On superstars...........................Part the third

     Finally, the superstars also shared a particular behavior, almost an intellectual and conversational tic:  They loved to generate theories - lots and lots of theories, about all kinds of topics, such as why certain accounts were succeeding or failing, or why some clients were happy or disgruntled, or how different management styles influenced various employees.  They were somewhat obsessive, in fact, about trying to explain the world to themselves and their colleagues as they went about their day.
     The superstars were constantly telling stories about what they had seen and heard.  They were, in other words, much more prone to generate mental models.  They were more likely to throw out ideas during meetings, or ask colleagues to help them imagine how future conversations might unfold, or envision how a pitch should go.  They came up with concepts for new products and practiced how they would sell them.  They told anecdotes about past conversations and dreamed up far-fetched expansion plans.  They were building mental models at a near constant rate.

-Charles Duhigg,  Smarter Faster Better:  The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business