Where AI Actually Helps in Your Role: A Field Guide for Operations, HR, EAs, and Chiefs of Staff

The most common mistake I see people make with AI is starting with the tool.

They sign up for ChatGPT or Claude or Copilot, stare at the blinking cursor, and try to think of something to do. A few half-useful prompts later, they decide AI is overhyped and go back to their day.

That's a tooling mindset. And it's the wrong way in.

If you actually want AI to make a dent in your work, you have to start with your role, not with the model. Here's the framework I use, and how it plays out for some of the most common operational roles I work with.