Every CIO and tech leader talks about how they are “totally crushing it with AI.”
Translation: they asked Copilot to write a haiku about Q3 revenues and now think they’ve unlocked productivity Nirvana. Let’s be real—AI can be a game-changer, but only if you stop treating it like an expensive toy and start wiring it into the messy, boring reality of your workflow.
Luckily, Microsoft’s own Satya Nadella dropped five prompts that cut through the fluff.
Think of them as AI’s equivalent of black coffee: not glamorous, but they’ll keep your day from collapsing. Here’s how to use them—and what not to screw up.
1. Meeting Radar: Stop Walking In Cold
Prompt:
“Based on my prior interactions with [/person], give me 5 things likely top of mind for our next meeting.”
Why it works:
Because no one wants to look like the clueless exec who forgot last quarter’s blow-up with Finance. Copilot scrapes your emails, chats, and notes, and hands you a short list of what this person actually cares about. Think of it as crib notes for your corporate poker game.
This is not an excuse to stop listening in meetings. AI can remind you what’s top of mind—it can’t save you when you roll your eyes at the CFO’s pet project.
2. Project Updates Without Theater
Prompt:
“Draft a project update based on emails, chats, and all meetings in [/series]: KPIs vs. targets, wins/losses, risks, competitive moves, plus likely tough questions and answers.”
Why it works:
Why it works: Because “project updates” usually mean three hours of PowerPoint karaoke. Copilot can cut through the noise and draft a summary of what actually happened (and what’s on fire).
Demand citations. If your AI can’t point to the Jira ticket, it’s not insight—it’s improv.
3. Reality Check on Launch Dates
Prompt:
“Are we on track for the [Product] launch in November? Check eng progress, pilot program results, risks. Give me a probability.”
Why it works:
Because everyone lies about deadlines until it’s too late. AI can’t fix human optimism, but it can surface the ugly truth hiding in your sprint burndowns, pilot results, and risk registers.
If the probability is below 80%, stop rehearsing your investor pitch and start cutting scope. Hope is not a strategy, and AI isn’t your fairy godmother.
4. Time Audit for Leaders Who Swear They’re “Busy”
Prompt:
“Review my calendar and email from the last month and create 5 to 7 buckets for projects I spend most time on, with % of time spent and short descriptions.”
Why it works:
Because you think you’re focused on strategy when in reality you spent 40% of your month in recurring status calls. Copilot holds up the mirror and tells you where your hours really went.
If the biggest bucket is “random crap,” congratulations—you’ve discovered why your team ignores your “big vision.”
5. Precision Briefings for Context Whiplash
Prompt:
“Review [/select email] + prep me for the next meeting in [/series], based on past manager and team discussions.”
Why it works:
Because switching from a vendor negotiation to a product review in 10 minutes makes your brain feel like scrambled Wi-Fi. Copilot turns inbox spaghetti into a briefing you can actually use.
Don’t let this become your only prep. If you show up reading AI crib notes verbatim, everyone will know—and they’ll roast you for it.
IT Leaders Reality Check
AI productivity isn’t about getting “smarter.” It’s about removing the administrative sludge that eats your day:
context gathering,
status theater,
fake deadlines,
and calendar chaos.
Nadella’s five prompts work because they tie directly into the systems you already drown in—Outlook, Teams, Jira, CRM.
But here’s the catch: if your data is garbage, your AI will confidently hand you garbage in bullet-point format.
Without governance, you’ll turn AI into an expensive liability machine. And if you don’t measure the impact—time saved, decision speed, milestone accuracy—you’re just LARPing as a futurist.
Bottom Line
Stop asking AI to write poems about synergy. Start asking it to:
- Prep you for meetings you’d otherwise wing.
- Write status updates without the Broadway show.
- Tell you when your November launch is actually March.
- Audit your time before your team does.
- Give you context before you embarrass yourself.
AI isn’t magic. It’s plumbing. Get the pipes right, measure the output, and then brag about productivity gains that actually exist.
