From Novice Prompts to Expert Systems: How to Build AI Workflows That Run Your Routine Work While You LeadIn Part 1, we explored the foundational mindset for AI executive productivity—the shift from 80% routine work to 80% creative work. Now, in Part 2, Barry O'Reilly reveals the specific AI executive workflow automation systems that make this transformation real.This isn't theory. These are the exact workflows, prompts, and systems that Barry and leading executives use daily to reclaim their time and amplify their leadership impact.What you'll learn: The weekly business review system that takes 90 seconds instead of 30 minutes. How to audit your work with AI's help. Building your personal prompt library. And why your unlearning rate must exceed your irrelevance rate.The AI Executive Workflow Automation Philosophy: Creative Work + Automated DisciplineBefore diving into specific systems, understand the core principle driving effective AI executive workflow automation:


"Every time you can automate routine but disciplined work, you're moving the needle toward having more capacity to do creative problem-solving work. That's where you get the power and real promise of what AI is—people doing the best work of their life."
Barry O'Reilly

The Work Category FrameworkAI executive workflow automation works by understanding two distinct categories of leadership work:Category 1: Creative Problem-Solving WorkStrategic planning and vision developmentComplex decision-making in ambiguous situationsCoaching team members through challengesInnovation and new product/service designBuilding relationships and influencing stakeholdersPattern recognition across diverse business situationsCategory 2: Routine Disciplined WorkWriting meeting follow-ups and summariesTracking action items and deadlinesSending reminder notificationsCompiling weekly/monthly reportsScheduling and calendar managementData entry and information organizationThe AI Executive Workflow Automation Insight: Humans should do Category 1. Machines should automate Category 2. The problem is most executives spend 80% of their time in Category 2.As Barry explains: "Machines essentially offer this opportunity to automate a lot of that disciplined, repeatable, routine work—like having an auto-scheduler that sends an email 5 days before a task is due. I don't want to think about it, I don't want to send it, but a machine is amazing at making sure it follows up and does that."The Self-Audit: Ask AI to Analyze Your Work EfficiencyThe first AI executive workflow automation you should implement is having AI audit where you're spending your time. This creates objective data about your current state.The Initial Audit PromptCopy this prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, or your preferred LLM:

What AI Will Ask YouWhen Barry guides executives through this process, AI typically asks questions like:About Creative Work:"What tasks do you find most creative, interesting, and rewarding? List them all out.""When do you feel most energized during your workday?""What work would you do more of if you had unlimited time?"About Routine Work:"What tasks are time-sinks that feel like necessary evils?""What do you find yourself repeatedly doing that could be standardized?""What work drains your energy without adding strategic value?"About Time Allocation:"What percentage do you spend on creative work versus routine work?""Over the last year, how much time have you spent on these categories?" (You can even connect your calendar)Example: The Business Expenses AutomationBarry provides a concrete examp...

The Unlearning Framework: Your Foundation for AI Executive Productivity



Barry O'Reilly's revolutionary approach to AI productivity starts with an unexpected premise: forget about tools and start with yourself.

This unlearning framework is critical because success with executive AI productivity hinges less on the technology itself than on leadership transformation and behavioral change.

Step 1: Map Your Personal Productivity Traits

Before implementing any AI productivity system, understand how you naturally generate and process information.

Essential Self-Assessment Questions:

How do I do my best thinking—through conversation, writing, visualization, or movement?
When during my day do I generate the most valuable strategic insights?
Which repetitive tasks drain my energy without adding leadership value?
Where am I losing critical information that should be captured and leveraged?

Common Executive Productivity Profiles:

Verbal Processors: Thrive in coaching calls, strategy sessions, and team discussions
Written Processors: Need documentation, outlines, and structured note-taking
Visual Processors: Create diagrams, whiteboard sessions, and visual frameworks
Kinesthetic Processors: Walk while thinking, use physical gestures, or need movement

Understanding your profile is the foundation of effective AI executive productivity implementation.

Step 2: Identify What's Holding Back Your AI Productivity

The biggest barriers to AI executive productivity aren't technical—they're behavioral patterns that must be unlearned.

