The Hong Kong Institute of HRM, Resilience to Adversity, December 2007

Article from The Hong Kong Institute of HRM, December 2007

Resilience to Adversity

A high level of adversity quotient allows individuals to live a much fuller life and be much more productive at work.  It also helps manage and reduce the stress level associated with everyday life on this planet.

Once upon a time, having a relatively high level of IQ (intelligence quotient) was enough to do well in life.  Along the way, a new school of thought came along.  Perhaps, EQ (emotional quotient) is more important for success (in career and in life).  As the world got increasingly complex and ever-changing, another quotient was added to the existing two – AQ (adversity quotient).
 
What exactly is AQ?  After nearly two decades of research in the 1990s, Dr Paul G. Stoltz came up with the concept that one’s ability (how quickly and effectively) to overcome setbacks in life play a large determinant role in one’s success.  A popular saying goes like this: “In one’s life, there are always ups and downs. How one reacts to them is important – especially the ‘downs’.”

Try to recall a recent incident when something ‘negative’ happened to you?  Lost your job?  Failed a particular examination paper you’d always thought you’d sail through with one eye shut?  Lost love?

How did you react to your disappointment?  How long a time did it took you to overcome the temporary setback?  I chose to use the word ‘temporary’ – because, simply, it was just that.  Life moved on, didn’t it?  You had to carry on with all the other important things in your life, right?

Some time in late 2006, a man interviewed by the media (following yet another bombing incident in India) was quoted as saying, “…we, Indians, will not let this bombing change the way we live our lives.  We will continue to do the things that we’d normally do – life has to go on.…”  Perhaps, the same could be said for our neighbors in Indonesia and the Philippines.  Having to live in places that are regularly impacted by natural calamities, it must be tough for them – but looking at the ‘positive’ side of things, it has made the Filipinos and the Indonesians relatively much more resilient to adversity and setbacks.  Que Sera Sera – “…what will be, will be.…”

When it comes to the topic of adversity, Singaporean Dr William Tan’s name comes to my mind very naturally – he is one of the few people I know whose AQ is way above the average individual’s.  Born a healthy baby boy, young William contracted polio when he was two years of age.  This led to his having to move around in a wheelchair.  This (permanent) setback did not deter William – for too long.  He took charge of his life and decided to go M.A.D. – to make a difference, an acronym he uses frequently in his many inspiration talks to the public and to students.  He vowed to go as far as he could in life.  Thus far, he has more than fulfilled this desire.  He schooled at Singapore’s famed Raffles Institution, and subsequently became a medical doctor and a medical scientist.  Dr Tan now resides and practices medicine in Australia.  He returns to home often to visit his family, and sometimes to do more out-of-this-world stuff.  Last year, he became the first man to have completed 10 marathons, in seven continents in 70 days – on a wheelchair!

If Dr Tan does not personify the importance of AQ in life, I don’t know who will.

Dr Stoltz said, and I quote “Success can be defined as the degree to which one moves forward and upward, progressing in one’s life, despite all obstacles or other forms of adversity”.

Going by his definition, Dr Tan is definitely a huge success.  For most of us, who are born with a healthy body, we have much to learn from Dr Tan, not so much his achievements, but how he chose to overcome what adversities life threw at him.

The benefits of having a high level of AQ are obvious, and here are some of them.  It allows individuals to live a much fuller life and be much more productive at work.  It also helps manage and reduce the stress level associated with everyday life on this planet.  Equally important, it promotes creativity, drive and perseverance – staying strong and focused through adversity, and challenging times are important ingredients that define success, in whatever form and shape.

In organizations, a high AQ workforce translates to increased capacity, productivity, and innovation, as well as lower attrition and higher morale.  Whilst it used to be three key things that determine leadership success, there are now four – technical expertise, soft skills, EQ, and guess what the fourth is?
 

by Paul Heng, CMF
Executive Coach
NeXT Corporate Coaching Services
(A member of the NeXT Career Consulting Group, Asia)
Founding President of the Asian Association of Career Management Professionals