Revitalizing formative leadership
Who We Are
Developing practical wisdom in those who lead—and form—others, so people and institutions can flourish.
The Practical Wisdom Project, housed at the Abigail Adams Institute, works with educators and leaders across sectors to develop the judgment, habits and practices they need to navigate challenges, form people, and build strong, flourishing institutions.
In a time marked by rapid change and artificial intelligence, many leadership models fall short of addressing what matters most: how leaders make sound judgments, shape culture, and invest in the growth of others. Practical wisdom — phronesis— remains essential. It cannot be automated or outsourced. It must be cultivated.
What We Believe
Practical wisdom can be developed through disciplined reflection and practice. It grows in context through real decisions, real relationships and real responsibility.
We believe:
Leaders shape culture through the judgments they make every day.
Forming people so they can thrive is essential to effective leadership–not separate from it.
Human flourishing and high performance are not competing aims but are deeply connected.
Every leader has the capacity to grow in practical wisdom and cultivate it in others.
What We Do
We work alongside leaders to exercise practical wisdom in the daily decisions and responsibilities of leadership. We help leaders:
Navigate conflict, uncertainty, and competing aims with sound judgment
Build cultures of trust, character and shared purpose
Develop others through formative practices embedded in daily work
Align decisions with the long term flourishing of people and institutions
Our approach is rooted in the humanities–drawing on ancient wisdom, philosophy and contemporary research and experience to develop structured practices leaders can use in their own settings.
Wisdom at Work: Revitalizing Formative School Leadership
Our flagship program is the Wisdom at Work: Revitalizing School Leadership, a research–practice partnership that brings school leaders and researchers together to develop and study leadership practices grounded in practical wisdom and human flourishing.
Now accepting applications for the 2026 - 2027 school year. Learn more and apply here.
Leadership
Karen E. Bohlin, EdD, asks a simple but demanding question: what does it take to lead wisely and well—and to form others in the process?
As founding director of the Practical Wisdom Project at the Abigail Adams Institute and a Research Affiliate at Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program, she works with educators and leaders to develop practical wisdom in the context of leading people and institutions. She founded the Project in 2021 and launched its first executive education program in 2022.
A scholar-practitioner with decades of experience in higher education and school leadership, she leads Wisdom at Work: Revitalizing Formative School Leadership.
Our Impact
Since Fall 2021, the Practical Wisdom Project has delivered more than 125 engagements reaching 10,000+ educators, students, and leaders across 500+ universities, schools, and nonprofits worldwide.
Additional Programs
Programs of the Practical Wisdom Project equip leaders with the habits and tools they need to cultivate character, wisdom, and human flourishing.
Other programs of the Practical Wisdom Project include:
Courageous Dialogue: Practical Wisdom for Navigating Difficult Conversations
Learning from Mistakes: Practical Wisdom for Mentors & Young Professionals
The Schooling of Desire: Practical Wisdom from Philosophy, Art & Film
Support
The Practical Wisdom Project is housed at the Abigail Adams Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. To support the mission of the Practical Wisdom Project, donations may be made directly to the Abigail Adams Institute or via the button below.
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Wisdom at Work is made possible through the support of Grant 63617 from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this project are those of the grantee and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.
