Groundbreaking investor and global enterprise builder Alec Litowitz shows how to move from "making the right decision" to "making decisions right" in The Adaptability Quotient, a guide to thinking and acting under uncertainty.
Over decades of success across volatile markets, creating cultures and businesses that innovate at scale and endure, Litowitz arrived at a crucial insight. What separates progress from paralysis is not foresight, but adaptability.
In an era of uncertainty, decision-making and problem-solving require developing a high adaptability quotient or AQ--the ability to think clearly, act decisively, and pivot when the path ahead isn't clear. And unlike intellect or emotional intelligence, AQ is not fixed. It can be learned.
In The Adaptability Quotient, Litowitz offers a three-part system that trains listeners in:
Metacognition - How to interrogate your assumptions and decision process
Simulation - How to absorb information and model complex systems effectively
Experimentation - How to make decisions that maximize learning and minimize downside
Drawing from his experience--as well as insights from business, technology, psychology, and cognitive science--Litowitz shows how successful people and organizations move forward when navigating change.
For listeners of The Scout Mindset, Thinking in Systems, and Thinking, Fast and Slow, The Adaptability Quotient shifts the focus from understanding how we think to improving how we act. As artificial intelligence, media, and scientific advances reshape the cognitive landscape, adaptability becomes the essential discipline for reclaiming human agency.
For leaders and decision-makers who want more than theory in a world where the old playbooks no longer apply, Alec Litowitz shares an actionable framework for raising and realizing your adaptability quotient.
About the Author :
Alec Litowitz is an investor and entrepreneur who has spent more than three decades navigating uncertainty across finance and institution-building. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of Qstar Capital and Founder of Magnetar Capital. His work centers on disciplined process, adaptive learning, and building organizations for rapidly evolving environments. An endurance athlete, Alec serves as Board Chair Emeritus of Dare2tri. He is also an active supporter of the arts and serves on the board of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife, Jennifer, have four boys.
Eric Altheide is a professional actor, narrator, director, and educator, currently serving as associate professor of theater and the head of the acting program at the University of Southern Indiana. He began narrating audiobooks in 2020 and has since narrated dozens of titles over multiple genres. He also narrates under the pseudonym Grayson Owens. He received his MFA from New York University's Graduate Acting Program and his BFA in performance from the University of Evansville. Eric is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild.
Review :
"The Adaptability Quotient offers a powerful framework for navigating an increasingly complex and uncertain world. Alec Litowitz draws on decades of experience to articulate a disciplined approach to thinking, grounded in rigor, continuous learning, and better decision-making. Moving beyond theory, he provides a practical system for building teams and individuals that adapt, evolve, and perform at the highest levels. This is essential reading for anyone seeking to sharpen judgment and thrive amid constant change."
-- "Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel"
"The Adaptability Quotient is deep, important, and compulsively readable―among the best works of nonfiction I've encountered in a decade. It's an astute guidebook for crafting a successful, fulfilling life in unstable times."
-- "Eli J. Finkel, professor at Northwestern University and author of The All-or-Nothing Marriage"
"The Adaptability Quotient is overflowing with wisdom and insight. I've never read a book that so accurately captures how the most successful people I know think and act. As I turned the pages, I kept asking myself, 'Why isn't this what we teach in schools?'"
-- "Steven Levitt, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago and New York Times bestselling coauthor of Freakonomics"
"A clear, compelling guide to thinking under pressure. Litowitz shows that success in a fast-moving world isn't about being right―it's about adapting faster than everyone else. Essential reading for anyone navigating uncertainty."
-- "Steven Kotler, New York Times bestselling author"
