Lexicon: Arete (ἀρετή)

The Etymology

From the Greek Arete, often translated as "Virtue," but more accurately translated as Excellence. It is related to aristos (best), the root of "Aristocracy" (rule by the best).

The Definition

In Ancient Greece, Arete was not a soft moral quality. It was a hard, functional quality. It means fulfilling your specific purpose (Ergon) to the highest degree.

• The Arete of a knife is sharpness (because its function is to cut).
• The Arete of a horse is speed (because its function is to run).

Crucially, Arete requires action. You cannot possess excellence passively. As Aristotle wrote in the Nicomachean Ethics: "At the Olympic Games, it is not the best-looking or the strongest men who are crowned, but those who compete." [1099a] Potential is irrelevant. Only the act counts.

The Corporate Application

Modern companies confuse Compliance (Following the process) with Arete (Fulfilling the function).

Imagine a Customer Support Agent.

• Compliance (The Job Description): They answered the phone within 3 rings, followed the script, and logged the ticket. They did "their job."
• Arete (The Function): They realized the script was wrong, solved the customer's actual underlying problem, and prevented the customer from ever needing to call back.

The Metric Trap:

• Compliance Metric: "Average Handle Time" (Speed).
• Arete Metric: "First Contact Resolution" (Effectiveness).

If you force an employee with Arete to focus on Compliance (e.g., rushing calls to lower handle time), you are dulling the knife. You are prioritizing the "process" over the "purpose."

Don't ask "Did you follow the rules?" Ask "Did you achieve the purpose?"