The most effective leaders and Executive Assistants (EAs) today aren’t just keeping up with the demands of their role; they’re leading the way by integrating AI tools into their workflows to streamline operations and maximize productivity.
But with countless AI tools being introduced to us every day, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming.
Which AI tools are worth your time? And how can you make them a seamless part of your workflows?
This guide cuts through the noise to give a clear, actionable roadmap. We’ll show you how to master ChatGPT and three hand-picked AI tools to:
- Automate time-consuming tasks
- Streamline and organize workflows
- Enhance communication accuracy and quality
- Free up capacity to focus on what matters most: driving strategic outcomes
Demystifying ChatGPT
AI tools like ChatGPT have become invaluable for simplifying and enhancing everyday workflows. But getting the most from ChatGPT requires knowing how to use it effectively.
The two keys to mastering ChatGPT are:
- Prompt Crafting: Clear, targeted instructions that coach ChatGPT to deliver exactly what you need
- Training ChatGPT as Your Writer: Teach it to understand your tone, style, and preferences so that it mirrors your voice effortlessly
Let’s explore how you can get the most from ChatGPT and turn it into an efficient and strategic part of your workflow.
Prompt Crafting: The Key to Getting Results from ChatGPT
Think of prompt crafting as briefing a new team member: the clearer and more specific you are, the better the results.
Here are four steps we recommend following to craft prompts that deliver.
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Tell ChatGPT Its Role
One of the most effective ways to get high-quality outputs from ChatGPT is by assigning it a clear role, job, or identity.
When you define a specific role, you’re essentially providing ChatGPT with a framework to understand the task at hand, the perspective to take, and the style or expertise to emulate.
The clearer and more focused you are about what you need, the better and more tailored the results will be. Here’s how you can frame your prompts:
“From the point of view of …”
“Take the role of …”
“Act as a …”
Example of Creating an Identity for ChatGPT
Here is an example of how this might play out:
“Act as a thought leadership consultant who teaches startup founders how to become recognized experts in their space, and coaches them on how to create high-quality content. You will help me develop a step-by-step process to increase my thought leadership with my target audience.”
Bonus tip: Ask ChatGPT to articulate its understanding of the task before diving in.
For example:
“To confirm your understanding, please describe your role to me.”
This simple follow-up helps clarify any ambiguity and ensures that ChatGPT is fully aligned with your expectations – saving you time and iterations.
2. Provide Clarity and Context
Context is the foundation of great outputs from AI tools like ChatGPT.
Imagine you’re delegating a task to a new team member who has no prior knowledge of your work, goals, or audience. For them to deliver something useful, you’d need to provide background information, specific details, and any nuances that matter.
The same applies to ChatGPT.
The more clarity and context you give, the better the output. By setting the stage, you help ChatGPT understand your goals, priorities, and the bigger picture – ensuring it delivers responses that align perfectly with your needs.
Here’s an example of how you might frame the context:
“For context: I am the founder and CEO of a company that produces AI tools to increase productivity specifically for startup founders and execs. Our newest tool is an AI bot that automatically reviews Zoom meeting transcripts after meetings and drafts detailed follow-up emails to all relevant recipients, capturing key action items and takeaways. I am currently focused on growing my newsletter, AI for Founders (AI4F).”
Bonus tip: Have ChatGPT interview you.
If you’re unsure how much context to provide, let ChatGPT guide the process by asking questions. This ensures it is equipped with the information it needs to deliver great results.
For example:
“Ask me at least 10 questions to better understand my product/audience.”
This allows ChatGPT to “learn” about your needs and priorities before diving into the task, giving you sharper, more customized outputs that hit the mark.
3. Ask for What You Want
The clearer and more explicit you are in your instructions, the closer ChatGPT will get to deliver the exact outcome you want.
Again, think of this step as briefing a team member: if you don’t define success, you leave room for ambiguity.
For example:
“Please create a bullet-point list of 10 ways I could grow my newsletter, focusing specifically on unique or industry-specific strategies over traditional or cliché advice.”
Here, you’ve defined the task (list 10 ways), the scope (growth for your newsletter), and the specifics (unique or industry-specific, avoiding cliché advice).
Bonus tip: The first draft might not be perfect, and that’s okay. Treat ChatGPT as a collaborator – refine your request by asking it to adjust or reorganize its response to meet your needs more precisely.
This may sound something like this:
“Please structure this information in a table with the following info:
Estimated new subs, time investment in hours/days, and cost in dollars.
Please order the table by number of new subscribers, from highest to lowest.”
4. Feedback, Feedback, Feedback!
First drafts – whether written by a human or AI – are rarely perfect. The real power of ChatGPT lies in its ability to learn and improve with feedback.
Treat it as a collaborative tool: give specific, constructive feedback to refine its output until it meets your expectations.
Here are a few ways you can provide feedback to refine ChatGPT’s responses:
- Adjust the Tone
“Can you make this more conversational/formal?”
- Modify the Format
“Could you rewrite this in bullet-point format?”
- Refine Length and Detail
“Can you make this longer/shorter?”
- Simplify for Clarity
“Rewrite this as if you’re explaining it to a 12-year-old.”
- Request Examples and Additional Insights
“Can you please include more examples?”
Why It Matters: Feedback transforms ChatGPT from a one-size-fits-all tool into a responsive, tailored assistant.
The more feedback you provide, the better it will adapt to your needs – saving you time and elevating the quality of your work.
Training ChatGPT as Your Writer
One of ChatGPT’s most powerful features is its ability to adapt and learn.
By training ChatGPT, you can transform it into a writing assistant that mirrors your tone, style, and preferences – becoming an extension of your voice across emails, meeting notes, and executive updates.
1. Provide Writing Samples
ChatGPT needs examples of your tone and style to replicate it effectively. Start by providing samples of your most frequently written materials – such as emails, meeting summaries, and project updates.
Example Prompt:
“You are EmailGPT, and you help me write great emails in my tone and style that are succinct but also personal and deliver a great experience to the recipient. Please analyze the style and tone of a given piece of text and create a bullet-point description of that text’s style and tone to recreate more text in that style:”
By analyzing your samples, ChatGPT can identify patterns in tone, formality, sentence structure, and word choice.
Follow-Up Prompt
“Based on the style and tone identified above, please write …”
2. Create an AI Proofreader
Beyond generating content, ChatGPT can refine and enhance your existing drafts. Acting as a professional editor, it can correct grammar, improve clarity, and provide feedback.
Example Prompt:
“Act as a professional editor. Please proofread and clarify the text I share in this conversation.
For example, if there are any grammatical errors, please correct them. If there are phrases that can be written more clearly, rephrase them.
In addition, please provide a bullet-point list of all changes made to the extract, along with an explanation of why the change was made.
Do you understand?”
This two-in-one approach gives a polished output while also offering insight into how to improve your writing over time.
AI Tools for Productivity Showcase
While ChatGPT is an incredibly versatile tool, the AI landscape offers even more specialized solutions that can supercharge your workflows and impact.
Here are three AI tools that we recommend to streamline workflows and maximize your strategic impact.
1. Shortwave – The AI-Powered Inbox
What It Is: An AI-powered inbox that learns from your email history to streamline email management.
How It Helps:
- Learns your writing style from your entire email history
- Drafts quality email responses with just one click
- Organizes and prioritizes your inbox automatically
- Syncs with your calendar for seamless scheduling
Why It’s Valuable:
Shortwave keeps your inbox clean, organized, and actionable so you can focus on strategic priorities and avoid email overwhelm.
2. Perplexity – The AI Researcher
What It Is: An AI-powered search engine that delivers conversational responses, making it invaluable for research.
How It Helps:
- Accurately and directly answers your searches
- Cites sources for transparency and verification
- Has access to real-time data, news, pricing, etc.
- Allows “conversations” with search results to dig deeper into topics or refine answers
Why It’s Valuable:
Whether it’s preparing briefs or gathering data for their executive, Perplexity helps find reliable answers in seconds.
3. Motion – AI Task and Calendar Management
What It Is: An AI-driven task management tool that automatically organizes and prioritizes your tasks and calendar.
How It Helps:
- Prioritizes and schedules tasks by importance
- Automatically reschedules unfinished tasks to ensure nothing gets missed
- Allows for long-term, multi-stage project planning
- AI meeting assistant integrates your calendar and speeds up scheduling
Why It’s Valuable:
Motion is great for staying ahead of priorities, managing complex projects, and ensuring that no detail falls through the cracks.
The Role of AI Tools in Strengthening the EA/Executive Partnership
When used strategically, AI tools free up time for Superpowered EAs to focus on what matters most: delivering proactive support, anticipating executive needs, and making high-value contributions that drive business outcomes.
Here’s how AI tools strengthen the EA/Executive partnership:
1. Accelerating Efficiency and Execution
Automates time-consuming tasks, such as inbox management, follow-up emails, and scheduling.
This frees up EAs to focus on high-impact work like proactive planning, relationship building, and strategic projects.
2. Supporting Smarter Decision-Making
While AI tools can analyze data and provide valuable insights, it’s the EA’s judgment and understanding of their executive’s priorities that turn these insights into action.
AI amplifies an EA’s ability to anticipate needs, identify opportunities, and drive outcomes.
3. Enhancing Communication and Follow-Through
AI tools assist in drafting polished, professional communication with ease.
By automating routine correspondence and follow-ups, EAs ensure consistent communication, allowing their executive to maintain trust and connection with stakeholders.
4. Creating Space for Strategic Focus
AI alleviates the burden of administrative overload, enabling EAs to focus on higher-level initiatives, foresee challenges, and offer solutions that align with organizational goals.
AI doesn’t replace the human element – it enhances it. By embracing AI tools like ChatGPT, Shortwave, Perplexity, and Motion, EAs can focus on being strategic partners who amplify their executive’s impact.
Taking the Next Step: Superpowered EA
If you found this article on AI tools valuable and are ready to take your EA/Executive partnership to the next level – we’re thrilled to announce that enrollment for our highly acclaimed Superpowered EA live cohort course is now open!
This 8-week live program is designed to help assistants of all levels master the tools, skills, and mindset needed to become true strategic partners.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
Free up 12+ hours every week by improving workflows, follow-through, and delegation
Maximize productivity and strategic focus to help leaders operate at their highest level
Strengthen communication and relationships with tailored systems for meeting prep, icebreakers, and follow-ups
Operate with precision and clarity to anticipate needs, solve challenges, and create exceptional experiences
Because when an EA operates at their highest potential, they empower their executive to do the same – creating a partnership that drives success across the board.
The next cohort starts February 20, 2025 – and spots are limited.
