Now Hear This

As a success indicator, how well you deal with adversity is far more important than how intelligent you are, says Paul G. Stoltz, founder and CEO of PEAK (Performance, Excellence, Achievement, Knowledge) Learning Inc., an international consulting firm in Flagstaff, Arizona, and the author of Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities (Wiley & Sons Inc., $24.95). "As an entrepreneur, you are constantly on the front line of adversity. You have to learn to thrive on the edge, and your adversity quotient is the most direct influence and predictor of your ability to do that," says Stoltz. "Unlike IQ, which is a tattoo you tend to wear your whole life and is very difficult to change, AQ [Adversity Quotient] can be significantly improved in a very short time.

To raise your AQ, Stoltz says you must first learn to realize when adversity hits so you can respond quickly. Then determine whether your typical reaction is constructive or destructive. "Once you recognize adversity and understand your response, you learn to [change] your negative responses," Stoltz says.

But is this just another version of positive mental attitude? Not at all, Stoltz insists. "We all know people who are positive, upbeat and energetic, and who are destroyed in the face of adversity," he says. "I would argue that the people who have a high AQ, who consistently respond to adversity in a positive way, are going to have a positive attitude. And the people who are constantly beaten down by adversity are not."

Contact Sources

The Compliance Report, (301) 931-8877, http://erols.com/motions

Development Counsellors International, (212) 725-0707, fax: (212) 725-2254

Employee Benefit Research Institute, (202)775-6342, mcdonnell@ebri.org

PEAK Learning Inc., 400 N. Skyview, Flagstaff, AZ 86004, (800) 255-5572

The Telephone Doctor Inc., (314) 291-1012

This article was originally published in the November 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Now Hear This.