The LeMieux Center for Public Policy invited Dr. Arthur Brooks, on December 2, 2019
Dr. Arthur Brooks speaks to students and community guests in the DeSantis Family Chapel about the political divide in the United States with his presentation, “Leading Organizational Change: Capturing Innovation and Efficiencies While Operating in Complexity.” Brooks is a professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. Brooks, who served for 10 years as president of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), one of the world’s leading think tanks, said that the polarization in American politics is the “biggest problem facing our country.” The bestselling author, social scientist, and Washington Post columnist offered the audience solutions in order to “empower you to be a change maker.” Brooks briefly shared how he came to formulate his solution to the divide in America, reminding the audience he grew up in Seattle, raised by parents who shared the liberal values of that part of the county. He noted that his parents raised him to “think for himself,” perhaps not realizing that their son would develop a more conservative perspective. His tips for fostering more civil discourse on political matters include tuning out those who profit from pitting citizens against one another; he called on members of the audience to defuse contempt wherever they encounter it; and he encouraged everyone to express more gratitude in those tense situations.