Critical Mindset Shifts for Executive AI Productivity:

OLD: "Meetings are just for talking" ? NEW: Meetings are data-generation sessions that AI can capture and optimize
OLD: "I must remember everything important myself" ? NEW: AI copilots capture every detail with perfect accuracy
OLD: "Administrative work is simply part of leadership" ? NEW: Routine work should be automated to maximize strategic impact
OLD: "I should be able to handle this workload" ? NEW: Leveraging AI executive productivity is strategic leadership
OLD: "Learning AI requires technical expertise" ? NEW: You learn AI productivity by doing, not reading

The 3-Level Executive AI  Productivity Framework
Level 1: Individual Task Enhancement (Beginner)

Foundation: Build confidence with immediate AI productivity wins

Quick-Start Applications:

Refine email communications for clarity and executive presence
Generate comprehensive meeting agendas in minutes
Summarize lengthy documents and extract key insights
Create first drafts of routine communications
Brainstorm solutions when strategically stuck

Time Investment: 15-30 minutes weekly
Productivity ROI: 1-2 hours saved weekly
Confidence Boost: Immediate validation of AI capabilities

Level 2: Executive Workflow Transformation (Intermediate)

The Meeting Revolution: Where executive AI productivity creates breakthrough results

Barry O'Reilly's game-changing approach combines AI copilots (like Otter.ai) with large language models to revolutionize meeting follow-up—the single biggest time drain for executives.

The 2-Minute AI Executive Productivity Process:

Step 1: Let an AI copilot transcribe your meeting automatically (zero active time)
Step 2: Download the transcript immediately after (30 seconds)
Step 3: Upload to ChatGPT with your pre-written prompt template (30 seconds)

Podcast Episode: Women's Leadership Success with Award-Winning Reputation Expert Lida Citroën
Your reputation isn't just what people say about you when you leave the room—it's the invisible currency that determines your promotions, your earning potential, and your influence as a leader. For women executives, managers, directors, VPs, and C-Suite leaders, mastering reputation management for women isn't optional. It's essential.

In this comprehensive guide from the Women's Leadership Success podcast, host Sabrina Braham, MA, PCC—an expert in executive leadership development and reputation management—interviews award-winning reputation expert Lida Citroën, whose latest book The New Rules of Influence just won the NYC Big Book Award 2025 in the Business Motivational category. Together, they reveal proven strategies to take control of your professional narrative and accelerate your leadership success.
Why Reputation Management for Women Matters More Than Ever in 2025
The leadership landscape for women is shifting—but not fast enough. According to recent McKinsey research, women hold just 29% of C-suite positions, and at the current pace, it would take 48 years to achieve true gender parity in senior leadership. With only 9.2% of Fortune 1000 CEOs being women, standing out isn't just about working harder—it's about strategically managing how you're perceived.
The stakes are high: 75% of female executives experience imposter syndrome at some point in their careers, yet 82% of women believe networking with female leaders will help them advance. Reputation management for women becomes the bridge between your capabilities and your career opportunities.

The Financial Impact of Your Reputation
Research shows that companies with female executives are 30% more likely to outperform their competitors. Yet women continue to face unique challenges in reputation management compared to their male counterparts. Your reputation directly impacts:

Promotion decisions and leadership opportunities
Salary negotiations and earning potential
New business development and client relationships
Board appointments and speaking engagements
Team influence and organizational impact
Industry recognition and thought leadership positioning

Understanding Reputation Management for Women Leaders

What Is Reputation Management for Women?
According to Lida Citroën, author of the award-winning book Control the Narrative: The Executive's Guide to Building, Pivoting and Repairing Your Reputation and the newly released The New Rules of Influence (NYC Big Book Award Winner 2025 - Business Motivational),
"Everyone has a personal brand, by design or default. Your reputation is one of the most critical determinants of your career success."
Lida Citroën
In her latest book, Lida explains that influence isn't about titles, rank, or being loud—it's about showing up authentically, communicating your value, and inspiring others to take action. This is the foundation of effective reputation management for women.
As podcast host Sabrina Braham, an executive coach and leadership development expert, emphasizes: "Reputation management for women requires intentional strategy. You can't afford to leave your professional reputation to chance when you're navigating unique gender-specific challenges in the workplace."
Reputation management for women is the strategic process of:

Monitoring how others perceive you professionally
Influencing public perception through intentional actions
Measuring and tracking your brand effectiveness
Repairing damage when reputation challenges arise
Building systems that protect and enhance your good name

