Four Ways AI Can Simplify Your Role as a Manager
Four Ways AI Can Simplify Your Role as a Manager
How ChatGPT and AI Can Help Managers Be More Productive, Communicate Better, and Overcome Challenges.
Over the past few months, there's been a lot of buzz about AI (Artificial Intelligence). This has largely been fostered by OpenAI releasing their ChatGPT model to the public, and now Google launching their own version called Bard. These developments have led to an increase in discussions around AI, and it's clear that AI is becoming more important in our daily lives.
Regardless of whether you're a first-time manager or have years of experience under your belt, you can't ignore the impact of AI. It's changing the way we work and has the potential to help us make better decisions and manage our teams more effectively.
Although there's a lot of hype around AI and models like ChatGPT, I wanted to understand it better before jumping on the bandwagon. I've explored many different generative AI models and tools, but I've chosen to focus on ChatGPT in this essay, because in my opinion (and for obvious reasons since it was the first) is the more mature.
There are a lot of articles out there that talk about how ChatGPT can help with everyday tasks like generating, proofreading, and translating texts. But there's not as much information on how it can be used in a managerial context. It's not just about automating tasks or analyzing data. AI can also help us understand complex situations, improve communication and make better decisions, which can have a big impact on how we lead our teams.
In this essay, I'm going to give you four practical examples of how you can use ChatGPT to enhance your role as a manager. The goal here is not just to show how AI can make our work more efficient, but also how it can make our work more strategic and insightful.
🤔 Is Using AI as a Manager Ethically Acceptable?
Before we delve into how you can harness the power of AI, it's crucial to address a question that has been on my mind for the past few months: is it ethically acceptable to use AI as a manager? This is a question I've thought about many times, and I'm not alone. People all around the world are trying to understand how AI will affect our society. This includes tech experts, philosophers (I recommend you check out this talk that really made me think), ethics experts, and everyday folks.
When we adopt powerful tools like AI, we also inherit a responsibility to use these tools ethically. This is especially true when it comes to AI, which can have far-reaching impacts on individuals and society.
So to consider this question more deeply, let's look at it through the lens of two well-known theories of ethics which I'm going to simplify:
📚 Deontological Ethics: this theory argues that the morality of an action should be based on whether that action itself is right or wrong under a series of rules, rather than based on the consequences of the action. In simple words, it's the idea that the ends do not justify the means.
📈 Consequentialist Ethics: this theory, on the other hand, holds that the outcomes of an action are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness or wrongness of that action. This means that if a good outcome results from an action, then that action was ethical.
Applying these theories to the use of AI as a leader or manager offers us some interesting insights.
From a deontological standpoint, if AI is used to augment our capabilities and improving efficiency and decision-making, that would mean using this for ethical goals. So the act of using AI in itself wouldn't be morally wrong, provided it adheres to established rules and guidelines. And this is the most important point, rules and guidelines.
Personally I adhere to the following rules:
Transparency: I let my team know when I use AI.
Respect for autonomy: I use AI to help me with my work and to gather information (which I then double check). I would never let AI make decisions for me.
Privacy: I never share sensitive information with AI like ChatGPT, especially if it's about my team.
Let’s say that following these rules gives me a sense of satisfaction from a deontological point of view.
From a consequentialist point of view, it's even simpler. If using AI leads to better results, like more work getting done, better decisions, and happier employees, then it's okay to use AI. The important thing is to make sure that these results are in line with what's best for society and the organization.
🎯 Four Practical Ways AI Can Assist Managers
Now that we've touched on some of the ethical issues with using AI for management, let's look at how it can actually be helpful. Think of Artificial Intelligence as a helper for managers. It can make things run smoother, help with tough decisions, and make the whole team work better and happier. Let's talk about four specific ways AI can help managers do their job better.
📝 Creating Job Descriptions
One of the significant challenges for managers during the hiring process is defining the right job profile and crafting effective interview questions. While there are many websites where you can find inspiration and hiring materials, ChatGPT simplifies the process of starting a new hiring campaign.
Look how simple could be to generate a new position profile for a DevOps Engineer.
🤖 Example Prompt
Assume the role of a seasoned Technical Hiring Manager at Acme Inc.
Your task is to draft a comprehensive job description for the position of Senior DevOps Engineer. The ideal candidate should possess a minimum of five years of relevant industry experience.
The job description must meet the following requirements:
- Include the following sections: duties and responsibilities, required skills, nice to haves, benefits
- Include a salary range based on the market average
- Start every section of the job description with an emoji
- Output in Markdown format
Obviously, this isn't what you're going to post directly on your job boards, but it's an excellent starting point that can help overcome writer's block.
Furthermore, AI can generate effective interview questions based on these profiles, and even create code challenges. It can analyze the key requirements of the role that you generated and suggest questions and challenges that accurately assess these competencies.
🚀 Utilizing AI to Brainstorm
In the age of big data, managers often find themselves overwhelmed with information. ChatGPT can assist you in processing large volumes of data, identifying patterns and trends, and generating theories based on these patterns.
I'll give you three examples of how ChatGPT can be useful to brainstorm.
👉 Generate a variety of ideas on a specific topic
By posing a question or a problem to ChatGPT, you can receive a list of potential solutions or approaches. For instance, if a manager is trying to think of ways to improve employee morale, they can ask ChatGPT for suggestions. The AI, drawing from a vast repository of information, can propose a range of strategies based on effective practices from different contexts.
