some ADD patients do well in spite of their ailment, he says. “Many others find it difficult to cope with the life problems caused by their inability to focus on important tasks — along with the turmoil that often accompanies their chronic impulsiveness.”

If you suspect ADD, see your doctor.

“In most cases, ADD patients do well if they take their prescribed medications regularly and avoid such mind-altering substances as alcohol and recreational drugs,” Dr. Bennett says. Exercise, eating well and a regular sleep schedule help control ADD symptoms, he adds.

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