Leadership

Prompt 7: When you get vague feedback about presence
THE PURPOSE : Someone told you to “be more visible” or that you “come across as intense.” You don’t know what to do with that. This prompt turns fuzzy feedback into a 30-day action plan.
Copy and customize this prompt:
I got feedback about my presence and I don’t know how to act on it.
THE FEEDBACK
- Exact words (quotes if possible): [paste what you heard]
- Who said it: [role, relationship to you]
- Situations where this seems to show up: [meetings, 1:1s, emails, etc.]
- Where I agree / disagree / feel confused: [your honest reaction]
WHAT I NEED
1. The pattern underneath the feedback (what people might actually experience)
2. One specific behavior to start in the next 2 weeks
3. One specific behavior to stop
4. A simple question I can ask a trusted colleague in 30 days to check progress
Don’t give me a 90-day plan. Give me something I’ll actually do.
What you’ll get : One start, one stop, and a way to measure if it’s working.
Presence is the gift
These prompts give you the reps. You can rehearse a hard conversation in private so you show up grounded in public. You can redesign a meeting so people feel their time respected. You can clean your digital signal so people hear you instead of noise.
Six months from now, your team will describe what it feels like to work for you.
What do you want them to say?

Prompt 2: When your 1:1s feel like status updates
THE PURPOSE : Your direct reports experience 1:1s as task reviews, not connection. This prompt redesigns the conversation so they leave feeling understood, not inspected.
Copy and customize this prompt:
My 1:1s have become status updates. I want them to feel like real conversations.
CONTEXT
- My role: [title, team size]
- This person: [name, role, how long we’ve worked together]
- How I think they’re doing: [thriving / steady / struggling]
- What I want them to feel after our 1:1s: [specific feeling]
WHAT I NEED
1. A simple 45-minute structure (opening, middle, close) with time blocks
2. 5 questions that check in on them as a human, not just their tasks
3. 3 questions that surface what they actually need from me
4. One follow-up action I can take within 48 hours that would make them feel supported
Keep the questions conversational. Nothing that sounds like HR.
What you’ll get : A 1:1 structure you can paste into your calendar invite and actually use.

Prompt 5: When you have to deliver hard news
THE PURPOSE : You’re about to tell someone something they don’t want to hear. This prompt helps you be direct without being brutal, so they can hear the truth and still feel your respect.
Copy and customize this prompt:
I need to deliver hard news and I’m dreading it.
THE SITUATION
- What I have to communicate: [promotion denial, performance issue, restructuring, etc.]
- Who I’m telling: [individual, small group, full org]
- The core truth in one sentence: [write it plainly, even if it sounds harsh]
- My biggest fear about this conversation: [what I’m worried will happen]
WHAT I NEED
1. A 2-minute spoken script I can use in the conversation (direct, not corporate)
2. 3 sentences I should avoid because they’ll land as dismissive
3. 3 better alternatives that say the same thing more humanely
4. One follow-up action within 24 hours that shows I still see them as a person
No platitudes. No “this is actually an opportunity” framing.
What you’ll get : A script that respects both the truth and the human hearing it.

Prompt 1: Before the high-stakes moment
THE PURPOSE : You’re about to walk into a room where it would be beneficial for your presence to be remembered. This prompt helps you script your opening, anticipate hard questions, and build reset lines for when you get rattled. You rehearse in private so you show up grounded in public.
Copy and customize this prompt:
I have a high-stakes moment coming up and want to prepare so I show up focused, not scattered.
THE SITUATION
- What’s happening: [all-hands, board update, difficult conversation, etc.]
- Who’s in the room: [roles, what they care about]
- What I want them to leave with: [understanding, decision, feeling]
- What could go wrong: [my fears about this moment]
WHAT I NEED
1. A 90-second opening script I can say out loud (in my voice, not corporate-speak)
2. The 3 hardest questions I might get, with steady responses
3. Two “reset” lines I can use if I get flustered to slow down and reconnect + a framework or mental model I can wrap my head around
Keep it short. I’ll memorize the opening and skim the rest before I walk in.