| | |  | Career Books | Home » » Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | Praise for Adversity Quotient.
"With AQ, Paul Stoltz has done something remarkable: He synthesizes some of the most important information on how we influence our own future and then offers a profound set of observations which teaches us how to thrive in a fast-changing world!"-Joel Barker, President, Infinity, LTD, author of Paradigm Shift.
"Adversity Quotient will show that you have more control over events than you think. The key is changing your beliefs. Believe it or not, that can usually be done in One Minute." -Ken Blanchard, co-author, The One Minute Manager.
"Paul Stoltz's AQ explains why some people, teams, organizations, and societies fail or quit, and how others in the situation persevere and succeed. With this book, anyone or or organization can learn to reroute their AQ and hardwire their brain for success." -Daniel Burrus, author, Technotrends.
"AQ is one of the more important concepts of our time. Paul Stoltz's book provides the direction and tools necessary for putting this idea into practice. It is a must read for anyone interested in personal mastery, leadership effectiveness and/or organizational productivity." -Jim Ericson, Program Director, The Masters Forum. | | | Features: | |
• ISBN13: 9780471344131
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Paul G. Stoltz | | Paperback:
| 330 pages | | Publisher:
| Wiley | | Publication Date:
| May 25, 1999 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0471344133 | | Product Length:
| 9.28 inches | | Product Width:
| 6.13 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.75 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.07 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.82 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.98 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.02 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.19 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 21 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 21 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 32 found the following review helpful:
 Very useful book on dealing with all types of adversityMar 23, 2000
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.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 Worth a lookJun 30, 2000
By Ms Diva
"cycworker"
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.
12 of 14 found the following review helpful:
AQ is no gimmick! It's a set of skills for real change.Mar 31, 1999
By Bruce Elkin
"Coaching people and groups to thrive in challenging times -- and beyond!"
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.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Insightful and helpfulSep 22, 1998
I was very impressed with the helpful and easy-to-follow ideas in this book. It was very empowering to realize how much control we *do* have in our lives, even in situations that seem out of our control - because we *always* have control over our response. One of the key points is that despite whatever AQ you have, you can improve it! Even before I'd finished the book, I was able to start putting the ideas to work. If you are one of the people who says "it won't work for me!" or "books like that are all bunk!" then you especially could benefit from this one. Go into it with an open mind, and your life could be changed for the better. I intend to re-read this book several times, to help myself better absorb the important lessons.
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
The book teaches you how to succeed in your your own life.Feb 13, 1999
Too many people suffer from learned helplessness - they believe that nothing they do really matters and that they can't make a difference in their own lives nor in what happens to them. They give up and become quitters, or camp out and live lives of quiet desparation. By building up your Adversity Quotient, Stoltz shows that adversity doesn't have to intrude into all areas of your life; nor do you have to believe that your problems have to last forever. By increasing your AQ, you can rebound almost instantly. Everyone stumbles and falls, but now you can learn how to pick yourself up, renew your spirit, and face any problems by taking action that eliminate and prevent the same adverse situation from ever occurring again. This is a remarkably well written and useful book. It is helpful in improving the quality of every aspect of your life, including your private life, career, etc. Given today's challenges and stress levels, it should be required reading for everyone. Even big challenges and adversities - losing a job, getting a divorse, being reprimanded, etc. - will be reduced to little ones once you know how to deal with them effectively and easily. A great book!
See all 21 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
