About this episode

Angela Duckworth discusses the relevance of grit in leadership and the role of AI in enhancing productivity during the HBR Leadership Summit 2026.

Most leaders are asking the same question about AI: Will it make their teams more productive—or slowly erode the very skills they're trying to build? In this special episode, as part of the recent HBR Leadership Summit 2026, University of Pennsylvania's Angela Duckworth says her long-standing research on grit—and the fact the most successful people aren't simply persistent, they stay committed to long-term goals while adapting their tactics as the world changes—is more relevant than ever in the age of generative AI. Rather than replacing human capability, she explains, AI can become a powerful coach that accelerates learning, if people treat it as something to learn from, not simply something that does the work for them. Duckworth’s new book is Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best.

People in this episode

Guest: Angela Duckworth

Topics covered

• leadership
• AI
• grit
• productivity
• learning
• adaptation

Keywords

• leadership
• AI
• grit
• productivity
• learning
• adaptation
• generative AI

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Pennsylvania

Books & works: Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best

More episodes of HBR IdeaCast

• A Leading Restaurateur on What It Takes to Scale a Winning Culture · September 8, 2026 · 32 min
• Are Great Leaders Truly Great—or Just Lucky? · September 1, 2026 · 25 min
• How People Without Formal Power Gain Influence · August 25, 2026 · 21 min
• Living and Working in the Age of Longevity · August 18, 2026 · 29 min
• The Innovation Strategy Most Companies Miss · August 11, 2026 · 31 min
• Why Great Turnarounds Start with Culture, Not Strategy · August 4, 2026 · 33 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the HBR IdeaCast podcast page.