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AQ: A New Kind of Intelligence for a World That's Always Changing
Discover a powerful third intelligence—beyond IQ and EQ—that equips you to thrive in rapid change, disruption, and relentless uncertainty.
In a time defined by instability, when jobs vanish overnight, industries evolve in months, and yesterday’s rules no longer apply, AQ—the Agility Quotient—is the intelligence you need to handle change, uncertainty, and the unknown.The good news is that you can grow your agility and learn to navigate a world of increasing instability with leadership coach and former venture capitalist Liz Tran’s book, AQ.
Drawing on her work with over 200 successful founders, executives, and dozens of companies and organizations, Liz Tran reveals a model for how high-performing teams and managers adapt to uncertainty. She begins with a personality assessment to help you identify your Agility Archetype. Whether you’re the Astronaut, Firefighter, Novelist, or Neurosurgeon, you’ll find actionable exercises to help you become a high-AQ individual.
From there, you’ll learn how to cultivate “durable skills,” essential human abilities that remain valuable no matter what the future holds. With conversational flair and practical advice, Tran takes readers behind the scenes of the most agile companies, from NVIDIA and Microsoft to rising startups like Lex. You’ll also meet trailblazers like Maggie Lena Walker, the first female bank president in American history, and Emile-Maurice Hermès, who transformed Hermès into a global luxury powerhouse.
AQ offers a path forward for every person, no matter their experience level or ambitions,
Tools for when you’re bombarded by change or burned out by change fatigue.Action steps for making a big shift, even when you don’t know where to begin.Clarity in moments of professional turbulence.Confidence despite the future’s uncertainty.
As the adage goes, “the only certain thing is change”—and to thrive today, we must learn to embrace the uncertain. AQ is the critical intelligence for our unpredictable future.
In a time defined by instability, when jobs vanish overnight, industries evolve in months, and yesterday’s rules no longer apply, AQ—the Agility Quotient—is the intelligence you need to handle change, uncertainty, and the unknown.The good news is that you can grow your agility and learn to navigate a world of increasing instability with leadership coach and former venture capitalist Liz Tran’s book, AQ.
Drawing on her work with over 200 successful founders, executives, and dozens of companies and organizations, Liz Tran reveals a model for how high-performing teams and managers adapt to uncertainty. She begins with a personality assessment to help you identify your Agility Archetype. Whether you’re the Astronaut, Firefighter, Novelist, or Neurosurgeon, you’ll find actionable exercises to help you become a high-AQ individual.
From there, you’ll learn how to cultivate “durable skills,” essential human abilities that remain valuable no matter what the future holds. With conversational flair and practical advice, Tran takes readers behind the scenes of the most agile companies, from NVIDIA and Microsoft to rising startups like Lex. You’ll also meet trailblazers like Maggie Lena Walker, the first female bank president in American history, and Emile-Maurice Hermès, who transformed Hermès into a global luxury powerhouse.
AQ offers a path forward for every person, no matter their experience level or ambitions,
Tools for when you’re bombarded by change or burned out by change fatigue.Action steps for making a big shift, even when you don’t know where to begin.Clarity in moments of professional turbulence.Confidence despite the future’s uncertainty.
As the adage goes, “the only certain thing is change”—and to thrive today, we must learn to embrace the uncertain. AQ is the critical intelligence for our unpredictable future.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published February 3, 2026
19 people are currently reading
219 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 23, 2026
AQ is the go-to guide for navigating the exponentially changing world we live in today. It’s easy to digest, deeply inspiring, and filled with practical tools and actionable exercises to help you strengthen your AQ in every area of life.
I especially the AQ archetypes as a framework for understanding myself, my peers, and my loved ones more deeply. The book highlights that we each have an important role to play when it comes to handling change. By understanding other archetypes and how they complement our own, we can lean on the people around us with more awareness and navigate change, uncertainty, and disappointment with greater resilience.
This is an excellent read for anyone going through a period of transition, as well as for those who simply want to strengthen their agility muscles in response to the ever changing world we live in. Highly recommended!
I especially the AQ archetypes as a framework for understanding myself, my peers, and my loved ones more deeply. The book highlights that we each have an important role to play when it comes to handling change. By understanding other archetypes and how they complement our own, we can lean on the people around us with more awareness and navigate change, uncertainty, and disappointment with greater resilience.
This is an excellent read for anyone going through a period of transition, as well as for those who simply want to strengthen their agility muscles in response to the ever changing world we live in. Highly recommended!
February 19, 2026
Liz Tran did it again with a book that sees, challenges, and unlocks a new way of thinking. Her writing walks the tightrope of clarity and depth; it's accessible to the self-help skeptics and the woo-woo spirituals and those somewhere in between like me. I think she's touched on what a lot of us have been feeling--in a world evolving at a rapid pace with AI and geopolitics and unemployment and everything else, how do we 1) keep up 2) lean into our natural talents/abilities/who we are and 3) thrive--for ourselves, and for the world. Highly recommend!
February 19, 2026
AQ by Liz Tran offers a compelling perspective on understanding your archetype and your relationship with change. Instead of prescribing rigid strategies, the book helps you recognize the deeper patterns and hidden drivers shaping how you respond to uncertainty, growth, and transition. Insightful and practical, it’s a valuable read for anyone looking to navigate complexity with greater self-awareness and intention.
February 4, 2026
AQ is the short hand and framework I needed to make sense of the critical skill we all need to cultivate in this moment of human history. Liz is a kind, wise, caring, charismatic guide and helps take an abstract idea and grounds it in practical advice, powerful insights and actionable steps. Will be gifting this one, and referencing it too!
February 20, 2026
Liz Tran has been breaking new ground in wellness and her latest book is next level! She develops from IQ/EQ and helps create a new range to study yourself. Her new book helps brings a grand awareness on focus in improving oneself in a professional environment as well as spiritual 🙏 much needed in this day and age!
February 20, 2026
I can't recommend this book enough for anyone going through a career transition, struggling with their professional identity or wanting to prepare themselves for major changes to the workforce landscape. AQ is thoughtfully organized and filled with helpful concepts. Well worth reading and returning to in the future.
February 19, 2026
A must read- a total game changer no matter who you are. This book completely altered my mindset and helped me navigate a challenging experience.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews