AI Do’s and Don’ts

The Difference Between Using AI and Working With AI

Artificial intelligence is one of the fastest ways to increase your capacity—but only if you use it well.

After thousands of conversations with AI across leadership, nonprofit operations, software development, writing, and strategic planning, I’ve learned that the biggest difference between average results and exceptional results isn’t the technology.

It’s the approach.

Here are the habits that consistently produce the best outcomes.

Do Treat AI Like a Thinking Partner

The best conversations don’t begin with:

“Write this.”

They begin with:

Help me think through this.
What am I missing?
Challenge my assumptions.
Give me another perspective.
What’s the better question?

The more you invite AI into your thinking process, the more valuable it becomes.

Do Provide Context

AI only knows what you tell it.

Instead of saying:

Write a volunteer recruitment post.

Try:

We’re a nonprofit that mobilizes volunteers to sort donated clothing and food for local schools and community organizations. Write a Facebook post inviting first-time volunteers. Make it encouraging, community-focused, and around 150 words.

Context almost always improves quality.

Do Keep the Conversation Going

The first answer is rarely the best answer.

Ask follow-up questions.

Make this simpler.
Challenge this idea.
Explain it differently.
Give me another option.
Shorten it.
Expand it.
Tell me what I’m overlooking.

Every question moves the answer closer to what you actually need.

Do Use AI Before You Need an Answer

Most people use AI after they’ve already decided what to do.

Try using it earlier.

Ask AI to:

organize your thinking
identify blind spots
compare options
suggest risks
generate alternatives

AI is often more valuable before a decision than after one.

Do Stay Curious

One of my favorite questions is simply:

What haven’t I asked that I should?

That single question has uncovered opportunities, challenges, and ideas I never would have considered on my own.

Don’t Expect Perfection

AI isn’t an autopilot.

It’s a collaborator.

The goal isn’t a perfect first draft.

The goal is to reach a better final result faster than you could have on your own.

Don’t Accept the First Answer

One of the easiest ways to improve AI output is to ask one more question.

Then another.

The conversation is where insight develops.

If you stop after the first response, you’re leaving most of the value on the table.

Don’t Skip Human Judgment

AI can process enormous amounts of information.

It cannot replace experience, relationships, values, or leadership.

Always review important work before sharing it.

Verify:

Facts
Statistics
Dates
Quotes
Names
Sources

Your reputation is still your responsibility.

Don’t Ask AI to Think for You

Ask AI to help you think better.

There’s a difference.

Leaders who become dependent on AI will eventually lose an important skill.

Leaders who use AI to sharpen their own thinking become even more effective.

Don’t Forget Who Makes the Final Decision

AI can recommend.

AI can analyze.

AI can brainstorm.

AI can challenge your assumptions.

But it doesn’t understand your mission the way you do.

The final decision should always belong to the human in the loop.

The Bottom Line

The organizations getting the greatest return from AI aren’t the ones with the most advanced technology.

They’re the ones asking better questions, providing better context, and treating AI as a trusted thinking partner instead of a content generator.

Use AI to expand your capacity.

Use your experience to guide the outcome.

Together, they become far more powerful than either one alone.