When you walk into the office, do people take note? Do people listen when you speak? Do they respond to your requests and consider your opinion when making decisions? Do your team members give their all to your shared work projects, or do they brush over your concerns and ignore what you say? Win the respect of your colleagues and your role becomes infinitely better. ChatGPT can help. Figure out where you’re going wrong and make the changes that will change your career trajectory. Stop being the workplace wallflower once and for all. Copy, paste and edit the square brackets in ChatGPT, and keep the same chat window open so the context carries through.
Avoid fluffy language
Generic and vague language won’t win you the respect of your colleagues. If you’re not definite in what you ask for, no one will know what you want. Maximise your language with a few simple edits. Swap your “think” and “might” for “can” and “will.” Stop beating about the bush and remove the fluff. It’s not bossy, it’s assertive. Try it today. “Analyse my communication style for assertiveness. I’ll provide 5 examples of how I typically phrase requests or share ideas at work. For each example, rewrite it to be more direct and confident. Remove any unnecessary words, replace weak phrases with stronger ones, and make the message clearer. After each rewrite, explain the key changes and how they improve the impact. Once we’ve gone through all 5 examples, give me 3 general rules for making my workplace communication more assertive and respected. Here are the examples: [Write or paste examples of emails, messages or things you say]”
Stop people pleasing
Rather than trying to please everyone else, do yourself proud. Put your workplace needs first, remembering that everyone else is already doing it. Get intentional about your work, get assertive with your asks. Figure out which moves will take you where you want to go and aim for your own approval, not theirs. “Help me shift from people-pleasing to self-respect at work. Ask me a series of questions about my typical behaviours, responses to requests, and how I handle conflicts or disagreements. After each of my answers, point out any people-pleasing tendencies and suggest a more self-respecting alternative. Once we’ve covered 7-8 scenarios, summarize the key changes I should make and provide 3 daily affirmations I can use to reinforce my new, more assertive mindset.”
Do a better job
Be more respected at work by being really good at your role. It’s as simple as that. The best people have the most leverage, so become one of them. Work out where you could improve and then take the steps to get there. People will notice. Experiment with excellence and see what can happen when you really try. “Guide me in becoming exceptional at my job. First, ask me to describe my current role and responsibilities. Then, for each main area of my job, ask me to rate my performance from 1-10 and explain why. For any area below an 8, help me brainstorm specific ways to improve, including skills to develop or habits to form. After we’ve covered all areas, create a 30- day plan with weekly goals to level up my performance. Include how I can measure my progress and demonstrate my improved skills to colleagues.”
Know your goals
What do you want from your career? What do you want from your every day at work? When you’re clear on your mission, you flip the power. Your demeanour changes, you’re visibly motivated, you can’t be fooled. Other people go out of their way to help you, not the other way around. See what’s possible when you’re incredibly intentional. “Let’s clarify my career goals to boost my workplace confidence. Ask me a series of questions about my ideal role, the impact I want to make, and what success looks like to me. After each of my responses, summarize the key points and ask a follow-up question to dig deeper. Once we’ve explored my goals thoroughly, create a concise personal mission statement for my career. Then, suggest 5 daily habits I can adopt to align my current work with this mission and project more confidence to my colleagues.”
Create clearer boundaries
Your job does not own you. If you’re responding to emails out of hours and making exceptions for every request, you’re sending the impression that you can be walked all over. Stop that right now. Set some new boundaries and stick to them without fail. Make principles that will serve your career, today, tomorrow and for always. Have respect for yourself before you command it from others. “Help me establish stronger workplace boundaries. Ask me about my current work habits, including hours, response times, and how I handle requests. For each habit, suggest a healthier boundary and explain how it can increase respect from colleagues. Then, present 5 common workplace scenarios where boundaries are often crossed. For each one, give me a script for assertively communicating my limits.” Make your plan to transform how you’re seen at work, and be forever pleased you did. Avoid fluffy language to send a clearer message, and put yourself first to make intention your ally. Do a better job by improving your skills, then set your goals and set clear boundaries that you communicate with confidence. You weren’t put here to show up and be pushed around. Own your role, don’t settle, and maximise your career success.
• Jodie Cook is a Senior Contributor. She covers ChatGPT prompts & AI for coaches and entrepreneurs.