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Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities (Paperback)

~ Paul G. Stoltz (Author)
Key Phrases: core human drive, adversity response, climbing culture, Age of Adversity, Martin Seligman, University of Pennsylvania (more...)
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Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles into Everyday Greatness by Paul Gordon Stoltz

Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities + The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles into Everyday Greatness
Price For Both: $33.30

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

First there was IQ, then there was EQ. Now, there's yet another quotient to worry about--AQ. Designed especially for business owners of quickly growing companies, Adversity Quotient draws upon the sciences of psychoneuroimmunology, neurophysiology, and cognitive psychology. As scientifically based as it is, the book manages to be compellingly readable.

Author Paul G. Stoltz, Ph.D., says individual AQs explain why some people, no matter what their intelligence or educational or social background, succeed where others fail. It's been used in workshops for Olympic athletes and at companies including Deloitte & Touche, Minnesota Power, and U.S. West. Defined as the measure of one's resilience and ability to persevere in the face of constant change, stress, and difficulty, AQ is touted as "the most important factor in achieving success." Stoltz also calls it an indicator of one's general ambitiousness, creativity, happiness, energy, and physical and emotional health; he therefore recommends that business executives use the book's guidelines to pinpoint top performers in the workplace.

While the book is filled with acronyms and buzzwords (LEAD, "unconscious incompetence," ARP, and CO2RE among them), the book's tests--reminiscent of Myers-Briggs questionnaires--are fun to take and easy to analyze. Stoltz has given the tests to nearly 8,000 people, so he obviously knows what he's talking about here. He offers specific advice on how to cultivate AQ in employees, and, perhaps even more useful, 22 ways to crush the AQs of your followers. (One of them, "Be consistently inconsistent," could explain many "Dilbert" strips!)

While Stoltz derives many of his ideas from psychologist Abraham Maslow, psychologist and Learned Optimism author Martin Seligman, and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People writer Stephen R. Covey, he gives credit where it's due, and he's done an outstanding job of synthesizing various classic and contemporary theories into one solidly inspirational book. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.



From Library Journal

Proud of your IQ? It may indicate your raw intelligence, but experts say it's only a partial predictor of your future success. Recently, Daniel Goleman pointed toward emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence, LJ 9/1/95) as a key factor; now, organizational communication expert Stoltz writes about his theory that one's ability to thrive under adverse conditions may be the best indicator of overall success. The author presents an overview of prior research on what qualities of character and personality combine to create a successful person. There follows an explanation of the Adversity Quotient (AQ) theory and a shortened version of Stolz's AQ Profile. Detailed interpretations of AQ scores in the areas of control, ownership, reach, and endurance point to areas that are strong and those that could use improvement. Graphs and charts clearly illustrate ideas, and concepts are well organized and build logically, but the writing is stilted at times. The absence of footnotes is offset by a lengthy, detailed bibliography. Recommended for academic and public library collections.?Catherine T. Charvat, John Marshall Lib., Alexandria, Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley (May 25, 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0471344133
  • ISBN-13: 978-0471344131
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #114,087 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Author

