Arthur C. Brooks is the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Public and Nonprofit Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on leadership, happiness, and social entrepreneurship. He is also a columnist at The Atlantic,... Read more
Arthur C. Brooks is the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Public and Nonprofit Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on leadership, happiness, and social entrepreneurship. He is also a columnist at The Atlantic, where he writes the popular “How to Build a Life” column. Brooks is a New York Times bestseller and has authored many books, including From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, How to Build a Life, Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier with co-author Oprah Winfrey, and his latest book The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life. He speaks to audiences all around the world about human happiness and works to raise well-being within private companies, universities, public agencies, and community organizations.
Brooks began his career as a classical French hornist, leaving college at 19, touring and recording in the United States and Spain. In his late twenties, while still performing, he returned to school, earning a BA through distance learning. At 31, he left music and earned an MPhil and PhD in public policy analysis from the Rand Graduate School, during which time he worked as an analyst for the Rand Corporation’s Project Air Force, performing military operations research analysis. Brooks then spent the next 10 years as a university professor, primarily at Syracuse University, where he taught economics and nonprofit management, and published 60 peer-reviewed articles and several books, including the textbook “Social Entrepreneurship” (2008). In 2009, Brooks became the president of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in Washington, DC, one of the world’s most influential think tanks. Over the following decade, he was selected as one of Fortune Magazine’s “50 World’s Greatest Leaders” and was awarded seven honorary doctorates.
Originally from Seattle, Brooks currently lives outside Boston, with his wife Ester Munt-Brooks, who is a native of Barcelona. They have three adult children: Joaquim, Carlos, and Marina.
Periods of change can unsettle even the strongest teams. Uncertainty drives fear, morale drops, and leaders are left wondering how to steady the ship (while battling their own worries). Fortunately, science has answers on how to boost morale and happiness in the workplace, even in challenging times, so you can...
Most people think success is the key to happiness, but they are wrong. Happiness is the key to success. When you can truly understand and manage happiness, success follows. Unfortunately, most people have to learn this fact by hard experience. Arthur flips the conventional script, showing that when leaders prioritize...
The evidence is clear: In almost every country, happiness is falling. Loneliness is rising. Relationships are fraying. Political polarization is on the rise. And many people are quietly asking: Is it even possible to feel happy right now? Arthur’s answer? Yes—if you know what truly drives happiness, and how to...
Most people are good at managing things around them—their families, their homes, their jobs, even their companies. But managing their own feelings is a big mystery, and an enormous barrier to happiness. This talk introduces the amazing science of emotional self-management. With knowledge and a few changes in habits, each...
What happens when the skills that once defined your success start to fade? For high-achievers (who we call “strivers”), this shift can feel like a threat to their identity, confidence, and sense of purpose. In this keynote, Arthur reframes that fear into freedom. Drawing on ancient wisdom, and historical analysis,...
America is afflicted with a “culture of contempt”. More and more, people aren’t just disagreeing with each other. They’re disregarding others as “worthless” instead of just misguided or incorrect. And it’s making us angrier, lonelier, and less happy. Through ancient wisdom and cutting-edge behavioral science, Arthur provides a roadmap to...