Do You Want to Know Jack Ma's Secret to Success? Hint - It isn't IQ or EQ.

By Komal Nathani

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The man who grew up poor, failed twice in the university exams and was turned away from a dozen of jobs, founded a company in his house apartment is today the owner of a $200 billion company. Yes, we are talking about the founder and CEO of Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Jack Ma, who recently shared his success recipe at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

In an interview at Davos, the self-made one of the richest man in the world, Ma differentiated the importance held by IQ, EQ and LQ in the success of his company.

His Success Recipe - LQ beats the IQ & EQ Debate

Talking about what it takes to succeed despite long odds, Ma explained while it takes IQ for sure, EQ plays an important role in getting ahead. But the other valuable quality which others end up missing is LQ. Here's how he explained what's LQ.

At the Forum, he said, "I believe if a person wants to be successful, they should have a high EQ. But if you don't want to lose quickly, they should have a high IQ. But if you want to be respected, you should have a high LQ – the Q of Love."

Importance of Human Resource Over Machines

Terming LQ as the secret weapon to beat machines, Ma explained how machines can never have the quotient of love, which we humans only have. He said, "A machine does not have a heart, it does not have soul, and it does not have a belief. Emphasizing that only human beings have soul, have belief, have value; we are creative, we are showing that we can control the machines, he insisted to understand the importance of human resource.

So, Who Does the Perfect Balancing Act?

Sharing a story of a journalist visiting his office and asking about how the proportion of women employees beats the men's in his company, he marked that women do the perfect balancing act when it comes to the success of the company.

"So those three Qs put together - a lot of men have a high IQ and low EQ and very tiny LQ. Women, balance-wise, are the best. If you want your company to be successful, if you want your company to operate with wisdom and with care, women are the best," said Ma.

Komal Nathani

Former Correspondent, Entrepreneur Asia Pacific

A firm believer of hard work and patience. Love to cover stories that hold a potential to change the momentum of business world. Currently, a part of all-women web team of Entrepreneur’s Asia Pacific edition to jig the wheel of business journalism!

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