Karen Bohlin is doing pioneering work in applied practical wisdom. Developed throughout her years of leadership experience and rooted in her scholarly work, Dr. Bohlin’s Practical Wisdom Framework is a powerful intervention to help leaders committed to character and flourishing, activate the collective phronesis they need to operationalize their formative mission. This is the first in the field and it deserves a robust platform for dissemination..
Kristján Kristjánsson, Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, UK
Karen Bohlin is doing catalytic work in practical wisdom – building on 25 years of visionary and bold leadership in both academia and schools. Her Practical Wisdom Framework is a powerful mental model for decision-making and something she has clearly modeled in the formative institutions she leads.
Arthur Brooks, William Henry Bloomberg Professor, Harvard Kennedy School, Professor of Management Practice, Harvard Business School
Karen Bohlin's work is at the top of what American education is trying to do: to help educators implement. So much of character education, and even SEL, can stay on the theoretical level. But how do we get from our head to our hearts and then to our hands–to meaningful action.
The Practical Wisdom Framework is one of the best, clearest ways to take character education from the theoretical to the practical level. The Framework with its four simple steps is powerful for reflection and growth, helping school leaders model a commitment to character education through day to day conversations and decision making.
Owen Griffith, Senior Program Mentor, Teachers College, Western Governors University
Karen’s work in leadership education puts practical wisdom at the center of what educators need to promote flourishing and well-being in schools, families, and all organizations with formative potential. Her teaching and scholarship in practical wisdom confront educators with those questions about the meaning and purpose of education and how they can create an ethos in which young people can thrive.
Tyler VanderWeele, Director of the Human Flourishing Program and John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
The Notre Dame Business Honors Program strives to expand the intellectual and cultural horizons of our students so as to prepare them to not only be exemplary business professionals, but to be exemplary persons as well. By presenting insights on virtuous leadership drawn from art, philosophy, and the practical wisdom of small business owners, Karen's lecture struck the precise tone and content we were looking for in our weekly colloquia. Moreover, she made sure to speak personally with every single one of our students in attendance--a fact that did not go unnoticed by our students, who absolutely adored her. We would have her back in a heartbeat!
James Otteson, Faculty Director, Notre Dame Business Honors Program
Karen Bohlin’s Practical Wisdom Framework helps individuals and groups act with wisdom when they’re under stress. It is a tool that allows people to act prudently, even if they don't already have the habit of prudence. It scaffolds steps they can take so that when they're under stress, and would not be likely to act with wisdom, they can step back from a situation and make a choice as aligned with their highest values. I train faculty and students to use it, and I use it when leading faculty meetings.
Mary Jo White, Associate Head of Montrose School, Medfield, MA
Karen Bohlin is the absolute best school person I have ever heard speak. We are excited to collaborate!
Diana Smith, Chief of Classical Education, Washington Latin Public Charter School
Karen Bohlin’s Practical Wisdom Framework provides a model for developing the most critical skill of leadership–decision making in the gray areas. The Framework teaches us to pause to reflect, understand the people and context surrounding a decision, recalibrate then move to action. Repeating this cycle over the course of a career leads to continuous growth and wise leadership. We are grateful to have learned this model from Karen and have integrated it into our preparation of leaders.
Lance Forman, Director, Educational Leadership, Lipscomb University
Karen’s approach to leadership education is not only compelling but actionable. Our school has used the Practical Wisdom Framework for teacher and staff education, student training, and parent education. In our experience, student formation is only possible when the adults are equipped - beginning with teachers and then spreading to students and their families.
Jacquie Bryant, Founding Principal, Intellectual Virtues Academy of Long Beach, CA
The Practical Wisdom Framework: A Compass for School Leaders is brilliant. I served as a middle school principal for 19 years in two different schools before moving to the district office. Recently, I had a conversation with a middle school colleague about the challenges he faces. This article does a fantastic job of encapsulating the emotional aspects of being a leader (I wish I had this article as a guide during my administrative experiences!).
If I were still in the "business of administration," I would look for ways I could use the PWF as a means of reflection and professional development.
Joseph Nardo, Adjunct Faculty & Supervisor, Concordia University
The Practical Wisdom Framework (PWF) is an incredibly adaptable approach to decision-making that helps our institution gain clarity and context on what we need to do and why. It helps us to order our world, beginning with the question, “what are we aiming at?” No matter the complexity, with the PWF, we always can confidently reach a decision that accounts for what is best for the people we serve.
Katie Elrod, Head of Montrose School, Medfield, MA
I teach courses on leadership and management capabilities, and I found your article to be so helpful as I think about equipping the folks in my classroom with the tools and frameworks for success.
One of the primary challenges with teaching leadership and management - especially for businesses - is that individuals want the roadmap, the protocols, and the FAQs for every scenario possible that they might face in their position (especially engineers!). Your idea of practical wisdom - and orienting our practices around aim, context and agency is so powerful in the non-education / corporate setting as well.
Rachel Pacheco, PhD, Management Group, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University
The Professional Development I received from Karen Bohlin in Practical Wisdom for Agile Leadership has been transformative. I use Practical Wisdom Framework in my everyday work as a leader and educator, and I find it both important and helpful. It is a powerful tool for anyone who wants to improve their own character in the workplace, but mostly for those collaborating with teams and colleagues, facing the decision making process with the goal of influencing others and their culture in a positive way.
Miroslava Duranková, Director & Co-Founder, Great Works Academy, Bratislava, Slovakia
