Time to rediscover virtue at work?
On my shelf rests a dusty black leather-bound copy of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics , which, over the last almost 30 years of ownership, calls out to me on a quinquennial basis. I recently dived back into this material and began to think how in an age driven by speed, profit, and disruption, Aristotle’s ethics might offer a compelling alternative: a philosophy grounded in virtue, practical wisdom, and human flourishing. Far from being merely academic, these ancient principles can serve as a foundation for modern business strategy, leadership, team dynamics, and project execution.
As Aristotle reminds us: “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution.”
In the pursuit of competitive advantage and shareholder or stakeholder returns, modern businesses can often overlook the deeper question: what is the right way to act? For Aristotle, ethics was not about abstract theorising but about practical living—about cultivating virtues that lead to human flourishing, or eudaimonia. His teachings, though ancient, resonate powerfully in contemporary leadership.
So I offer an exploration that brings Aristotle into the boardroom, not as a philosopher in a toga (although dress down fashions in London at present it can only be a matter of time), but as a strategic advisor reminding us that the how and why of business matter just as much as the what.
Virtue Ethics: The Character of Strategy
At the heart of Aristotle’s ethics lies the idea of virtue—habits of good action formed by repeated practice. Virtue is not an abstract ideal but a lived reality, forged in the choices we make daily. For business strategy, this is transformative.
A strategy grounded in virtue considers more than market share or EBITDA. It asks: What kind of organisation are we becoming? Are our decisions aligned with those stoic underpinnings of courage, fairness, temperance, and justice? Strategic choices, under this lens, are not mere tactics but moral statements—defining the character of the firm. I’ve certainly had a week this week that has moved beyond tactical but pulls at deeper questions in order to get better tactics and decisions.
This approach does not reject profit but situates it within a broader moral horizon. As Aristotle might say, a good strategy is one that enables an organisation—and by extension its people and society—to flourish. Currently I am helping lead a large regional economic development agency whose huge value add is that the strategy we’ve developed delivers both huge nationally significant economic benefit but has ‘designed in’ direct citizen ‘good’. It’s refreshing to underpin large commercial opportunity with social value.
Leadership and the Art of Practical Wisdom
Unlike the technical expertise of an engineer or the theoretical knowledge of a scholar, Aristotle prized phronesis, or practical wisdom—the capacity to discern right action in the complexity of real life. For leaders, phronesis is the highest virtue. Leadership, after all, is rarely about choosing between right and wrong is it? More often, it is about navigating tensions, balancing competing goods, and exercising sound judgment when the path is unclear. The wise leader deliberates carefully, listens with humility, and acts with moral clarity. A very wise chair of a board I worked for once described leadership as making imperfect choices with imperfect information. This has stuck with me strongly.
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” This is leadership not of rigid rules, but of reflective judgment. The Aristotelian leader does not seek simplistic metrics but understands that leading well is an ethical craft—an ongoing dialogue between principles and practice.
Eudaimonia: Rethinking Organisational Purpose
The concept of eudaimonia, often translated as “flourishing” or “human well-being,” redefines what success looks like. For Aristotle, happiness was not hedonistic pleasure but the fulfilment of human potential through virtuous living. Applied to business, eudaimonia invites us to see organisations as communities of people striving to do good work, grow in competence and character, and contribute meaningfully to society. Projects, in this view, are not just deliverables to be ticked off but opportunities for teams to practice excellence, develop resilience, and experience a sense of shared purpose.
A leader who embodies this ethos in my view creates not only high-performing teams but also workplaces where people find dignity and meaning in their work. “The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” How often are teams or programmes stuck in survival mode and a less than positive flourishing state?
The Doctrine of the Mean: Moderation in Culture and Conduct
Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean teaches that virtue is to be found between two extremes. Courage lies between recklessness and cowardice; ambition between sloth and greed. This nuanced understanding is vital for organisational culture. In leadership, this principle guards against the seductive pull of extremes. A culture obsessed with hyper-competitiveness breeds burnout and ethical blindness. Conversely, an aversion to risk stifles innovation and growth. The virtuous path navigates between these poles, fostering a culture of balanced excellence.
“Moral virtue is a mean between two vices, one of excess and the other of deficiency.” Wise leaders cultivate this moderation—not as mediocrity, but as the disciplined pursuit of excellence without tipping into vice. Balance in my career as a CEO, coach and consultant has always carried a series of excesses that more than often haven’t served me well when rushing to the end of the see saw for too long….
Habituation: The Daily Practice of Leadership Excellence
For Aristotle, virtue is not innate. It is cultivated through habit—repeated actions that shape character over time. This insight speaks directly to leadership development. True leadership is not conferred by title but formed by daily practice. This is something easily forgotten or lost in hubris- of which I have been guilty. The small acts of integrity, the consistent demonstration of fairness, the patience in decision-making—these are the rituals through which a leader becomes virtuous. Organisations too, through their rituals, processes, and feedback loops, habituate certain behaviours that either reinforce or erode virtue. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Leadership development programs that focus solely on competencies miss the deeper opportunity: to shape the moral character of leaders who act wisely and well. Recently I have been developing a senior leader masters degree programme that raises significant questions as to which character traits are we establishing and encouraging? What is the moral form of leadership might we be designing in to education? Who decides? My only conclusion is that firstly we’ll find more, or at least better, answers on philosophy shelves than Harvard Business Reviews and secondly if we are asking with intention and enhancing curiosity then we will be much better placed to find morality.
Virtue as Strategic Advantage
In a world of constant disruption and ethical scrutiny, for me, Aristotle’s ethics offers more than philosophical nostalgia—it provides a robust framework for sustainable success. Virtuous organisations attract trust, foster loyalty, and build long-term resilience. Leaders guided by practical wisdom navigate complexity with moral clarity. The very tbest eams I have ever worked within or witnessed (including the one I lead now) were aligned with meaningful purpose and can flourish beyond transactional productivity.
By embedding virtue into the DNA of business strategy, leadership practice, and project execution, I propose that companies not only perform better but contribute to the broader flourishing of individuals and society. In the end, Aristotle challenges us to remember that business is, fundamentally, a human endeavour—and that to lead well is to live well.
Stuart Rimmer is founder of www.innermountaincoaching.com , author of A Stoic Reckoning: Why Stoicism is True and Visiting Associate Professor at BPP University in London