How Using ChatGPT Made Me A Better Manager
Everyone is talking about AI or “Artificial Intelligence” like it’s brand spanking new; everything from “AI stocks” to whatever the “New AI apps” are. While the latest iteration of AI and things like ChatGPT are certainly groundbreaking, the technology itself isn’t as “fresh” as I’m sure some may think. — FULL STOP
Now, with that, I’m not going to argue against the incredible opportunity that we have right now with these new AI tools, especially large language models like Bard, ChatGPT, and even Jasper. After playing around for months with these tools and diving deeper into image AI like Midjourney, DALL·E 2, and StabeDiffusion, I can honestly say that it pays to know how to accurately engineer prompts.
I read an article from Nitin Sharma that really made me think about things I’ve unknowingly done over the last few months that have changed the way I do other things, and it’s thanks to the deep dive into prompt engineering.
AI WILL TAKE JOBS AWAY FROM PEOPLE
Or at least that’s what the fear of the month is for clickbait. Sure, will AI take the place of certain jobs and tasks that are easily automated? Possible…probable, but it will also create brand new positions that have never been created before out of necessity to scale or expand based on increased efficiency (my two cents).
I believe that there is something more that we can learn as AI benders — How to more effectively communicate our needs, wants, and desires to achieve an optimal outcome.
WTF DOES THAT MEAN?!
Prior to using LLMs, I thought I was losing my mind at times when trying to convey certain instructions to anyone, from contractors at my condo to employees at my job. It wasn’t all the time, but in some cases, I couldn’t understand why the end goal I thought I explained wasn’t getting done how I ultimately requested.
F*CK IT, I’LL JUST DO IT MYSELF
I’m sure that many of you have faced the thought of “Eff it, I’ll just do it myself,” and then angrily or hastily do a task that you had previously instructed someone to do. Whether it’s someone like me who’s a bit particular about things like installing home fixtures or even a light switch cover being sliiiiightly off, the details are what I pay attention to. For others, it's how timely tasks are completed, or it could be a matter of just not following the steps given (even if the end result was produced).
Most managers, business owners, really anyone overseeing someone else who works in a manner that requires instructions has likely encountered at least one time where someone does something FOR you and what they’ve produced is “sorta correct” or not what you expected so you say
F*CK IT! I’ll just do it myself!
Herein lies the issue: if you’re taking on a managerial or executive role, getting your hands dirty is inevitable, but the “dirty” definition at these levels is different than that of the team that you oversee. If you’re doing the work of someone who’s supposed to be already versed and, by the way, you are their boss, you’ve already lost the efficiency race. So don’t say F*CK it…figure out how to be a better prompt engineer IRL.
PROMPT ENGINEERING IRL
Using LLMs like ChatGPT and Midjourney has retooled parts of my brain to expand how I explain things. I find myself working backward in my brain before writing out my prompts. I also find that I’m including subtle details in my prompts because I know now that there will be a more accurate outcome (and if there isn’t, I add more).
How does that translate for prompt engineering In Real Life (IRL)? You tell me. If I say to someone who’s working on my condo that I want the patio cleaned. That’s great, but honestly, WTF does that mean? Does it mean just wash the floor? Does it mean the floors and windows of the condo? Does it mean to only clean the balcony banister and glass?
THE WRONG WAY TO PROMPT ENGINEER IRL
You get the point, and obviously, this is a very basic example. In terms of workforce and management, it can easily be applied. Let’s take someone doing customer service. They will be responsible for handling inbound messages from customers and then “dealing with them.”
Before prompt engineering took over my life:
Hey [NAME], I’d like you to oversee the inbound messages that come in through our support email account and then make sure their concerns are addressed.
That is the WRONG way to instruct your employee. I mean, maybe they are an ace and can read your mind or understand customer service like a pro.
STOP SAYING F*CK IT & START LEARNING TO PROMP ENGINEER IRL
But chances are, in today’s workforce, people are less likely to be gungho about dealing with customers (let’s face it, a lot of CS is complaint remediation).
So what is my ultimate goal, and what is it that I really wish to see as the outcome of having someone do this task?
- Let customers know they’ve been heard and that their email hasn’t gone unnoticed or that they’ve been swept under the rug.
- Understand what each customer wants by distilling that from their messages
- Have a proper system in place that will allow the CS worker to either address the concern and trouble-shoot directly OR explain to them how to route the request to the appropriate department
- Resolve the situation with a positive outcome in terms of customer satisfaction both for the company/brand and the customer service interaction with the team member
And this is the difference between “Hey [NAME], I’d like you to oversee the inbound messages that come in through our support email account, then make sure their concerns are addressed,” and what I’ve outlined above.
Obviously, this is just one example, but if you think about it, and I know you are, it starts to hit home a bit more.
TL;DR Conclusion
Learn how to prompt engineer your everyday life, and I think it will help you avoid the stress and aggravation that you otherwise might have had previously. If you need some help understanding prompt engineering basics or have a dilemma wherein you’re managing a team and things just don’t seem to be connecting with what you request and what is produced, feel free to comment below :)
Now Here Are Some Cool AI Images That I Made This Week For Your Enjoyment LOL
