A 30-day plan to support one person's growth with AI
Start with an employee's stated goal, prepare a useful coaching conversation, make one clear commitment, and follow through.
You do not need a department-wide AI rollout to begin using the technology thoughtfully. Start with one person you lead, a goal they care about, and a commitment you can keep.
This plan uses AI as an optional preparation tool. The conversations, decisions, and follow-through belong to you and the person you are supporting. If your organization has not approved an appropriate tool, you can complete the plan without AI.
Week 1: Ask about the goal
Invite the person to describe something they want to learn or do better. Avoid arriving with a development plan based entirely on your assumptions.
Ask: “What would you like to become more capable of doing?” Then explore why it matters to them, what they have already tried, and what support would help.
Together, choose a small step that fits their role and current responsibilities. For someone learning to lead a shift, that might mean preparing and delivering one team briefing with support. The goal should be theirs to discuss and agree to, rather than a surprise assignment labeled as development.
Week 2: Prepare a coaching conversation
Use what you heard to prepare questions that help the person think. You might ask what feels most difficult, which options they see, and where they want your input.
If you use AI, work in an approved tool with non-sensitive, minimal context. A useful request is: “Suggest five coaching questions for someone practicing a new responsibility. Help them identify options and choose a next step. Do not infer their feelings or motivations.”
Review the questions before the conversation. Select the ones that fit, listen to the answers, and change direction when the person gives you new information. The prompt is preparation, not a script you must finish.
Week 3: Make one clear commitment
Agree on the practice opportunity and the support each of you will provide. Be clear about which decisions the person can make and when they should ask for help.
Your commitment might be to observe their briefing and offer feedback afterward. Theirs might be to prepare a short outline and identify one question they want feedback on.
Put a follow-up date on the calendar. Record only what is needed to honor the commitment, using your organization’s approved process. A development plan should not become a collection of unnecessary personal details.
Week 4: Review what happened
Ask the person what they learned before offering your assessment. Discuss what worked, what was difficult, and what they would change next time.
Recognize a specific contribution or improvement you observed. If the plan stalled, explore the reason together. Workload, unclear expectations, or support you did not provide may be part of the answer.
Then choose the next step. Continue, adjust, or pause based on the person’s goal and what you both learned. Thirty days can establish useful practice; it does not guarantee a transformation.
Keep the measure simple
Did you understand the person’s goal? Did the practice opportunity happen? Did you keep your commitment? What does the person say helped?
The Field Guide’s coaching prompts can help you prepare. The value comes from what you do with that preparation, especially the conversation and the follow-up.