For those of you not deeply rooted in Greek Philosophy, there is a term I want to introduce: ARETE’ . Arete’ in the basic sense, means excellence of any kind. In its earliest appearance in Greek philosophy, this notion of excellence was ultimately bound up with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to one’s full potential. Sometimes translated as “virtue”, the word actually means something closer to “being the best you can be”, or “reaching your highest human potential”.
The man or woman of Areté is a person of the highest effectiveness; they use all their faculties: strength, bravery, wit, and deceptiveness, to achieve real results. meaning is measured against individual effectiveness in the world.
The 19th and 20th century saw labor, production, and management broken into functional disciplines…our educational system reflected the same changes as technical schools, tracking and business schools came to be. America as we all know is no longer the manufacturing mecca of yesteryear and I propose that a return to the ideal of Arete would serve the entrepreneur and worker of tomorrow well. The speed of commerce, the internet, global trade…all these elements and more create an evolution to the past. The successful entrepreneur of tomorrow will be skilled in e commerce, service management, leadership, finance, marketing as well as disciplines outside the field of business. Your thoughts and comments are