Paul Gordon Stoltz
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
core human drive, adversity response, climbing culture, individual adversity, crashed hard drive, low perceived control, resilient kids, conscious region, adversity strikes, explanatory style, response profile, attributional theory
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Age of Adversity, Martin Seligman, University of Pennsylvania, New View of Success, Interpreting Your Adversity Quotient, Stage One, Stage Two, Beck Weathers, Carol Dweck, Medical Center, New Beginnings, The Climber's Habit, Genetic Innovation, Los Angeles, Christopher Peterson, Freddy Savage, Mark Nuwer, Stephen Covey, Stone Age, Vicktor Frankl
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Citations (learn more)
This book cites 37 books:
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities
83% buy the item featured on this page:
Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities 4.2 out of 5 stars (20)
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The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles into Everyday Greatness
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The Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles into Everyday Greatness 4.0 out of 5 stars (14)
$11.97
The Adversity Quotient @ Work
5% buy
The Adversity Quotient @ Work 4.5 out of 5 stars (13)
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The Resiliency Advantage: Master Change, Thrive Under Pressure, and Bounce Back from Setbacks
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The Resiliency Advantage: Master Change, Thrive Under Pressure, and Bounce Back from Setbacks 5.0 out of 5 stars (17)
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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful book on dealing with all types of adversity, March 23, 2000
By A Customer
Anyone who thinks this book is about a "having a good attitude" or "positive thinking" hasn't read the book.
Stoltz states at the beginning, "It's more important to know how to deal with the negative than to be 'positive.'" This mirrors the I Ching, which says, "The event is not important, but the response to the event is everything." Stoltz says it's not only how we _respond_ to adversity, but how we _perceive_ adversity.
Stoltz breaks down our response to adversity into five categories -- Control (how much control do we perceive over the adverse situation?), Origin (are we to blame for the adverse situation?), Ownership (are we responsible for fixing the adverse situation?), Reach (how far will this adverse situation reach into other areas of my life?), and Endurance (how long will this adverse situation last?). He provides abundant examples (everyday and historical), hypotheticals, and even a test where we can score how we tend to respond to adversity, and improve our response.
He lists 22 helpful ways to _destroy_ the adversity of those around us (#4 -- Model victimhood. Act depressed -- it's contagious; #9 -- Frame success as a freak accident; #19 -- Uproot enthusiasm before it can grow).
Problems with the book? Sure there are. It's a bit padded, especially in the beginning. Much of the book deals with overcoming adversity in business situations. He also criticizes those who decide to "camp" on the hillside instead of always "climbing" to the top of the mountain. I feel we can have success and happiness, not to mention a family life, by "camping," just as I suspect "climber" is another word for "workaholic."
In all, it's a very worthwhile book.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Worth a look, June 29, 2000
By Ms Diva "cycworker" (Nanaimo, B.C. Canada) - See all my reviews
Some of this book is very simplistic if you have taken any psychology. The writing can be repetitive. That said, the assessment test is good, and the explanations of the different components of AQ are useful. I particularly liked the author's explanation of what it means to take ownership in a situation. The LEAD sequence is well explained and easy to use. In short, there are some useful tips and techniques here, particularly for those who work in human services, but the book is overlong given the simplicity of the author's message.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars AQ is no gimmick! It's a set of skills for real change., March 31, 1999
By Bruce Elkin (Saltspring Island, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities (Hardcover)
As a coach/consultant in personal and organizational development for 20 years I read hundreds of 'self-help' books. Only a few have something new and useful to offer. Stolz's Adversity Quotient is one of the best of those. Its easy-to-use assesment of my habitual way of responding to adversity gave me critical feedback I needed to re-invent my own life/work strategies. And his CORE skills and LEAD sequence (based largely on Martin Seligman's work on learned helplessness and learned optimism which was deemed the 'landmark theory of the century' by the American Psychological Association) are powerful, pragmatic tools for dealing with adversity of any sort. AQ is simple, clear and easy to use, but it is definitely not a gimmick. As a professional in this field and as an individual who has used Stolz's insights and tools to produce more outstanding results than ever before--and with less effort and stress--I can attest to both its scientific solidness and its practical usefulness. It has my highest recommendation.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Down-to-Earth
This book is powerful and immediate. It is fitting for all, well-rounded and frank in it's point of using obsticals to propell success! Read more
Published 14 months ago by Stephen Silvius

1.0 out of 5 stars a stinker
This book is a stinker. Here's the deal...think of some catchy metaphor (e.g., life is a climb, life is a portrait, life is a ladder...something like that). Read more
Published on February 21, 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars IQ? EQ?? AQ???
FIrst of all, Let's estimate ourselves more strictly to approach. You need to know you are such a hesitater, slow- actioner or risk-taking pal. Read more
Published on January 30, 2001 by jshchj

5.0 out of 5 stars Unseen Change
I have read alot of self-help books, but none of them ever "stayed" with me after the last page was turned.

This one is really different. Read more

Published on March 27, 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific !
Learn to face and grow through adversity is what this book is all about. Paul Stoltz explains why some people succeed while others stop short in their mission when exposed to... Read more
Published on November 22, 1999 by Simões, Fabricio

1.0 out of 5 stars a nice gimmick---not a very good book
This is yet another gimmicky kind of book disguised as science. I can save everyone allot of time and describe what's really in here---think in a positive way and some good things... Read more
Published on May 3, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars It is all about attitude...and character!
In today's environment of mega changes, it's easy to forget about the most important differentiators of success. Read more
Published on March 9, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Insights that can be applied for a lifetime.
Paul has offered us a model for understanding our own and others ability to cope with adversity.

A primer book for the challenges that the new millenium offers us as a society.

Published on March 8, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars This is what adversity solutions is all about!
Paul has cut to the chase on how one deals with adversity in a solutions-based model. I have used the Adversity Response Profile with both clients and family and they work. Read more
Published on March 6, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars AQ-IS AN OUTSTANDING REVELATION ABOUT HOW TO ACHEIVE SUCCESS
Our society has put a too large of emphasis of success tied to IQ. While many so called geniuses never live up to their potential, millions of people so called mediocre IQ levels... Read more
Published on March 6, 1999

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