Brief The Tool Like You Would Brief a New Joinee

Think about the last time you gave someone a task and got back something completely different from what you wanted.

You probably said something like "make a summary of last quarter". They spent a day on it. It was fourteen pages, aimed at nobody in particular, and missed the one thing you actually needed. You were annoyed. But look at the instruction you gave. Who was it for? What decision did it support? How long should it be? What should be left out? None of that was said.

AI fails for exactly the same reason, which is oddly reassuring. It means the skill you need is not technical. It is the same briefing skill that makes you good at delegating.

So brief it properly. Context about the situation. The specific task. Who will read it. The format. The limits. If style matters, show an example of what good looks like.

Then do the second thing you would do with a colleague, which is give feedback. Nobody expects a perfect first draft from a new joinee. Ask for the change you want and move on.

People who are already good managers pick this up in a week. People who learn this often become better managers as a side effect.

be10x teaches this practical prompting through real work examples rather than through theory, which is worth exploring if you learn by doing.