From Frustration to FluencyWhy Most Leaders Struggle with AI Prompting (And How to Fix It)
How three simple coaching shifts transformed a senior manager’s relationship with AI—and why your prompting struggles aren’t about the technology
Most people don’t like prompting. And honestly? I get it.
It feels awkward. Unnatural. And if the AI spits out something generic or flat, it’s tempting to say: “See? This AI stuff doesn’t work.”
I’ve heard this from executives, managers, and even from people who should know better. But here’s what I’ve learned through coaching dozens of leaders: that moment of frustration isn’t a dead end. It’s actually a turning point.
The moment you realize this and take ownership of your input, you begin to shape and control your outcomes.
The Real Problem Isn’t the Technology
Let me tell you about Renate. She’s a Senior Service Manager who is smart, strategic, and tech-savvy. Yet her early outputs from Microsoft Copilot? Not useful at all.
Until we started working together through my AI Confidence Coaching approach. This isn’t traditional tech training—it’s leadership coaching that helps you build genuine confidence with AI tools through three focused micro-learning sessions. Three fundamental shifts that changed everything.
Coaching Shift 1: Blame the Prompt, Not the Tech
Her original prompt was: “Summarize the governance model.”
The output? A complete dud.
What she learned to enter instead: “Summarize our service contract governance process, including stakeholder roles, review cycles, and escalation paths for leadership reporting.”
See the difference? That’s the shift from asking AI to think for you to thinking better with AI.
The specificity transforms everything. AI doesn’t read your mind. It responds to the clarity of your instructions. When you provide context, purpose, and structure, you get results that actually serve your leadership needs.
Coaching Shift 2: Define “Done” Upfront
I asked Renate a simple question: “What would make this output good enough to send directly to your boss?”
That question alone helped her stop tweaking endlessly. She got clear on what “good enough” meant before writing the first prompt.
This shift is profound for busy leaders. Instead of endless revisions, you set clear success criteria. You know exactly what you need before you ask for it. The AI becomes a tool for achieving your defined outcome, not a random idea generator.
Coaching Shift 3: Take Charge of Your Input
When you take charge of what you feed into the AI, you take charge of what comes out.
Renate used her refined prompting approach to build a governance matrix. She presented it to leadership. Her words: “The positive feedback from senior leadership was unexpected—and energizing.”
On her feedback form, she wrote: “I would highly recommend Karla’s AI Confidence Coaching as she has the wonderful ability to explain in simple terms what AI can and cannot do. She uses very helpful examples to understand the concept and methods to apply. She asks the right questions to trigger good thoughts and ideas for day-to-day use cases.”
My AI Confidence Coaching Approach
This isn’t about mastering every AI tool. It’s about building the leadership confidence to experiment thoughtfully, so you get real traction on the work that matters.
My coaching approach focuses on three core elements:
Mindset shifts that help you see AI as a thinking partner, not a replacement
Practical frameworks you can apply immediately in your daily leadership tasks
Confidence building through guided experimentation in a safe, supportive environment
Effective AI use mirrors effective leadership: clarity of purpose, specific communication, and defined success criteria. The same skills that make you a strong leader make you effective with AI tools.
Try This Yourself: The Simple Prompt Template
Here’s a framework that works across industries and roles:
“As a [your role], I want to [specific task] in order to [business goal].”
For example:
“As a project manager, I want to create a risk assessment framework in order to present potential blockers to the steering committee.”
“As a team lead, I want to draft agenda topics that address recent performance gaps in order to facilitate a productive monthly review.”
It’s simple. And surprisingly powerful.
The Bigger Picture
Your relationship with AI reflects your relationship with clarity itself. When you get specific about what you want, AI becomes a powerful amplifier of your leadership thinking.
The technology isn’t the barrier. The barrier is often our own discomfort with being precise about our needs and outcomes.
That discomfort? It’s not a bug. It’s a feature. It’s your leadership wisdom asking you to slow down, get clear, and take charge of your tools rather than letting them take charge of you.
Want to explore AI confidence coaching for your leadership team? Book a complimentary consultation to discuss how this micro-learning approach or Barrier Busting Workshop can build genuine AI fluency in your organization.