Don’t Be the Leader Still Using AOL: One Tactical Copilot Move That Wins Back Your Week
Eric Stavola, MS.CIS, M.ED
Technology Leader | IT as a Strategic Asset Advocate | Football-to-Business Strategist
You know what I hear a lot?
“Eric, this Microsoft Copilot thing… is it actually useful?”
Just last week, a senior leader told me, “Yeah, I think we’ll wait and see how it shakes out.”
My response?
Don’t be the guy still using an AOL email.
Look—I’ve had conversations with a couple of my own team members who were using AI tools just to avoid thinking. They were basically replacing themselves with Copilot and ChatGPT—copy, paste, move on. No insight. No intention. No impact.
That’s not how you win.
The entire point of Generative AI, like any technology is to enhance, not replace. Don’t abdicate your judgment. Elevate it. When you put thought into how AI can drive forward momentum—through clarity, decision-making, and strategic execution—it becomes a force multiplier. Let me show you what that looks like.
Copilot is a franchise quarterback
—but only if you hand it a playbook as detailed as your game plan. Feed it generic asks and you’ll get generic yards; script every route and you’ll run up the score.
The Sideline Story
A CIO friend handed Copilot a simple prompt—
“Show me tomorrow’s priorities.”
What she got back? 73 emails, cluttered calendar holds, and a meme in Teams. Result: 45 minutes of triage she didn’t budget for. We swapped in a precision-built JSON prompt. Copilot tore through 2,400 signals, identified the 20 most strategic items, and gave her next moves—before her coffee cooled.
Lesson: Copilot isn’t the problem. Your instruction manual is.
The P.O.W.E.R. Huddle Framework
Field Application: The Executive Assistant Prompt
Fell free to try what detailed Prompting can do - Copy ➞ Paste ➞ Replace Date Range ➞ Go
Plain Language:
Same Prompt in JSON
Why It Wins
Prioritize Outcomes – You get clarity, not clutter.
Orient Context – Outlook + Teams = your full battlefield view.
Wire Instructions – You filter fluff; decisions rise to the top.
Execute Workflow – Six steps. No guesswork.
Repack Results – Outputs paste clean into emails, decks, or exec reviews.
Time saved per leader? ~4 hours/week. That’s a 10% return on leadership focus.
Reflection Challenge
Drop this JSON into Copilot.
Compare the output to your actual strategic priorities.
Ask yourself:
Did I just buy back decision-making time—or am I still stuck chasing noise?
One Last Thing
Don’t use AI to replace what makes you valuable.
Use it to amplify what makes you unstoppable.
The leaders who win aren’t waiting on the sidelines.
They’re using Copilot to advance the ball, not watch the clock.
Remember: Don’t replace—amplify.
Want to see how Copilot can drive real impact in your business?
Message me directly—let’s talk about how we can help you go deeper with Microsoft Copilot and make it work for your business
Operational Excellence | Strategic Business Planning & Leadership | Continuous Process Improvement | Transformational Leader & Change Agent | Customer Experience Ambassador | Program Director | Service Delivery
3moThis is so true. If you are just starting to use it ok, but if you truly want to use it as a competitive edge, Eric is spot on. Nice job coach.
I sell money to small business owners | High intent Data & AI automations
3moEric Stavola, MS.CIS, M.ED, what you said about keeping that balance really hits home... AI should speed up our thinking process, not replace it entirely. Smart approach getting your team to stay engaged with the tech instead of letting it do everything for them.