For years I have thought the quality of my leadership is dictated by the quality of the questions I ask; to resist the urge to be the expert and to dig deeper into creating a give and take on how we solve problems at work(and at home for that matter) I’m finding the same applies to genAI. The quality of my prompts of how I’d like in this case chatGPT4o to assess, reflect and revise an email sent to a direct report inviting them to meet to set OKRs mattered. The prompt enabled chatGPT to spot an unprofessional email comment on it and revise it to something that is perfectly sharable to a colleague or staff member. Clarifying prompts and going back to see if they are close and making changes refines the LLM’s ability to interact with what you need.

Prompt for advising on an invite to meeting to work on OKRs

“You are a mentor and consultant coaching a manager with 5 direct reports. Analyze the email the manager is sending to a direct report inviting them to an OKR setting meeting. Your advice should include feedback on:

1. The balance between formal and informal tone of the email

2. Whether the person gives a brief description of an OKR in the email

3. Whether the manager sends an agenda for the meeting as well as suggests a day and time?

4. Whether the manager sets the tone and expectation that the employee should come with some of their own ideas for OKR’s 5. Considers whether the manager anticipates that they will some small number of OKRs they assign. After you provide feedback on the quality, clarity and level of engagement in the email invitation, please provide a suggested revised email for the managers consideration that is properly formatted and can be imported or cut and pasted into an email. Here is the email to evaluate:”

Sample Email: Note I would never send such an email:)

Dear Simon: Due to your inability to come up with OKR’s on your own, I am left with having to hold your hand and actually schedule one on one time to get this simple task complete. OKRs are just a combination of things that make up a goal; an objective combined with a key result. I have a couple in mind but I do want you to try with your tiny mind to come up with at least one idea of an objective and key result you want to work on this year. the agenda will be as follows: 1. review my thoughts on possible objectives for you

2. Discuss why I think those makes sense and how we might measure success and how we might accomplish them or if it is too much

3. Look at ideas you have, lord I hope you have one.

4. Decide what we need to do to further research and bring to completion in the next two weeks. Might meeting next tuesday at 1 pm for an hour work you knuckelhead?

Your all knowing boss

Mr. Tool

ChatGPT’s response:

This email is highly inappropriate and unprofessional. It is crucial to maintain a respectful and supportive tone, especially when discussing goal setting and performance with employees. Here is an analysis based on the provided criteria:

1. Balance between formal and informal tone: The tone is excessively informal and disrespectful, which is unacceptable in a professional setting.
2. Description of OKRs: While the email does include a brief description of OKRs, it is condescending and unclear.
3. Agenda for the meeting: An agenda is provided, but it is not presented professionally or clearly.
4. Setting tone and expectation for employee ideas: The tone discourages and belittles the employee instead of encouraging their participation and input.
5. Anticipating assigning OKRs: The manager mentions having a couple of OKRs in mind but does so in a negative manner.

Suggested Revised Email:

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Subject: Invitation to OKR Setting Meeting

Dear Simon,

I hope this message finds you well. As we prepare for the second half of 2024, I’d like to set up some time to discuss and establish your OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). OKRs help us define our goals and measure our progress effectively.

Objective: What you want to achieve.
Key Results: Measurable milestones that show progress towards the objective.

Meeting Details:

• Date/Time: Tuesday, [Date] at 1 PM
• Duration: 1 hour
• Agenda:
  1. Review potential objectives and key results I’ve identified.
  2. Discuss the rationale behind these objectives and how we can measure success.
  3. Explore any ideas you have for your own objectives and key results.
  4. Outline next steps to finalize our OKRs by [Date].

I highly value your input and would appreciate if you could come prepared with at least one idea for an objective and key result you’d like to work on. This will be a collaborative session, and your insights are crucial for setting meaningful and achievable goals.

Please let me know if this time works for you or suggest an alternative. Looking forward to our discussion.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

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This version is professional, respectful, and encourages collaboration and engagement from the employee.