We are learning that while AI can deliver speed and boost productivity, it lacks human traits essential for high-level interactions. It is important to understand how your human agency can be expanded to experience a higher level of intelligence by partnering with your colleagues and AI. We are naturally built to empower each other because human agency is inherently sociable, whether we are introverts or extroverts.
Collaboration is built on trust, enabling authentic conversations beyond machines. While AI can mimic personas, humans have “meta-agency” to choose how they engage in relationships. This makes purposeful interaction aligned with personas, whether in face-to-face, digital, or phonetic contexts.
To partner with AI, shift your thinking from surface-level use to intentional engagement. Translate your professional role into clear frameworks so the tool consistently delivers high-quality results. Mastering markdown and capability files will set you apart from the masses.
Take a moment to learn about both and use the learning sprint framework to deepen your understanding. Here’s an overview:
comparison at-a-glance
| Feature | Markdown Template | Skill File |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Structure output | Add reusable knowledge or workflows |
| Persistence | Chats or personalized agents | Can persist across sessions |
| Effect on model | Guides formatting | Expands what the model can reference |
| Complexity | Simple | Can be highly detailed |
| Source: Copilot |
| Markdown Template Example [.md file] | Skill File Example |
|---|---|
# Meeting Brief: [Meeting Name] **Date:** [Date] **Duration:** [25 or 50 min] **Attendees:** [List with roles] ## Purpose [One – two sentences: Summarize what decision or outcome is this meeting for or what are we trying to solve] ## Pre-Read Context [2-3 bullets maximum – what attendees need to know] ## Agenda 1. **[Item Name]** – DECISION REQUIRED – What we’re deciding: – Recommendation: – Time: [X min] 2. **[Item Name]** – DISCUSSION – What we’re aligning on: – Time: [X min] ## Risks/Bottlenecks [Anything that could derail the meeting] ## Follow-up [Outstanding items that need to be addressed to move pending efforts forward] ## Wrap-up [Summary of actions and outcomes for this meeting] | Skill: Executive Meeting Purpose: Ensure every executive meeting is decision-ready, time-protected, and outcome-driven by translating inputs into structured preparation, aligned participants, and actionable follow-through. Scope: Leadership meetings, cross-functional reviews, decision forums, and strategic check-ins. It does not apply to informal 1:1s or external client meetings. Required Inputs: Meeting objective or reason for meeting, attendee list and roles, calendar constraints and time window, pre-existing documents, threads, or updates, preferences and decision thresholds. And, if any required input is missing, flag before proceeding. Decision Logic: – Is the meeting for decision, discussion, alignment, or information? – If no decision, no dependency, and no escalation required, suggest async alternative. – If decision data is incomplete, flag confidence level. Optimize structure: 1) Agenda items ordered by priority; 2) Decision items placed first; 3) Time allocations reflect risk and complexity. Apply executive preferences: Respect known patterns such as no meetings before X time, buffer rules, or preferred formats. Output: 1) Clear agenda with purpose per item; 2) Pre-reads summarized to executive level; 3) Decision callouts labeled explicitly; 4) Risks or unknowns flagged; 5) During or immediately after, concise summary focused on outcomes, not transcript; 6) Explicit decisions made; 7) Owners and deadlines assigned; 8) Items deferred or unresolved clearly noted; 9) All outputs must be brief, structured, for ease of quick scan. |
| Use case: Follow the format and structure of meetings. Source: Claude | Use case: How to proceed with scheduling meetings. Source: Claude |
adapt and adopt
Deepening your use of the tool requires a mindset shift in which you observe your own professional patterns and communicate them more clearly to the LLM. This understanding will help you champion, adapt, and adopt campaigns in your organization.
For instance, instead of asking the tool for help with a general task, instruct the tool to operate based on the defined role preferences.
Real-world example prompt: You are a strategic analyst who thinks critically. Please refer to the attached travel preferences resource to help me execute the task. Ask me nuanced questions before you proceed if there’s any ambiguity that needs clarification.
This is how you balance a co-intelligence partnership. Use AI for consistency, speed, and pattern recognition. Use your judgment to decide if AI’s output fits. By building markdown templates and skill capabilities, you give consistent context and position yourself as a futurist.
markdown templates
Contextual, simple, lightweight text that exists inside the current chat or agent. They provide instruction on how you want something structured and formatted.
Guide the model: Templates are frameworks. When you give the model structure, it fills it in more reliably.
Standardize outputs: For consistent deliverables, like agendas, briefs, email drafts, and project plans, to maintain structure.
Reduce redundancy: For EAs, templates eliminate layers of duplicate work. For the model, they reduce the number of decisions it has to make.
Methodology: If the organization has a signature process or brand guidance, templates help the model stay compliant.
skills / capability files
Skills files guide the tool with rules, steps, and workflows. They’re reusable for multiple tasks or sessions.
Guide the model: A skill is a ruleset or framework for the tool to use when relevant.
Standardize outputs: These files support standard operating procedures, decision trees, role definitions, domain knowledge, or multi‑step workflows.
Reduce redundancy: With a clear skill outline, the action will run on customized instructions, reducing the steps required to perform a task.
Methodology: They don’t change how the model thinks, but provide institutional knowledge to draw from.
built to empower
This is how you balance a co-intelligence partnership. Use the AI for consistency, speed, and scalable pattern recognition. Apply your authorship and judgment to determine if the AI’s output is appropriate and accurate. When you start creating markdown templates and skills capabilities, you are not only built to empower, you are positioning yourself as a futurist!
