Why ‘Adaptability Quotient’ (or AQ) is Crucial to Leadership
- Victoria Hogg
- Oct 31, 2024
- 2 min read
AQ: so what’s that now? Is it ‘Angora Quality’ - aka the measure of floofiness in any given Scandinavian’s winter wardrobe?
Well, possibly, in certain knitting circles. However, when IQ = Intelligence Quotient and EQ = Emotional Intelligence, then AQ = Adaptability Quotient: the measure of a person’s mental agility and willingness to meet change.
Albert Einstein himself said that: “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change”. But if you’re sceptical of the world’s most famous theoretical physicist, the sentiment was echoed in January by LinkedIn’s ‘Learning’ arm, who stated: “2024’s Number 1, in-demand, top skill of the moment is Adaptability”.
Wile E. Coyote was less able to predict / handle change, Road Runner found
It’s clear: as our business landscape evolves at lightning speed, AQ is the single most important (yet most hidden) success pointer in business.
But why is AQ crucial to leadership, we hear you cry?
Because leaders must no longer always lead from the front. Today’s workforce type and workplace demands mean that they’ll often effectively ‘follow the follower’; allowing the team room to breathe and create without a ‘top down’ micro-managerial mindset (so ‘last century’, please).
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change”
Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist
Leadership today requires being open with deep listening and an instinct of how to be ‘a chameleon in the jungle’: not losing one’s core identity, yet knowing when and how to blend in to shift and thrive amid new challenges - such as when it’s permitted, professionally and as an older millennial, to wear brat green (only the once and only mid-Q4: you’re welcome).
Can AQ be learned? Of course! Like any training, it’s a muscle to be worked (just like a natural talent for languages is enhanced via language classes, you can increase, with practise, your AQ).
Like any human faculty, however, your AQ deteriorates if ignored.
Management consultancy guru Peter Drucker takes the logic a step further:
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Bring on AQ! But why is applied improvisation so perfect for increasing AQ? Because you make choices in the moment. There’s no script - it’s a robust framework. Understand the framework and then practise, practise, practise.
Do you have high AQ? Can you bend like bamboo in the wind? Do you adapt gracefully under pressure? Having an agile mindset is a lot like dancing in the rain, rather than waiting for the storm to pass; and it’s how to thrive rather than survive.
Intrigued to explore more? See you at The IMPROV Breakfast! We’ll be the ones in the brat-green angora sweaters.
Paul and Vic
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