1
Stop Drafting from Scratch
Every email, proposal, report, and presentation you write from a blank page is time you will never get back. AI can produce a solid first draft in under 60 seconds. Your job is to refine it, not create it.
The best leaders treat AI like a junior analyst who works at lightning speed. Give it context (who the audience is, what the goal is, what tone to use) and let it produce. Then you edit with your expertise and judgment.
Try This Today
The next time you need to write an email longer than 3 sentences, paste the context into ChatGPT or Claude and say:
"Draft a professional email to [name/role] about [topic]. The goal is [what you want them to do]. Keep it under 150 words. Tone: [warm / formal / direct]."
2
Build a Personal AI Briefing
Most leaders start their day drowning in unread emails, Slack messages, and calendar chaos. By the time they catch up, half the morning is gone. AI can scan your inbox, calendar, and task list, then give you a one-page morning briefing before you finish your coffee.
Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot can connect to your email and calendar. The result: a daily summary that tells you what matters today, what needs your attention, and what can wait.
Try This Today
At the start of your day, paste your top 5 calendar items and any flagged emails into an AI assistant and say:
"Here is my calendar and flagged emails for today. Give me a briefing: what are my top 3 priorities, what meetings need prep, and what can I delegate or skip?"
3
Automate the Follow-Up
Deals die in silence. Relationships cool when you forget to check in. The difference between a $50K contract and a missed opportunity is often a single follow-up email you never sent. AI can draft every follow-up for you, on schedule, in the right tone.
After every meeting or sales call, give AI the context and let it write the follow-up. You review, personalize the first line, and send. What used to take 15 minutes now takes 2.
Try This Today
After your next meeting, paste your notes (even rough ones) and say:
"I just met with [name] about [topic]. Write a follow-up email that thanks them, summarizes the 3 key takeaways, and proposes next steps. Professional but warm."
4
Turn Meetings into Action Plans
The average leader spends 23 hours per week in meetings. Most of that time evaporates because nobody captures the decisions, action items, or deadlines in a way that drives accountability. AI changes this completely.
Record your meetings (with permission) using tools like Otter.ai, Fireflies, or even your phone's voice recorder. Then feed the transcript to AI and ask for a structured summary: decisions made, action items with owners, and deadlines. In 90 seconds you have a meeting recap that would take a human assistant 30 minutes to produce.
Try This Today
After your next meeting, paste the transcript (or even your rough notes) and say:
"Summarize this meeting. Give me: (1) Key decisions made, (2) Action items with owners and deadlines, (3) Any open questions that need follow-up. Format as a clean table."
5
Make Decisions Faster with AI Analysis
Leaders make dozens of decisions every day. Most are slowed down not by complexity, but by the time it takes to gather and organize the information. AI can compress hours of research into minutes.
Whether you are evaluating a vendor, comparing pricing options, analyzing a market, or deciding between two strategies, AI can build you a comparison framework in seconds. Give it your criteria, your options, and your constraints. It will lay out the trade-offs so you can make the call with confidence.
Try This Today
The next time you are stuck between two options, try this prompt:
"I need to decide between [Option A] and [Option B]. My priorities are [list 3-4 criteria]. Compare them in a table with pros, cons, and a recommendation. Be direct."
