How Sprezie Got Its Name
It started in Italy in 1528.
Sprezie is a derivative of the word sprezzatura.
In 1528 an easy way to lose your head was to try to change the king’s mood - and fail. Success brought riches. Failure could mean ruin or worse. ‘The Book of the Courtier” by Baldassare Castiglione taught courtiers how to succeed, “…to practice in all things a certain Sprezzatura, so as to conceal all art and make whatever is done or said appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.” Courtiers had to take an almost impossible task, do it perfectly, and make it look easy.
The word sprezzatura has enjoyed a modern renaissance. Defined as “studied nonchalance,” it is the ability to address difficult challenges with such skill and elegance that the solution appears effortless and easy.
Artists, athletes, politicians, performers, and business leaders strive for Sprezzatura. Apple is known for its simplicity, even as its products perform complex tasks. Muhammed Ali “floats like a butterfly, and stings like a bee” - simple elegance that only comes through mastery.
Sustaining long-term behavior change until the new behaviors become routine, and the collection of ongoing outcome data is a complex, challenging problem many training, consulting, counseling, therapy, and treatment organizations have yet to solve.
Sprezie is a solution that works, increasing long-term success while delivering ongoing outcome data. Developed through over 12 of research, trials, adjustments, and improvements, Sprezie appears simple and almost effortless - the embodiment of sprezzatura.