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Arthur C. Brooks on How Leaders Can Be Happier

It isn't always easy to feel like you can have it all: career, family, hobbies and inner peace. Harvard professor Arthur C. Brooks studies happiness and says it is a direction, not a destination. Brooks believes happiness is especially important for leaders, as the higher you climb the more stressful the job can get - and the wider impact you can have on others. Live in conversation at Harvard Business School's Klarman Hall, he speaks with IdeaCast host and HBR editor at large Adi Ignatius about the importance of empathy and having a greater purpose in your life, not just in your career. Brooks is author of the book The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life.

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Arthur C. Brooks on How Leaders Can Be Happier

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The higher you climb in your career, the more empathy and purpose will matter.

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November 06, 2025

It isn’t always easy to feel like you can have it all: career, family, hobbies and inner peace. Harvard professor Arthur C. Brooks studies happiness and says it is a direction, not a destination. He explains the essential ingredients to becoming happier – not at a later date, but now. Brooks believes happiness is especially important for leaders, as the higher you climb the more stressful the job can get – and the wider impact you can have on others. Live in conversation at Harvard Business School’s Klarman Hall, he speaks with IdeaCast host and HBR editor at large Adi Ignatius about the importance of empathy and having a greater purpose in your life, not just in your career. Brooks is author of the book The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life.

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