The New Intelligence That Matters More Than IQ

Hello Monday with Jessi Hempel

Careers, Business

4.7 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 9 March 2026

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What skill is most critical in a world defined by constant change? Leadership coach and author Liz Tran believes it’s AQ, or agility quotient. In this episode of Hello Monday, host Jessi Hempel sits down with Liz to explore why traditional measures of intelligence like IQ and even EQ may matter less in today’s AI-powered, rapidly evolving workplace. Instead, Liz argues that what really predicts success is our ability to adapt, navigate uncertainty, and respond to change. Liz’s new book is AQ: A New Kind of Intelligence for a World That's Always Changing. Drawing from her work with executives, founders, and professionals across industries, she explains how AQ works—and why it’s a skill anyone can develop. Together, Jessi and Liz unpack how strengthening your agility quotient can help you navigate career transitions, unexpected challenges at work, and a future where skills evolve faster than ever. Liz and Jessi discuss: What AQ (agility quotient) is—and why it may matter more than IQ or EQ in the modern workplace Why AI and automation are leveling traditional intelligence advantages The four AQ archetypes—Astronaut, Novelist, Firefighter, and Neurosurgeon—and how each handles change How understanding your archetype can guide career decisions, leadership style, and personal growth How to build resilience and adaptability in a world where careers span multiple industries and roles Follow Liz Tran and Jessi Hempel on LinkedIn. We will be launching the Hello Monday book club soon. If you’re interested in joining, send us an email at hellomonday@linkedin.com and let us know!

Transcript

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0:00.0	It might feel like stable ground to be in a job right now in this moment.
0:04.0	That's great.
0:05.0	But ultimately at the end of the day, we need to invest in ourselves because what we need is not IQ or EQ.
0:10.0	Primarily, we need ACU.
0:11.0	And ACQ is a very, very much in flux.
0:14.0	Like you can actually control that.
0:15.0	You can will your AQ to be higher tomorrow than it is today, simply through the actions you take.
0:24.0	From LinkedIn News, I'm Jesse Hempel, and this is Hello Monday.
0:27.9	Today, we are talking all about intelligence.
0:31.5	That's human intelligence.
0:33.4	You know, there are so many different kinds of ways to be smart.
0:37.3	We talk about IQ. Traditionally, that is how book smarts. You know, there are so many different kinds of ways to be smart.
0:37.5	We talk about IQ.
0:39.5	Traditionally, that is how book smart you are.
0:43.2	Then in recent decades, we've talked about EQ.
0:46.1	That's your emotional quotient.
0:48.0	How good you are at reading people.
0:50.3	Well, our author today introduces a new kind of intelligence that is specific to this moment that we're in now.
0:56.0	She calls it AQ, our agility quotient.
0:59.0	It addresses the question that is on a lot of our minds.
1:03.0	Is there actually a way to predict how well equipped we are for change?
1:07.0	Today's guest, Liz Tran, is proposing that, yes, there is a way to measure how well we will handle uncertainty.
	...

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