OG Tuesday Issue #249

🧩 25 PM tools to help your team get its sh*t together.

👤 Being an only child as an adult comes with its own set of lessons.

🤔 A US court says AI training on copyrighted books counts as fair use.

🔥 Join the 28-day Pilates challenge that’s transforming bodies (and snag 50% off).

In 2023, I went to my first AI conference and saw tools like Ideogram in action, played around with Poe, and learned that prompts could be 40+ pages long.

People were using these shiny new tools to supercharge their workflows: content creation, strategy, even video editing in the time it takes to find your camera charger.

Since then, the tools have only gotten weirder, smarter, and more powerful. Some folks are using AI to take real work off their plate: writing rough drafts, summarizing meetings, brainstorming ideas, generating client proposals, and so much more.

And while I don’t think AI will replace us, I do think people who know how to prompt well will replace the ones who don’t. Because how you talk to AI matters.

Someone once said AI is like having Amelia Bedelia as your intern—yes, the same one from those classic kids’ books I used to read with my mom. If you tell her to “draw the drapes,” she’ll sketch them. “Dust the furniture”? She’ll sprinkle it with powder.

Most people forget that AI is literal. It only knows what you give it. But if you’ve ever managed people, you already have a leg up. You know how to break down a process, give clear instructions, and explain what “done” looks like. Prompting is basically people management, just with a robot intern who never sleeps.

A few quick ways to get better at prompting:

• Start with context. Who is the AI acting as? A marketer? A copywriter? A hiring manager? Give it a role.
• Show a bad and good example. Even one of each helps AI learn what to avoid—and what to aim for.
• Add constraints. Word count, tone, format—all of it helps the AI stay on track.

Want to actually use AI to earn more, work less, and feel way more confident doing it? Over 70% of you said yes to an AI workshop—so we’re making it happen.

Join us next Wednesday, July 9, for a free, live 60-minute session packed with practical strategies to help you get sharper, faster, and finally feel in control of AI (not the other way around).

👉 Save your spot here.

See you there,

HR never slows down, and neither does employment law. The second half of 2025 is already packed with new compliance standards, evolving worker protections, and enforcement priorities that could leave your org exposed if you’re not ahead of it.

Join Traliant’s free webinar, 2025 Mid-Year Employment Law Update, on July 16 at 2pm ET, where top legal and compliance experts will break down:

• 🔍 The latest changes to wage & hour rules
• 🚦 New leave and accommodation requirements
• 📝 What regulators are watching (so you’re not caught off guard)

You’ll walk away with actionable insights to keep your policies airtight and your team aligned with today’s legal landscape—plus, earn SHRM and HRCI credit while you’re at it.

👉 Register here (it’s free!)

A reader told us: “My biggest challenge is working in a male-dominated industry and always trying to prove myself.”

That pressure to constantly validate your worth isn’t in your head. In male-dominated fields, women are expected to repeatedly earn trust they’ve already earned. Around 23 percent say they can’t afford a single mistake without it impacting how they’re perceived, and for women of color, that number rises to 32 percent.

The “prove-it-again” phenomenon means men are judged on potential while women must rely on a track record of results. When women are assertive, their behavior is often seen as aggressive, and performance feedback tends to focus more on personality than impact.

The cost? More work, less credit, and a growing sense that you always need to be just a little more impressive.

🧠 What That Does to You

This isn’t imposter syndrome. It’s structural. Juggling performance with constant perception management has real consequences—cognitive overload, stress, and slower advancement. Women who work in roles with fewer female peers are more likely to feel pressure to perform perfectly at all times.

💡 What You Can Do Instead

At your level, it’s not about proving you can do the job, it’s about making sure the right people know you already are. Try this:

Choose visible, strategic work that builds your reputation without needing a backstory. Let your output speak before you do.

Use powerful language that signals ownership: “I led,” “I drove,” “I decided.” No more softening.

Clarify deliverables early to prevent scope creep or last-minute pivots that drain your time and authority.

Document results and wins continuously; not for approval, but for leverage. Keep a personal file of metrics, feedback, and screenshots.

Cut the over-explaining especially when the outcome is clear. You’re not here to narrate your competence.

Pre-wire key players before big meetings to build alignment. The art of pre-wiring turns influence into action.

Don’t let interruptions slide. Practice holding the floor with direct language: “Let me finish this point,” or “Let’s come back to what I was saying.” You’ll be interrupted. Be ready for it.

📈 What This Really Means

Only one in four C-suite leaders is a woman, and just one in 20 is a woman of color. Even though women earn more degrees than men and stay in the workforce at nearly equal rates, gender gaps in leadership remain stubbornly wide.

Breaking into those roles means you’ve already cleared hurdles most people don’t even see. Women must show stronger credentials and deliver more consistent results just to be seen as equally capable.

You don’t need to prove yourself again. You already did that. Now it’s about protecting your progress and walking into the room like it’s yours, because it is.

AI tools are everywhere. But that doesn’t mean you want your writing to sound like it came from a robot.

QuillBot helps you use AI strategically, so you can write clearly, confidently, and yes, humanly. Whether it’s for emails, docs, or your next thought leadership post, QuillBot’s suite of tools makes it easier to create content that sounds like you.

• ✅ Detect overly AI-written text before your boss (or the algorithm) does
• ✅ Rewrite awkward copy in seconds
• ✅ Fix grammar without the Grammarly-overkill vibes
• ✅ Humanize your tone to sound more natural
• ✅ Summarize long docs so you can actually get to the point

We’re especially loving the AI Detector right now—it’s perfect for anyone using AI to brainstorm or draft, but who still wants to pass the “did a person actually write this?” test.

👉 Try QuillBot for free and give your workflow the upgrade it deserves.

The best career advice I’ve received was from a former manager who shared Yoda’s wisdom, “Do or do not. There is no try.” When I was facing uncertainty, this shifted my mindset from tentatively “trying” to decisive action. It empowered me to separate emotionally from outcomes, focus on execution, and persevere with conviction through challenging organizational transitions. This simple phrase has been foundational to my resilience and approach to complex projects ever since.

Lacey G. (Workforce Optimization Strategist & Creator)

🌞 Because who doesn’t like liquid sunshine in a bottle.

🛒 Square = payments anywhere your customers are, with zero shady fees.

📱 This sleek iPhone 16 Pro case brings premium protection without the bulk.

📚 Cancel your plans—Don’t Let Him In is a one-sit thriller that’ll mess with your head.

• Addison Group is hiring for a Human Resources Payroll Coordinator (Charlotte, NC).
• Datavault AI, Inc. is hiring for an Office Manager (Roswell, GA).
• AccruePartners is hiring for a Litigation Paralegal (Charlotte, NC).
• Ledgent is hiring for a Project Accountant (Richmond, CA).
• Mythics, LLC is hiring for an Executive Assistant (Virginia Beach, VA).

⭐ View more jobs here >

‼️ Pssst…here’s the webinar registration link.

Have more feedback? 💌 Reply to this email and tell us.

⭐️ Answer to the riddle.

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