IQ vs. LQ: Why Learning Quotient is the New Key to Success

We all have a measurable IQ (Intelligence Quotient). In most basic terms, IQ measurement is based on a person’s reasoning ability, measuring human intelligence and how well an individual uses information and logic to solve problems or predict what will happen next.

Today, the accuracy of IQ testing is up for debate, with some scientists disputing its value altogether. What is more important as the world is rapidly changing is LQ, or Learning Quotient.

As we move forward through the years to come, with technologies like AI advancing and how we work and process information shifting, our openness as individuals to continuous learning will be the key to our success. Static intelligence is no longer enough. It will be our ability to learn and adapt that will fuel growth or hold us back.

With that in mind, here are three areas where we should all be focusing on LQ and doubling down on continuous learning…

Within our Core Values

As businesses and organizations, continuous learning should be included in our conversations about core values. If we decide we value LQ in the individuals who work for and with us, then we should include that in our hiring process. For people to step onto the bus and find their seats with our organizations, a strong desire to keep learning and growing has to come with them.

Within our Collaboration

As we collaborate within our teams and alongside our clients, LQ heightens the value of diversity. The atmosphere changes when we’re in rooms of different people who are all open to learning from one another and with one another. This change in energy leads to changes in results, but we have to be open to it from the beginning. If we sit down thinking, “I already know everything,” we are shutting off the opportunity to learn before we begin.

Within our Approach to Mentoring

Often, “we don’t know what we don’t know.” Launching OrangeBall, that was the case for our founders. We knew much about design, branding, and marketing… and much less about running a business and growing an agency. Very quickly, we understood the need to connect with mentors who had been there and done this. When we found those mentors and engaged them with a high LQ, what they taught us sped up our growth and saved us from sliding into numerous ditches.

LQ and this high desire to keep learning and unlocking new ideas have been the secret to our success as a brand. It has opened doors for us, helped us see new opportunities, and streamlined how and why we do what we do.

That said, one thing often gets missed in conversations about Learning Quotient…

Learning a ton and picking up new ideas is just the beginning. For many, it’s where they stop, thinking that learning is the prize. That’s not the case. The prize comes when we act on what we’re learning. Without action, having a high LQ is worthless. Backed by learning-driven activity and changes in behavior, high LQ becomes priceless.

Call-to-Action

Check yourself right now. Where is your LQ at? How open are you to learning? Are you actively curious and chasing new ideas, or are you comfortable with what you know and the status quo? Looking at your teams, what is their LQ, and are they being supported in their own quest to learn and grow?