“In order to be exceptional, you have to be an exception.” So says NBA executive Sam Presti.
Presti, the general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, would know. Over the last decade, Presti has traded for and drafted unheralded players who later became superstars.
He has an eye for talent, especially for those players who have yet to develop into something special.
Like most of the GMs in the league, Presti utilizes basic statistical analysis to evaluate a player’s performance at all levels of play. Then he digs in to assess physicality, athleticism, injury history, learning agility, team-first character, self-improvement motivation, and the ability to handle adversity.
But identifying undervalued players who will become stars down the line requires a special insight, and Presti relies on a talent indicator that most coaches, scouts, and leaders don’t know or think about —processing speed.
Processing speed reflects the time it takes to receive, understand, and respond to information. It is, essentially, how quickly your brain can absorb new stimuli, process the information, and then react.
Imagine hearing a question. Processing speed determines how quickly you comprehend the question, recall the relevant information to respond, and formulate an answer.
Somewhat surprisingly, processing speed and general intelligence are not highly related. Someone with slow processing speed can be highly intelligent.
But processing speed is a strong predictor of talent across many fields and arenas, especially athletics, sales, leadership, and stage performance.
People with high processing speed typically have high executive functioning skills, like planning and decision-making. They also tend to be better listeners and problem-solvers.
The next time you are assessing and selecting talent, consider whether processing speed might be a useful indicator of performance success.
To assess your own processing speed and to learn the kind of questions you might ask a prospective colleague, go here.
It’s free and takes less than three minutes to complete the self-scoring test. That is, unless you have unusually high processing speed. Then it only takes two minutes!
A Daily Dispatch from the Front Lines of Leadership.
