My new favorite word: phronesis

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I've been reading "How Big Things Get Done" by Prof. Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner—a sharp, practical book about why large projects so often fail, and what actually helps them succeed.

Two things I especially appreciate about it:

First, it reinforces a core idea we teach in our Middle Path leadership programs: think slow so you can act fast. The more disciplined we are in the early stages of sensing and seeking—understanding the situation, surfacing assumptions, looking for non-obvious root causes, and articulating an ideal outcome—the better our solutions tend to be.

Second, it’s given me a new favorite word: phronesis.

Flyvbjerg describes phronesis as the kind of practical wisdom Aristotle valued above all other virtues—not abstract intelligence or technical expertise, but good judgment earned through experience:

This practical wisdom is what Aristotle called phronesis. He held it in higher regard than any other virtue, ‘for the possession of the single virtue of phronesis will carry with it the possession of them all.’ … In short, if you have phronesis, you’ve got it all. Therefore, a project leader with abundant phronesis is the single greatest asset a project can have. –Bent Flyvbjerg, How Big Things Get Done

That paragraph caught my eye. I found myself rereading it—several times.

In leadership—and especially in complex, high-stakes work—phronesis may be the difference between motion and progress, between activity and results.

In unsettled and chaotic times, phronesis—practical wisdom shaped by experience and character—may be one of the most important leadership capacities we can cultivate.

Thanks to Jeanne Farrington, for pointing me to the book!