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Dr. Paul G. Stoltz
Founder and CEO at PEAK Learning, Inc.
Dr. Paul G. Stoltz is a prominent figure in the fields of resilience and leadership development, serving as a member of the Harvard Board of Business Mentors at 哈佛商业评论中文版 (Harvard Business Review China) since July 2018.12 He is the founder and CEO of PEAK Learning, Inc., a global research and consulting firm established in 1987 that focuses on equipping leaders and teams with strategies to navigate adversity effectively.12
Professional Background
- Founder and CEO of PEAK Learning, Inc.: Dr. Stoltz has led this organization for over three decades, providing coaching and consulting services to a diverse range of clients, from startups to Fortune 500 companies.12
- Author: He has written five international bestselling books, including GRIT—The New Science of What it Takes to Persevere, Flourish, Succeed, which explores the concept of grit as a critical factor for success.23
- Thought Leader: Recognized as one of the top global thinkers by multiple publications, he has been involved in various educational programs at prestigious institutions like MIT and Carnegie Mellon, where he teaches methods related to Adversity Quotient (AQ) and GRIT.23
Contributions and Recognition
Dr. Stoltz is widely regarded as a leading authority on resilience and has developed the Adversity Quotient framework, which measures an individual's ability to handle adversity. His work has been integrated into MBA programs at Harvard Business School and has influenced leadership training globally.23 He has also received accolades such as being named "One of the Top 10 Global Thinkers" by HR Magazine and "Thought Leader of the Year" in Hong Kong.3
Current Roles
In addition to his role with Harvard Business Review China, Dr. Stoltz serves on several advisory boards, including those for DocuSign and Athena Intelligence, where he focuses on enhancing organizational performance through data-driven insights.12 His ongoing research and practical applications continue to influence leaders across various sectors worldwide.
Dr. Stoltz's extensive experience and innovative approaches make him a significant contributor to discussions on leadership, resilience, and personal development in today's rapidly changing business environment.
Highlights
With the 2022 Beijing Olympics fast approaching, athletes from Canada and all over the world have worked to overcome adversity and find new ways to train during a global pandemic. With ski hills, skating rinks, and bobsleigh tracks closed down, athletes are facing more adversity in these unknown times than ever before.
One of the great privileges of coaching the US Olympic and Paralympic coaches was teaching them how PEAK Adaptability can help their athletes bring their best regardless of the circumstances.
"My workouts were tire flips with tractor tires, squatting with oil pails and I got this old-school set of those weights with sand in it," Lotholz said, laughing. "I took a piece of scrap metal, grinded down the bar so the weights fit on it, and then hooked it up to the tractor for resistance."
Lotholz says growing up on a farm, in retrospect, taught her a lot about being an athlete and how to handle a pandemic by learning to control the things you can control. “ Quick Question: If Melissa Lotholz had not faced these struggles, would she ever become an Olympian?
We can all grow the Olympic Mindset to achieve our own gold medal moments.
Here’s to our neighbors up north for showing us how it’s done!
Your High AQ New Years Resolution!
To paraphrase the IChing, “The event is irrelevant. The response is everything.”
If we’ve learned one thing from 2021 it’s that, while we can’t control the adversities that may besiege us, our response to adversity determines our sanity, happiness, and ultimately our destiny.
Adversity serves up the highest octane suffering and opportunity. It’s time to upshift.
We learned: 1) 2022 is going to have plenty of adversity. Some of it we can predict. Much of it we cannot. 2) No matter how bad it is, we have the opportunity to harness that adversity to fuel greater growth, contribution, and fulfillment.
2021 Reflections: • On a scale of 1-10, how effectively did you respond to and deal with your adversities? • How could you have tackled them even stronger, better, smarter? •What affect would that have on your current well-being and situation?
2022 Provocations: • What 1-2 adversities (challenges) could you preemptively target, as the ones you could harness to fuel an otherwise unachievable upside? • Who can/should you most join up with to harness those adversities? • What adversities deserve less attention, energy, and bandwidth? Which ones deserve more? • What do you want your Adversity Story at the end of 2022 to be?
In a single sentence, what is your Adversity Resolution for 2022? #peakperformance #peakadaptability #peakprovocation #growth #opportunity #happiness #gratitude #resilience #grit #adaptability #newbeginnings2022 #newyearsresolution #newyearnewyou #newyear2022
