Hey Reader,
Saturday night, Jalen Brunson did what most people said was impossible: he brought home the Championship title for the New York Knicks.
When Brunson joined the team in 2022, the critics were derisive and skeptical. They said:
It's an awful idea.
The saddest sweepstakes ever... the Jalen Brunson sweepstakes. .
Is Jalen Brunson one of the top 10 guards in the NBA? I don't even think he's number 10. He's maybe 14.
This is not the move that puts them into playoff contention
Now? Those same voices are calling him the most elite player in the game. His nickname, Captain Clutch, describes a man who rises exactly when his team needs him most.
Can you guess his AQ Archetype?
With what you know about Jalen Brunson, do you think he's an Astronaut, Firefighter, Novelist, or Neurosurgeon? If you need a refresher on the AQ Archetypes, watch this quick video, and if you still need to find out your own, you can take the quiz here.
Jalen Brunson is a Neurosurgeon.
Remember, the Neurosurgeon holds every aspect of their life to the highest of standards, moving with diligence, conscientiousness, and hard-won expertise. They are perfectionistic, slow and steady, taking their time.
Here are a few examples of Brunson's Neurosurgeon archetype in action.
โ Unmatched Work Ethic
In the championship game, Brunson scored 45 of the Knicks' 94 total points. When asked what was going through his mind as he took over, he said:โ
My confidence comes from my work ethic. Every time I got the ball, all I could think about was all the hours in the summer, every summer I ever said since I can remember, making this a reality...
Just me alone in the gym.
This might be the most Neurosurgeon thing I've ever heard.
Their superpower is hard work. Not flash nor flair, but relentless, unglamorous effort. Neurosurgeons are determined to be the best, and they will outwork, outstudy, and outpractice everyone around them.
The catch? Because they're perfectionists, they have to learn to quiet their fear of failure to truly reach their potential. Like Brunson, becoming high-AQ means tuning out the noise, betting on your own effort, and trusting that hard work wins over the long arc of time.
Once a Neurosurgeon starts betting on themselves without fear of failure, greatness becomes inevitable.
โ An Anchor for Others
A standout quality of Neurosurgeons is that they build long-term relationships.
They keep in touch with their childhood friends. They nurture long-distance connections. They follow up and check in through thoughtful text messages and birthday cards.
Once a Neurosurgeon befriends you, they'll be in your life forever.
Brunson embodies this, completely. He's married to his high school sweetheart. His dad is an assistant coach on his team. And his closest teammates, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, are the same guys he won the NCAA Championship with a decade ago at Villanova.
You can feel Brunson's steadiness from his presence on the court. When his teammates are anxious or struggling, he shows up with consistent calm. He is a grounding anchor no matter how great the storm.
That's the Neurosurgeon for you.
โ Upholding a Code of Conduct
When the final buzzer sounded and Brunson knew the Knicks had won the championship, what was the first thing he did?
He didn't celebrate with his teammates.
He didn't hug his dad.
Instead, he walked straight to Mitch Johnson, head coach of the Spurs, and Brunson shook his opponent's hand.
Brunson has been underestimated at every turn, yet he doesn't complain. He is gracious in both victory and defeat. He is a class act, and that's exactly how Neurosurgeons show up.
Neurosurgeons hold themselves to a standard that most people will never understand. They demand of themselves not only excellence of outcome, but also excellence of character.
For a Neurosurgeon, how you do it is just as important as what you do.
My favorite thing about the AQ Archetypes is that they illustrate the many paths that lead to high AQ. I'm a Novelist, and I fall short in a lot of the areas where Brunson excels. I don't keep decades-long friendships the way he does. I often pivot too fast when I hit a wall.
The real unlock of high-AQ is in learning how to take on the best qualities of all four Archetypes. When you are a Firefighter who can plan like a Novelist, or an Astronaut who can anchor like Jalen Brunson, your AQ suddenly skyrockets.
If you look closely, you can see AQ at work in the extraordinary stories all around us. I'll be doing profiles like this in the newsletter whenever a particular person or movement touches my heart.
Let's Go Knicks,
Liz
AQ- Hot off the Press โก๐ฐ
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