🤖 Example Prompt
Act as an experienced Engineering Manager.
I'm struggling with keeping up morale of my technical team.
Help me with 10 ideas to improve it.
👉 Challenge own assumptions and explore alternative perspectives
You can ask ChatGPT to argue for or against a particular decision or strategy, helping you to anticipate potential objections or pitfalls. This can foster a more rigorous and critical approach to decision-making.
🤖 Example Prompt
Argue against the decision of using hours to estimate development in my team.
👉 Simulate potential scenarios or outcomes
You can ask the ChatGPT to describe what might happen if a particular strategy is implemented, helping you to think through the possible implications and consequences.
🤖 Example Prompt
You are a seasoned Engineering Manager and I need help from you.
My team grew above 8 people. Describe the potential outcomes if I'm not going to start splitting the team and growing new managers.
Brainstorming with ChatGPT is probably one of the better uses I make of this service. Every time I receive an answer from ChatGPT, I not only gain useful inspiration for my thinking, but I also learn a lot. This is especially true because one must always remember that ChatGPT (and all similar Large Language Models) doesn't always provide correct answers, so it's always necessary to double-check and conduct further research. To me, this is a very powerful learning system.
🧘 AI Acting as a Coach
Burnout and stress are common issues in the workplace. ChatGPT can act as a coach, providing "first aid" support and guidance to help overcome these challenges. Be aware, this doesn't replace a skilled human coach or genuine medical advice, but in some cases, it can help guide you onto the right path.
It's as easy as typing the following prompt.
🤖 Example Prompt
Act as an experienced leadership coach and use an informative tone. Make use of psychology mentions and medical notions if needed.
I'm a manager and in the last months I tend to procrastinate quite often. What could be the root cause and how to overcome this?
ChatGPT can also provide guidance in other areas of management. For example, it can suggest strategies to improve team morale and productivity based on data such as employee feedback, engagement levels, and productivity metrics. This can enable managers to address issues proactively and create a more positive work environment.
🔭 Visualize Concepts
How they say? An image is worth thousands words?
As a leader, you often need to explain complex concepts to your team, such as the reasoning behind a particular decision or a new process you want to introduce to enhance productivity. Presenting these concepts in slides overflowing with words is far from ideal.
ChatGPT can be incredibly helpful in these situations. You simply need to explain your concept to our beloved AI model and ask it how to create a visual representation of it.
🤖 Example Prompt
I want to explain to my team how the new process for requesting holidays works. These are the steps to follow:
- If you need >= 1 day, you just need to put this in your calendar
- If you need >= 5 days, you have to ask the approval to your manager
- If you need to request < 5 days, you will need to ask the approval to your department leader
How can I make this process visual?
Even though ChatGPT is not currently capable of generating images, it can effectively explain processes using words and ASCII art. I guess in the next months ChatGPT will add image support, making this process even more powerful!
🎁 BONUS: Use AI to Create Video Messages for Your Team
As a manager, communication is incredibly important, and today, we have many communication channels at our disposal. On one hand, we have asynchronous channels like emails or chats. While chats aren't truly asynchronous, with the right tools and mindset, they can serve as an asynchronous mode of communication. These channels are appreciated for their speed and convenience, allowing users to engage at their own pace. However, they come with a trade-off: they can feel impersonal and messages can easily get lost in the stream.
On the other hand, we have meetings, which provide a more human and effective platform for leaders or managers to deliver messages. But they can also be time-consuming and, at times, stressful. We all know how much people dislike meetings, especially online ones.
In my opinion, recording video messages, particularly in a remote environment, could be a highly effective way to deliver important messages. However, this approach can be time-consuming and frustrating for a manager, especially for those who aren't comfortable in front of a camera (like me for example 😀).
That's where AI comes to the rescue. Watch this! 👇
Creating this video using AI took me less than 5 minutes. Here's how I did it:
First, I created a script with ChatGPT:
🤖 Example Prompt
You are an experienced technical leader. Announce to the team that starting from today, every new PR will have to include meaningful and detailed descriptions.Next, I used ElevenLabs to synthesize a voice based on mine and input the ChatGPT script into it. The process was straightforward (I uploaded a one-minute audio file where I read some random text) and I was immediately able to download my synthesized script.
At this point, I took a neutral photo of myself (I know, I'm far from being photogenic) and used D-ID AI to generate a video along with the synthesized recording.
While I admit the result isn't perfect and I haven't used this approach with my team yet, I believe the potential is enormous and we will see huge improvements in the future.
🚀 The Future Potential of AI for Managers
The applications of AI in management are still in their early stages, but the future holds great promise. As AI becomes more advanced and integrated into our workplaces, it will continue to revolutionize how we manage and lead.
AI has the potential to make decision-making more data-driven and precise, to make our communications more effective and engaging, and to help us understand and address the needs and concerns of our teams. It can really help us create more productive, satisfying, and meaningful work environments.
The ethical use of AI will continue to be a crucial consideration, as will the need for transparency, fairness, and respect for privacy. As managers, we must navigate these considerations with care and thoughtfulness.
✌️ That’s all folks
That's all for today! As always, I would love to hear from my readers (and if you've made it this far, you're definitely one of the bravest). Please don't hesitate to connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter and send a message. I always respond to everyone!