Breaking through the barriers that hold you back isn't about changing who you are—it's about changing how you think.What's Really Holding You Back From Leadership Success?The biggest barrier to women's leadership advancement isn't external—it's the fixed mindset that keeps you playing small. Research shows that women hold just 25% of senior leadership positions and face a projected 48-year timeline to reach true parity in executive roles. But here's the game-changer: women leaders who embrace a growth mindset are reshaping their neural pathways and accelerating their path to the C-suite.This question haunts nearly every ambitious woman I meet: "What's really holding me back?" At first glance, it seems obvious—lack of sponsorship, limited opportunities, or not fitting the traditional leadership mold. While these external barriers are real, the most transformative shift happens when we look inward.The truth? Your mindset shapes your reality.
The Elizabeth Effect: When Fixed Mindset Becomes Your Career Ceiling
Let me share Elizabeth's story—a brilliant, results-driven leader who consistently went above and beyond. Despite her stellar performance, promotions kept slipping away. When she finally asked for feedback, the response was devastating: "You don't have enough executive presence."Sound familiar? Research reveals that executive presence is being redefined in 2025, moving beyond traditional markers like vocal projection to encompass emotional intelligence, adaptability, and authentic leadership.Elizabeth could have accepted this label and remained stuck. Instead, she chose growth. As her executive coach, I helped her identify the specific gaps between her current presence and the executive leadership she aspired to embody. Together, we worked on targeted mindset shifts and executive presence strategies—from reframing her inner dialogue to mastering the art of leading rooms even when she felt uncomfortable.The transformation wasn't just tactical; it was deeply psychological. Within a year of implementing these strategies, Elizabeth wasn't just promoted—she became known as the leader who elevated everyone around her.The turning point? One powerful belief: "I can grow."
The Neuroscience Behind Your Leadership Transformation
Here's the encouraging truth that every woman leader needs to understand: Your brain is built to adapt. Research from the NeuroLeadership Institute shows that 85% of people can shift from a fixed to growth mindset on a weekly basis when they focus on three key habits: valuing progress, experimenting, and learning from others.Every small choice literally rewires your mind for the future you want. This isn't positive thinking—it's applied neuroscience.Fixed vs. Growth Mindset: The Leadership DifferenceFixed Mindset Says:* "This is just how I am"* "I'm never going to be good at this"* "I can't make mistakes"Growth Mindset Says:* "I'm not there yet, but I can learn"* "Challenges are opportunities to grow"* "Mistakes are data for improvement"McKinsey's 2025 research on growth leadership reveals that high-performing companies are led by executives who demonstrate five critical mindsets: prioritizing growth, acting boldly, maintaining customer focus, attracting talent, and executing with rigor.The Ripple Effect: How Your Mindset Transforms EverythingWhen you shift your mindset, the impact cascades through every aspect of your leadership:On Yourself: Confidence Becomes Your Competitive EdgeYour mind shift shapes your confidence. Instead of playing small, you start seizing opportunities that align with your potential.On Your Team: Culture Becomes Your LegacyYou set the tone—is it safe to try and learn, or are people afraid to fail? Google's Project Aristotle confirmed that psychological safety, directly linked to growth mindset leadership, is the foundation of innovative teams.On Your Results: Growth Becomes Your GPSYou determine whether you seize opportunities or st...

An AI leadership framework that balances innovation with responsibility is
essential for 2025 success, as thought leader Faisal Hoque reveals the
groundbreaking OPEN and CARE methodology that helps leaders navigate the
complex hybrid world of human-AI collaboration.

Bottom Line Up Front: Leaders must become multidisciplinary systems thinkers
who can manage both human resources and digital agents simultaneously. The most effective AI leadership framework combines opportunity exploration (OPEN) with catastrophic risk prevention (CARE) to create sustainable AI business strategy that serves humanity while driving innovation.
From Human Authenticity to Strategic Implementation: Part 2 of Our AI Leadership Series
This is Part 2 of our exclusive two-part interview series with bestselling author and thought leader Faisal Hoque. In Part 1: "Women in Leadership AI: Preserving Human Authenticity While Harnessing Technology", we explored what makes us uniquely human, the importance of leadership authenticity, and how to protect your agency while leveraging AI tools.

Now, in Part 2, we dive deep into the practical implementation side: How do you actually build an AI leadership framework that works? Faisal reveals his proprietary OPEN and CARE methodology—a systematic approach to AI governance framework that balances innovation with ethical responsibility.
The Hybrid World Reality: Why Traditional Leadership No Longer Works

The Death of Process-Performance-Structure Leadership
The old leadership paradigm is obsolete. As Hoque explains, "When I started my career, we used to think very much about process performance and organizational structure. Those kind of started to fade away. And we started talking about emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and inspiration and influence."

