“The best predictor of long-term performance is intelligence.”
Dr. Alex Auerbach
What You will learn
- Learn how intelligence predicts long-term success in high-performance environments.
- Understand the role of team culture and cohesion in overall performance.
- Discover effective hiring practices ensuring character and cultural alignment.
- Balance emotional intuition and data in high-pressure decision-making.
- Create a supportive environment with positive reinforcement and challenge acknowledgment.
Alex Auerbach, a counseling and performance psychologist, shares his experience as the former performance psychologist for the Toronto Raptors and discusses the importance of mental wellness and health in high-performance sports. He highlights the significance of talent identification and character assessment in hiring personnel and acquiring players.
Auerbach emphasizes the role of the 11th to 15th players on a team in building culture and supporting leadership. He also discusses the difference between toxic positivity and bringing good vibes to a team, emphasizing the importance of honest feedback and a balance between positive and constructive criticism.
In this conversation, Adam and Alex discuss the importance of focusing on both positive and constructive feedback in order to improve performance. They also explore the process of analyzing interviews and conversations to gather objective information about a person’s character traits.
Alex explains that words are data and can provide insights into a person’s thoughts and feelings. He suggests looking for patterns and using follow-up questions to gather more information. They also discuss the potential use of artificial intelligence and natural language processing to analyze interviews more efficiently. The conversation concludes with a discussion on balancing intuition and expertise in decision-making and the importance of embracing ambiguity.
Dr. Alex Auerbach on LinkedIn
Dr. Alex Auerbach website
Listen here – Finding Small Wins Podcast:
Dr. Alex Auerbach: Psychological Cohesion & Team Dynamics
Key Takeaways
- Mental wellness and health are critical for high-performance athletes.
- Talent identification and character assessment are important in hiring personnel and acquiring players.
- The 11th to 15th players on a team play a crucial role in building culture and supporting leadership.
- Toxic positivity undermines the validity of positive messages, while good vibes involve honest feedback and a balance between positive and constructive criticism. Focusing on both positive and constructive feedback is essential for improving performance.
- Analyzing interviews and conversations can provide objective information about a person’s character traits.
- Words are data and can offer insights into a person’s thoughts and feelings.
- Artificial intelligence and natural language processing can be used to analyze interviews more efficiently.
- Balancing intuition and expertise is crucial in decision-making.
- Embracing ambiguity is necessary for making thorough and accurate assessments.
episode timeline
00:00 Introduction and Alex’s Origin Story
04:14 Alex’s Work with the Toronto Raptors
08:09 Talent Identification and Character Assessment
26:18 Differentiating Toxic Positivity from Good Vibes
34:16 The Importance of Feedback and Focusing on Improvement
39:02 Analyzing Interviews to Understand Character Traits
43:53 The Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Interview Analysis
50:20 Embracing Ambiguity for Thorough Assessments
