Paul Stoltz
- World's Leading Expert on Resilience and Creator of the Adversity Quotient®
Travels From
California
Paul Stoltz Speaker Biography
Dr. Paul G. Stoltz is considered the world’s leading authority on the integration and application of grit and resilience. He is author of five international bestselling books on the subject—printed in 17 languages—including the top-selling business book in China, and was voted by HR Magazine as “One of the Top 10 most influential global thinkers,” and by Executive Excellence as “One of the 100 Most Influential Thinkers of Our Time.” In the newest book, GRIT—The New Science of What it Takes to Persevere, Flourish, Succeed, he pioneers the first validated construct and method in existence for growing both the quantity and quality of one’s GRIT.
Dr. Stoltz has served as faculty for MIT’s acclaimed entrepreneurship program and for Carnegie Mellon’s distinguished Global Leaders Program, where his AQ and GRIT-related methods and assessments have been used to equip tomorrow’s leaders and entrepreneurs. He also serves on various boards, including the advisory board for DocuSign, Board of Directors for Global Mentors Network and several companies focused on earth rejuvenating technologies.
Harvard Business School has selected and incorporated Dr. Stoltz’s Adversity Quotient® tools and methods into it’s top-rated MBA and Executive Education programs and is featuring Dr. Stoltz’s newest work on GRIT in a new video series for Harvard Business Review. Dr. Stoltz has also been a member of Stanford University’s Distinguished Leaders Lecture Series, was selected as the Millennial Thinker for Singapore, “Thought Leader of the Year” in Hong Kong, and is a top-rated international faculty member for the Young Presidents’ Organization. He has guest lectured for Princeton, INSEAD, and Cornell, and has been a featured blogger and author for both the Harvard Business Review and Psychology Today. Dr. Stoltz has been the founder and CEO of PEAK Learning, Inc., a global research and consulting firm, since 1987, through which he coaches, consults, teaches, and collaborates with top leaders, thinkers, and influencers within a broad range of organizations from start-ups and NGO’s to the Fortune 500 on six continents. He is also the founder and managing director of the GRIT Institute and Global Resilience Institute, both worldwide research collaboratives for exploring and advancing the frontiers of human endeavor.
Today, GRIT and AQ are the most widely adopted methods of their kind in the world for measurably enhancing one’s resilience, agility, and GRIT—currently in use by industry-leading companies, top institutions, and many governments in 137 countries across six continents.
Dr. Stoltz is frequently featured in the world’s top media. Examples include the major news shows CNN, CNBC, ABC, Sky News, Business News Network, NBC Nightly News, Public Broadcast Service (PBS), as well as the biggest daytime shows such as the Today Show, and multiple appearances on Oprah. You will also find Dr. Stoltz quoted in the major press, worldwide, including Wall Street Journal, Harvard Management Update, Investor’s Business Daily, Yahoo! Finance, Asia 21, Inc., Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Singapore Straits Times, The Australian Financial Review, Success Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, Boss Magazine, The Drucker Foundation’s prestigious Leader to Leader and other publications. Dr. Stoltz coaches the U.S. Olympic Team, has served as faculty for MIT’s acclaimed entrepreneurship program and for Carnegie Mellon’s distinguished Global Leaders Program, where his AQ and GRIT-related methods and assessments have been used to equip tomorrow’s leaders and entrepreneurs.
Dr. Stoltz received his bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication and Economics from the University of California, as well as his business, leadership, and social sciences interdisciplinary master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. PEAK Learning’s international headquarters is situated in the coastal mountains of San Luis Obispo, California, where Dr. Stoltz resides with his family, who were honored by USA Today as “America’s Most Creative Family.”
AQ: THE ADVERSITY ADVANTAGE
Dr. Stoltz’s signature keynote address gives a compelling overview of Adversity Quotient® (AQ®). He describes how AQ drives performance, resilience, and success, and discusses how to begin strengthening AQ to thrive on adversity. Highly tailored to each group, participants leave with tools they can use immediately to tackle their next challenge and optimize their next opportunity.
LEADING THROUGH ADVERSITY
It is through adversity that leadership shines forth. Demanding times call for leaders with exceptional fortitude, tenacity, and resolve. This keynote address draws from dramatic examples of how great leaders across the ages, world, and industries use AQ to lead through adversity and unleash the greatness in others.
AQ UNLEASHED—RESILIENT SALES AND SERVICE
Imagine how a more resilient sales and service organization could drive your results! When it comes to selling, skills and personality are no longer enough. AQ predicts sales performance and retention across industries and countries. This keynote address reveals to salespeople and executives what it really takes to achieve and sustain top performance, even in the most difficult circumstances. People gain tools that they can use to surmount their obstacles with renewed focus and vigor.
CREATING RESILIENT TEAMS
Resilient teams thrive on challenges and deliver superior performance. Resilient teams are at their best when times are tough. They rise to challenges and are inspired by seemingly insurmountable odds and daunting obstacles. They are the ones that get things done when others cannot. This keynote address provides practical insight into what it takes to form and grow a high-performance, resilient team.
THE INVINCIBLE INVESTOR
Tailored to the financial services market, the Invincible Investor® keynote introduces the landmark science and practice of investor resilience. In a time of tremendous volatility and uncertainty, investors and their advisors need new tools to protect and grow what matters most, no matter what. This keynote presentation introduces a whole new way to think and talk about how we relate to money in our lives.
CREATING THE RESILIENT WORKFORCE
How would it affect your business if people could be measurably more resilient? For those who shape the workforce in any way, this keynote presentation draws from leading science on AQ and resilience. It introduces practical, new methods for transforming your current workforce into one that can not only withstand any setback or challenge but also bounce back and benefit from such situations.
HIRING RESILIENT PEOPLE
Dr. Stoltz’s firm, PEAK, offers the #1 tool in the world for assessing any job applicant’s resilience and overall AQ. In a poll of 1,264 employers, when asked if they would hire for skillset or mindset, 96 percent chose mindset. The AQ Profile can help you gauge and hire the right mindset for every hiring decision. This keynote draws from the science of AQ and reveals simple steps for quickly identifying those who will deliver superior results in demanding circumstances.
BEYOND THE KEYNOTE
Take advantage of the AQ Profile® option, which gives each person the opportunity to assess their AQ and offers tips for immediate improvement. The AQ consulting process is entirely customized to your issues, challenges, and aspirations. It is specifically designed for organizations that are willing to stare reality in the eye and then authentically commit to make bold strides forward — and up. We help you unearth, challenge, and eradicate the hidden norms, rules, and assumptions that may be crippling your progress and profitability.