But even that evolution isn't enough for our current AI business strategy demands. Today's leaders face an unprecedented challenge: managing hybrid workforces that include both human employees and AI agents.
What Hybrid Leadership Actually Means
Most people think "hybrid" refers to remote versus office work. That's wrong. In the context of AI leadership framework development, hybrid means something far more complex:
Three Types of Hybrid Leadership:

Hybrid Markets: Your customers interact with both human representatives and AI agents (like Netflix's algorithm suggesting your next show)
Hybrid Workforce: You manage both human resources and digital resources, working together and sometimes replacing each other
Hybrid Leadership Decision-Making: As a leader, you're not just saying "Faisal is going to do this and Sabrina is going to do that"—you're also allocating: "My customer agent is going to do this, and my chatbot is going to do that"

The New Leadership Requirements
Modern leaders must be both emotionally intelligent AND systems thinkers. This used to be the job of IT or technology people, but that's no longer true. In today's AI governance framework, every leader at every level must understand how people and technology coexist.
The CARE Framework: Your AI Ethics Framework for Risk Prevention

Why Risk Planning Is Critical in AI Governance Framework
Most leaders are not prepared for AI's potential negative consequences. They focus entirely on opportunity while ignoring catastrophic scenarios. The CARE framework forces leaders to think preventatively.
CARE: The Four-Step Risk Methodology
CARE is also an acronym that ensures responsible AI framework implementation:

Women in leadership AI roles face unprecedented challenges as artificial intelligence transforms the workplace, yet their ability to empathize and act ethically positions them to lead organizations into a future where technology serves humanity rather than replacing it.
Bottom Line Up Front: Women in leadership face systemic challenges as jobs traditionally held by women are much more exposed to automation, yet the ability of women to empathize and act ethically makes them ideally placed to lead us into a future where AI benefits all society. The key to thriving as a female leader in 2025 is leveraging AI and leadership strategies that preserve your authentic voice and human-centered approach.
The Great Leadership Inflection Point: Why Women Leaders Must Act Now. Women in Leadership AIWe're standing at what thought leader Faisal Hoque calls "one of those inflection points" - similar to when the printing press was developed or we transitioned from horse and buggy to automobiles. This isn't just technological change; it's a fundamental shift that will define the rise and fall of leaders and companies over the next 3, 5, 10, and 30 years.For women in leadership positions - whether you're a manager implementing AI tools, director overseeing technology strategy, VP of innovation, C-suite executive governing AI policy, or founder building AI-powered companies - this moment presents both unprecedented challenges and remarkable opportunities. Jobs traditionally held by women are much more exposed to AI than those traditionally held by men, but paradoxically, women were found to have a 28% higher share of soft, interpersonal skills that help us work well together, such as team leadership, strategic leadership and collaboration.The Hybrid World Reality for Female Leadership DevelopmentAs Hoque explains in his groundbreaking book "Transcend," we've entered a hybrid world where we must live not just with human beings, but with human beings enabled by artificial intelligence, and sometimes with AI itself. This reality demands a new approach to AI and leadership - one that women leaders are uniquely positioned to excel in.What Makes Us Uniquely Human: The Foundation of Leadership AuthenticityThe Complexity Advantage for Women in LeadershipHuman complexity is our superpower. According to Hoque, what makes us human is "our complexity, the complexity of freedom, complexity of purpose, complexity of survival, complexity of how we treat each other." This isn't a bug in human leadership - it's a feature that AI cannot replicate.For women in leadership implementing AI strategies, this complexity often manifests as:Multi-dimensional thinking shaped by navigating workplace bias and systemic barriersEmpathetic problem-solving that considers multiple stakeholder perspectivesAuthentic vulnerability that builds trust and psychological safetyIntuitive decision-making that balances data with human insightThe Leadership Authenticity ImperativeIn a world where AI can now mimic empathy, generate creative content, and even simulate love, leadership authenticity becomes your competitive differentiator. Women leaders at every level are more likely to be concerned about AI's most pressing issues in the workplace, including misinformation perpetuation and introducing bias into talent processes.This heightened awareness of AI's risks positions women in leadership to:Champion ethical AI implementation in their organizationsProtect human dignity in increasingly automated workplacesBuild trust through transparent communication about AI's role and limitationsPreserve company culture that values human connection alongside technological advancementShow more...