many have a learning disability, half the hands in the room go up. it's fascinating. >> reporter: although dyslexia remains a challenge for many, he figured out a way to overcome it. he's a good listener and unafraid to take chances. >> people that can't read well, we tend to build a great sense of listening. we also tend to build a great sense of being able to deal and cope with failure. >> this is not something you would wish on anybody else? >> no, i would not. >> reporter: gladwell is fascinated with people who achieve success by forging their own path, perhaps because that's what he's done. he's a staff writer for "the new yorker magazine," but he doesn't have an office. he writes in small caves in new york and does research in a library where he hunts out academic papers and minds them for interesting counterintuitive ideas. he's called an original. >> there are people that cover science. there are people that cover business. there are people that cover trends, but this strange reading academic journals, interviewing