8 Essential AI Prompts for Leaders

In the near future, leaders who aren’t using generative AI in their daily workflows will discover they are markedly less efficient than their peers, say experts. Thirty-nine percent of executives and managers regularly use generative-AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini (up from 22% last year), with an additional 16% consistently using them outside of work, according to a recent survey.

For many, using AI in one form or another has become a norm. Deepali Vyas, global head of the FinTech, Payments and Crypto practice at Korn Ferry, is fond of the “rewrite” prompt. She drafts a document, then asks AI to produce an edited, grammatically correct version, along with multiple phrasing options. “I use it every day,” she says.

Korn Ferry’s technology-sector consultants regularly advise executives to incorporate AI into their day-to-day workflows. Here are some of the ways they’re using it to make ordinary tasks easier.

Make ordinary tasks easier.

Writing emails

Example prompt: “Draft an email to my team about three project updates.”

Pro tip: By naming the audience, the generated response will have the right tone, length, and format. 

Summarizing meetings

Example prompt: “Summarize the key points from this meeting transcript.”

Pro tip: “This captures essential decisions and action items efficiently,” says Vyas, adding that it can be equally valuable for attendees and non-attendees.

Solving common problems

Example prompt: “I’m facing the problem of too much work tomorrow and not enough time. What are five unique solutions?”

Pro tip: The suggested strategies will range from time management to delegation to reevaluation of essential tasks. “This encourages diverse approaches and innovative thinking,” says Vyas.

Brainstorming ideas

Example prompt: “Suggest new online-marketing strategies for millennials for our product in spring 2025.”

Pro tip: Specifying context—spring 2025, online, millennials—will yield more detailed strategies. 

Assist in tackling tougher challenges.

Strategizing options

Example prompt: “Provide me with a triage of the primary marketing/financial/operations opportunities and risks of this company.”  

Pro tips: “It’s like accessing a COO, CFO, or CMO,"  says Chris Cantarella, senior client partner in the Global Technology Markets practice at Korn Ferry. 

Forecasting sales and profits

Example prompt: “Given these market conditions, what revenue/margin/market growth is possible for us to achieve in Q4?”

Pro tips: The more data or statistics the AI has to work with, the more robust its output will be, says Cantarella.

Analyzing various risks

Example prompt: “What are the three most potent alternatives for us to achieve a 7% margin, while prioritizing low financial risk?”

Pro tip: Articulating the priority narrows scope to match C-suite goals.

Creating a specific plan

Example prompt: “Given that I would like to pursue option #3, give me a specific action plan for myself and the CEO, and an execution-plan summary for my CMO.”

Pro tip: Requesting visuals such as graphs or timelines can illuminate the options.  

For more expert career advice, connect with a career coach at Korn Ferry Advance.

Read more This Week in Leadership articles