As I’ve spoken about previously, I do believe that there is a place for AI in the day-to-day role of a people manager. There are a number of ways that a manager can effectively use AI as an assistant, without worrying about being replaced.
For me, this is the key – we should all embrace AI as a tool and treat it like an assistant, not a replacement. Whilst AI can indeed replace and automate a wide range of tasks, some of which crossover with being a manager, I don’t believe it can replace the human element of managing people.
With that said, if you’re not already looking for ways that AI can be an assistant in your role as a manager, you’re probably falling behind and, somewhat ironically, in danger of not succeeding.
So, today I want to share some very actionable, practical ways that you can use AI to be a more effective manager. Below are a range of prompts that you can use in your AI tool of choice. I tend to jump between ChatGPT and Claude, but it’s really up to you.
Before you dive in – an important note on context
AI tools are far, far more effective when they understand context. You can do this within each prompt itself, or use features such as Claude Projects where you can set context for all conversations without that project. You can do the same thing with ChatGPT if you enable the memory function which basically keeps in mind the context that you’ve already given it.
When giving context, you should think about giving it details such as:
- The number of team members that you have, their roles, responsibilities and job titles.
- You can also give them names of your team members but would suggest using first names only and not sharing personal details.
- Your management style and preferred ways of communicating.
- Perhaps share some anonymised written feedback or conversations where you’ve managed someone so that the tool can understand more about you.
- The type of work that your team delivers, along with the levels of performance or objectives that you’re working towards.
Five AI prompts that you can start using today
1. Preparing for a conversation about underperformance
“Help me prepare for a one-to-one with a team member who’s been underperforming.
Examples of their underperformance include:
- [examples]
I’d like them to fix these problems by
- [what you’d like them to do].
The one-on-one meeting is taking place
- [in-person / Zoom etc]
My relationship with them is [describe any useful context].
I am asking for help because I’m nervous about [anything that you’re nervous about with the conversation].
Please provide an outline for the conversation and some examples of appropriate wording that I can use. Also provide a summary of the conversation and what I should say by using bullet points.”
This prompt gives AI context for a specific situation without handing over sensitive details. It helps you structure your approach including what to say, what to ask, and how to stay constructive.
Example follow-up prompts could include:
“Draft a few opening questions that help me understand what’s behind the performance issue.”
“How can I give feedback that’s direct but supportive?”
“What are good ways to finish this conversation so we can agree on the next steps?”
This saves you time and emotional energy. Instead of rehearsing the conversation in your head, AI helps you frame it calmly and confidently.
2. Summarising what you need to say to someone
“Can you summarise this performance review paragraph into two clear bullet points I can use in a conversation?
The conversation is about [topic] and the goal of the conversation is [goal].”
This prompt is useful because sometimes, you can head into a conversation and forget what the key points are. Especially if you have a lot to cover. With a performance review, it’s very important to get to the key points quickly and not miss out important details.
Example follow-up prompts could include:
“Reword this so it sounds fair but still clear.”
“Help me make this sound encouraging, not negative.”
In this example, AI is basically acting like an editor and helping ensure that a message lands well.
3. Saying no to a promotion
“Help me frame a response to a team member who’s asked for a promotion I can’t approve right now.
The conversation will be a one-to-one and the main reasons for not being able to give a promotion right now are:
- [reasons]
This is their current job title and the one they are asking to be promoted to:
- [current and new title]
And here are job descriptions of each one:
- [current and new job descriptions]
I’d still like to be encouraging and be clear about what they need to do in order to get promoted and what next steps they can take.”
This can be a tricky situation to deal with and it’s one that I’ve written about before. AI can’t have the conversation for you, but it can help you plan the conversation and get clarity on what you need to say.
Example follow-up prompts could include:
“How can I explain this without damaging motivation?”
“Suggest a personal development plan I can offer instead of the promotion.”
4. Helping a team member who has made a mistake and is low on confidence
“Can you help me coach a team member who’s lost confidence after making a mistake?
The mistake that they made was [mistake] and I dealt with it by [what you said to them / did].
But they are still struggling to move past it and I can see that they are low on confidence.
For example, I’ve seen behaviours such as:
- [behaviours]
I’d like to be able to reiterate how they can fix and prevent the mistake from happening again whilst also showing that I have confidence in them moving forward.”
This prompt can help you structure the conversation but not shy away from the fact that yes, a mistake has been made and accountability should be taken for it, but that you need to move on and focus on the job in hand.
Example follow-up prompts could include:
“Give me a few affirmations I can share that encourage learning, not fear of making further mistakes.”
“Suggest questions that help them reflect constructively on the mistake they made.”
5. Summarising key points for your own manager
“Summarise this long Slack thread into the three key actions and decisions I should share with my own manager and leadership team.
My manager’s job title is [job title].”
Many of us have to report upwards when managing a team. This can be tricky sometimes because you don’t want to overload someone with information that they don’t need, but they do need to be kept informed. So this can be a really good use of AI.
I’m sure you can see that the prompts above are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how AI can be a useful assistant. There is so much it can do, you just need to strike the right balance and understand its limits, along with where it can get things wrong.
Always check its replies (especially its first ones) with a critical eye and don’t blindly copy and paste into a message or email to someone else without checking that you’re happy with it.
Remember – AI won’t replace you, but you need to embrace it and find how it can assist you or you’ll get left behind by managers who are using it to make themselves more effective.
