Hi Reader,

Last week I asked what has you stuck. A decision you're circling. A messy idea you can't quite untangle. A problem you've brought to AI without getting the clarity you hoped for.

A few of your replies caught my attention.

The ones that found AI most helpful weren't asking for an answer.

They were asking for options.

That got me thinking.

THE OPENING SIGNAL

One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that better prompts create better results.

I don't think that's actually true.

Better thinking creates better results.

The prompt simply reveals how clearly you're thinking.

Here's a conversation I have over and over again in strategy sessions.

Someone tells me AI isn't giving them what they need.

So I ask what they actually typed.

Usually it's something like:

• "Write me a LinkedIn post about client retention."
• "Give me marketing ideas."
• "Help me plan my week."

One request.

No context.

No goal.

No explanation of what success would actually look like.

Then they wonder why the answer feels generic.

If you gave that same one-line request to a new employee and walked away, you'd probably get a generic answer too.

AI isn't failing. It's responding to the information it was given.

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WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERS

I don't think most business owners have a prompting problem.

They have a clarity problem. AI just exposes it faster.

The business owners getting the most value from AI aren't necessarily the most tech-savvy.

They're usually the clearest.

Before they ask AI anything, they've already thought about:

• What am I actually trying to accomplish?
• Who is this for?
• What decision am I trying to make?
• What would a useful answer actually look like?

The better question isn't:

"How do I get better at AI?"

It's:

"How clear am I before I even ask?"

I also noticed something interesting in last week's reader replies.

The people who asked AI for options instead of answers seemed much happier with the results.

That small shift keeps you in the driver's seat.

Instead of asking AI to decide for you, you're asking it to expand your thinking.

That's a very different conversation.

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ONE SMALL MOVE

This week, pick one request you'd normally throw at AI without much thought.

Before you ask your question, give AI four things:

Tell it:

• who you're writing for
• what you're trying to accomplish
• why it matters
• what a successful answer would look like

Then ask for three possible approaches instead of one recommendation.

Compare the two conversations.

Notice how often the better answer came from the better question, not the better AI.

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WORTH PAYING ATTENTION TO

I recently read an article by Mike Kentz called From Thinking Partner to Sparring Partner: A Better Way to Use AI.

What stuck with me wasn't the phrase "sparring partner."

It was the underlying idea.

The conversations where AI helps me most aren't the ones where it agrees with me.

They're the ones where it pushes back.

Where it asks better questions.

Where it points out assumptions I didn't realize I was making.
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I've started telling ChatGPT to challenge my thinking instead of simply agreeing with me.The quality of those conversations has improved dramatically.

That's the role I think AI is best suited for.

Not replacing your judgment.

Helping you sharpen it.

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What's one question you've been asking AI that you suspect isn't actually the right question?

Hit reply and tell me.

Sometimes changing the question changes everything.

Talk soon,

Lucy

P.S. You may have noticed this week's email showed up a day late. That wasn't an AI issue. It was a Lucy scheduling issue. 😄 Even business strategists occasionally underestimate how many hours fit into a week. Thankfully AI helps me think more clearly, but it still hasn't figured out how to create an extra Thursday.

P.P.S. I'm thinking about offering a small, hands-on AI workshop for business owners. Bring your laptop (or join on Zoom), ask your questions, get your account and projects organized, and work through real business situations together. The goal isn't to learn everything about AI. It's to leave feeling more confident actually using it in your business. If that sounds interesting, just hit reply and let me know. I'm simply seeing if there's enough interest before I put one together.