Drawing from Ignatian spirituality, leadership research, and years of coaching executives, Harvard Business School’s Letti Garcia joins Edmund to explore how Catholic leaders can navigate AI without losing their souls, or their people.
Letti reframes AI as a tool that’s only as wise as the questions we ask. Together they dig into the “be–know–do” model of leadership, why contextual intelligence (CQ) matters as much as IQ and EQ, and how communities of practice can help parishes, schools, and dioceses learn AI together with prudence and courage.
Episode Description
In our season premiere, we sit down with Letti Garcia, Director of the Leadership Initiative at Harvard Business School, to ask a big question: what does faithful, effective leadership look like in the age of AI?
Letti shares a practical, hope-filled path—rooted in Ignatian discernment and the “be–know–do” model—for leaders who feel both curious and cautious. They discuss technical vs. adaptive challenges (Heifetz/Kegan/Lahey), the power of contextual intelligence (reading the times), how to avoid the Dunning–Kruger trap with feedback and small experiments, and why the Church needs real learning strategies—not just one-off trainings.
The big takeaway: do not be afraid; become a learning leader, and build communities of practice so we can discern and deploy AI together.
Episode Guest
Letti Garcia is Director of the Harvard Business School Leadership Initiative; educator, coach, and practitioner of organizational learning and Ignatian discernment.
Key Episode Takeaways
AI is a tool; discernment is the connective tissue. Use Ignatian questions to decide when and how to use it.
Leadership Model Be–Know–Do. AI pressures the “do,” but it especially tests who we are becoming as leaders (be).
Develop contextual intelligence (CQ) alongside IQ/EQ to “read the times” and connect dots across domains.
Separate technical vs. adaptive challenges: lack of how-to is different from fears about identity, power, or culture.
Don’t make others pay for your learning. Start small, get feedback, and learn in community.
Build learning strategies (not just policies): create communities of practice across IT, formation, schools, and parishes.
Discernment is contextual intelligence in our tradition.
FAITH & AI TIP
Shift your approach from tool to thinking partner.
Recent research conducted in both Europe and the United States examined how generative AI impacts an individual's and a team's ability to solve problems.
Here’s what they found: AI didn’t automatically make people more creative. In fact, for many, it did the opposite. The study analyzed two groups: the underperformers and the outperformers.
But the outperformers stood out because they approached AI differently:
❌ Underperformers treated AI like a tool.
✅ Outperformers treated AI like a thinking partner.
That simple shift in mindset changed everything. When the AI gave a mediocre response, underperformers just moved on. But outperformers gave feedback, coached it, and even let the AI ask them questions. They built a conversation instead of a command.
Instead of treating AI like a static tool, treat it like a learning partner. Let it ask you questions. Let it help you think. As Letty Garcia said in our latest episode, the key is not “Should we use AI?” but “How can we learn with it, together?”
👉 This Week’s Prompt Idea
For Everyday Catholic Learners
I want to create a 4-week learning plan for myself and my parish staff to better understand AI and its potential for ministry. Start by asking me questions, one at a time, to personalize the plan.For Catholic Educators
I want to make a 4-week learning plan to help my students or volunteers explore AI responsibly. Start by asking me questions, one at a time, to design the plan.For the Parish Context
I want to create a 4-week learning plan for myself and my parish staff to better understand AI and its potential for ministry. Start by asking me questions, one at a time, to personalize the plan.P.S. — Try this tip out and then hit reply on this email and let us know how it went! We’ll share some of the best replies we get in the next email.
