The Wonderlic Test

Ever heard of the Wonderlic test?

If you’re a football fan you know what I’m talking about. This is a test they give at the NFL combine to every player. It’s a 50 question multiple choice test. The average Wonderlic score for a Super Bowl winning quarterbacks is 30.7 which is in the top half of all the Wonderlic scores in history. So if you’re a team looking for a quarterback, you’re probably not going to sign a QB with a score below 30.7.

And why am I talking about a Wonderlic test?

Because I think there’s an entrepreneurial use case for a Wonderlic test.

For example: For Venture Capital companies, it’s not uncommon for them to buy your idea in that they buy enough ownership where they can get rid of you because they don’t believe you have the leadership that can take it to where they want to take it to. They feel like you’re limited. So they’re giving a Wonderlic Test. 

So I’m going to give you Wonderlic Test. It’s fifteen traits. I’m going to go through them and I’ll tell yo how you need to score. Half of these traits you really need to excel at. So eight of these you really need to be like, “yeah, that’s me, I have that quality”.

Be Driven

And nothing is going to get in their way. The ball is on the 1-yard line and they’re going to get it down. You don’t have to tell them to move.

Have Enthusiasm

I’m saying you’re jumping down on your desk, but most entrepreneurs are enthusiastic about their business idea or product or service. That enthusiasm is contagious.

Take Initiative

They don’t need to be told to move. They take action without delay.

Execute

They have a strategy and execute it to completion.

Focus

Instead of jumping around to different ideas constantly, they have sole focus on their core business idea.

Imagination

They see something nobody else does and spend time thinking about things no one else thinks of. Walt Disney, Elon Musk.

The McDonald’s brothers had a great idea with their little restaurant in San Bernardino. But Ray Kroc had imagination and could see where the business could really go.

Leadership

The company will only go as far as the leader. They make decisions fast and decisive.

People Skills

Steve Job did not have great people skills, but this is very useful and important to being an entrepreneur.

Decision Making

They make good decisions, fast and decisive. They navigate where to take the company, well.

Persistence

Relentless persistence. This one is non-negotiable.

Risk Taking

Take calculated risk.

Self-Confidence

I’ve said- you show me a man with no confidence, and I’ll show you a loser every time. You have to have that self-belief. Otherwise you’ll struggle in leadership. You’ll struggle to recruit good people to your team.

Smarts

You don’t have to be smart about everything. You don’t have to be the smartest person in the world. But you have to be smart about your business concepts, area of expertise, and niche. You can’t hide stupid.

Team Building

John Maxwell said “you know I’ve never seen anything great or significant” (and I’m kind of improvising his wording) “done by one person”. Anything in business that was just completely and utterly outstanding has never done by just one person. In business, the great companies are also great teams. You need to be a team-builder. 

Being a Thinker

Thinking, innovating, analyzing risk, big thinking, out of the box thinking, collaborative thinking, disruptive thinking.

Let me give you my entrepreneurial Wonderlic test

Eight of these you need to be exceptional at. Four cannot be a weakness. You’ve got to be average or above. Only a couple can you just completely bomb at.

1. Driven
2. Enthusiasm
3. Initiative
4. Execution
5. Focus
6. Imagination
7. Leadership
8. People Skills
9. Decision Making
10. Persistence
11. Risk Taking
12. Self-Confidence
13. Smarts
14. Team Building
15. Thinking