Over the past couple of years, I’ve been using artificial intelligence—particularly ChatGPT—almost every day as part of my thinking, writing, and consulting work.
What started as curiosity quickly turned into something far more powerful.
Today, AI has become one of the tools I use to support my strategic thinking, accelerate writing, organize complex information, and help build systems for my clients.
At one point during a conversation, ChatGPT even suggested that the way I structure and use it places me in roughly the top few percent of users in terms of depth and sophistication of use.
I mention that not as a brag, but because it illustrates something important:
The real power of AI doesn’t come from the technology itself.
It comes from how you learn to work with it.
And one of the biggest breakthroughs I’ve had over the past year has been developing what I call containment and isolation modes when working with ChatGPT.
How I Use ChatGPT in My Work
My work with financial advisory firms and agency owners involves helping leaders strengthen the architecture of their businesses.
That includes areas such as:
- Leadership development
- Vision and business planning
- Team building and hiring
- Systems for marketing, sales, and client service
- Succession and leadership transitions
In many of these areas, ChatGPT has become an incredibly useful partner.
For example, I use it to help develop and refine frameworks such as:
Leadership Operating Systems
Helping firm owners move from reactive leadership to structured leadership by defining decision rhythms, accountability structures, and strategic priorities.
The Leading Advisor Hiring System
Supporting the design of hiring scorecards, interview questions, role clarity frameworks, and onboarding processes.
Agency Architecture and Team Design
Helping visualize how advisory teams should evolve as firms grow from small teams to more sophisticated agency structures.
Marketing and Thought Leadership
Supporting the development of blogs, email campaigns, leadership articles, and strategic insights that help firm owners think more clearly about their businesses.
I also use ChatGPT heavily for my own marketing, including:
- Developing weekly strategic insight articles
- Structuring blogs and leadership content
- Organizing campaign ideas
- Brainstorming headlines and themes
- Refining language and clarity of thought
In short, it has become a thinking amplifier.
But as useful as ChatGPT is, I discovered early on that there was a problem.
The Problem with Open-Ended AI Conversations
ChatGPT has access to enormous amounts of information and is designed to connect ideas across many sources.
That’s one of its greatest strengths.
But when you are working on specific projects for specific clients, that same ability can create problems.
Without clear boundaries, the system may:
- Pull in ideas from unrelated conversations
- Blend multiple contexts together
- Expand beyond the scope of the project
- Introduce assumptions that weren’t intended
When you are writing a simple email, that’s not a big issue.
But when you are working on client deliverables, hiring frameworks, or strategic documentation, precision matters.
This is where I began experimenting with what I now call containment and isolation modes.
What I Mean by “Containment”
Containment means defining the boundaries of the task before asking the AI to begin.
Instead of simply asking a question, I now often provide a small instruction header that defines:
- The mode of thinking required
- The client or project involved
- The specific scope of the request
- The type of output required
In other words, I tell the system:
“Think inside this box.”
Containment prevents the AI from wandering into areas that are not relevant to the task.
It creates focus and discipline in the output.
What I Mean by “Isolation”
Isolation goes one step further.
Isolation means restricting the source material that the AI is allowed to use.
For example, I might specify:
- Transcript only
- Attached document only
- This conversation thread only
- This project folder only
When the source material is isolated, the AI must work strictly from that information.
This is extremely helpful when working on client projects, where clarity and accuracy matter.
It prevents information from other projects or conversations from accidentally creeping into the work.
The Simple Framework I Use
Many of my requests now start with a small instruction header like this:
Mode: Documentation / Diagnostic / Creative
Client: (Name or project)
Scope: Define the task
Source Limitation: Thread only / Attached document only / Folder only
Psychology Permitted: Yes / No
Strategic Expansion Permitted: Yes / No
Deliverable Format: Define the output
It takes less than 20 seconds to write.
But it significantly improves the quality of the response.
It tells the AI how to think before it begins thinking.
How Our Team Uses ChatGPT
It’s not just me.
Our team has also begun integrating AI into parts of our workflow.
For example, we use it to help:
- Organize research and information
- Support content development
- Improve marketing communication
- Structure documents and frameworks
- Accelerate documentation from transcripts or notes
It’s not replacing human judgment or creativity.
Instead, it helps us move faster and think more clearly.
The Benefits I’m Seeing
Used properly, ChatGPT provides some very real advantages.
For me personally, it helps with:
- Faster synthesis of complex ideas
- Structured thinking when developing frameworks
- Rapid drafting of written material
- Organizing conversations and transcripts
- Generating new perspectives or inspiration
For my clients, the benefits show up in different ways:
- More structured leadership frameworks
- Better hiring processes
- Clearer role definitions within teams
- Stronger marketing communication
- More organized strategic thinking
In many ways, AI has become a support tool for building better systems.
And when your work involves helping leaders build better organizations, systems matter.
A Final Thought
Artificial intelligence is not replacing human thinking.
If anything, it is making disciplined thinking more important than ever.
The people who get the most value from AI will not be the ones who ask the most questions.
They will be the ones who learn how to ask better questions and define better boundaries.
Containment and isolation are simply tools that help make that possible.
Because in the end—whether you are leading a company, building a team, or working with AI—clarity always wins. If you found this perspective useful and you enjoy thoughtful insights on leadership, growth, and building stronger advisory businesses, I invite you to subscribe to my Weekly Strategic Insights.
Each week I share practical ideas and frameworks designed to help leaders build firms that grow with both clarity and purpose.