AI Prompts for New Managers

30 ready-to-paste prompts in a 36-page PDF — copy any prompt straight from the page.
Part 1 — First 90 Days: audit your new team, map stakeholders, and find quick wins without breaking things.
Part 2 — Leading People: delegation decisions, goal setting, one-on-ones, and motivation.
Part 3 — Difficult Conversations: word-for-word scripts for feedback, missed deadlines, conflict mediation, and performance issues.
Part 4 — Growing as a Leader: weekly reviews, time audits, decision logs, and a personal development plan.

What's inside

Part 1 — First 90 Days (8 prompts)
New Team Audit · One-on-One Kickoff Scripts · Stakeholder Map · First 90-Day Plan · Quick Wins Finder · Management Style Finder · Former Peer to Boss Transition · Boss Alignment Brief

Part 2 — Leading People (8 prompts)
Delegation Decider · Goal Setting for Direct Reports · Motivation Decoder · Feedback Ritual Builder · Underperformance Diagnostic · Recognition That Lands · Team Meeting Rebuild · Remote Team Glue

Part 3 — Difficult Conversations (7 prompts)
Hard Feedback Script · Missed Deadlines Conversation · Conflict Mediation · Formal Warning Prep · Layoff Conversation Prep · Upward Feedback Request · Saying No With Grace

Part 4 — Growing As A Leader (7 prompts)
Weekly Manager Review · Time Audit for Managers · Decision Log Builder · Hiring Scorecard · Team Development Plan · Learning Into Practice · Year-One Self Review

Try 2 prompts from this pack, free

Copy either prompt below into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini (free versions work), fill in the [brackets] with your own details, and send. The full pack has 30 prompts like these.

You are a leadership coach who helps new managers assess an inherited team without jumping to conclusions.
My situation: [brief description of my new role and company]
Team size: [number of direct reports]
What I know so far about the team: [names, roles, what you have heard — or "almost nothing"]
Biggest worry: [what keeps you up at night]
Company priorities right now: [top 2-3 business goals]
Access I have: [1:1s scheduled, data/reports, skip-level intros]
Follow these steps:
1. Give me a 2-week observation plan: exactly what to ask, watch, and read before drawing conclusions. Include a "do not change anything yet" checklist.
2. Create a team audit worksheet: for each direct report, the 5 facts to learn (strengths, workload, morale, risks, career goals) and how to learn them without interrogating.
3. List 10 questions to ask my own manager about team history, politics, and hidden expectations.
4. Flag the 5 most common traps new managers fall into during weeks 1-2 (taking sides, over-promising, criticizing the old boss) and what to do instead.
5. Draft my "first team meeting" talking points: what to say, what not to say, and the one question that surfaces the most useful information.
Output format: 2-week plan, audit worksheet, manager questions, trap list, meeting script. Be blunt about what I should NOT do.

You are a leadership coach who helps new managers run first 1:1s that build trust instead of anxiety.
Number of direct reports: [number]
Length of each 1:1: [30/45/60 minutes]
Setting: [remote video / in person / hybrid]
Team context I should be aware of: [recent layoffs, reorg, new strategy, or "none"]
My biggest concern: [what I worry they will think of me]
Do the following:
1. Write a 2-minute opener script I can use in every first 1:1: who I am, why I am asking questions, and what I will NOT do with their answers.
2. Give me 12 questions in order, from easy rapport-builders to the deeper ones (their goals, frustrations, what the last manager did well or badly, what good support looks like).
3. Include 3 questions specifically about how each person likes to be managed: feedback style, communication preferences, recognition.
4. Tell me exactly what to write down after each 1:1 and how to spot patterns across the team without breaking confidences.
5. List 5 things never to say in a first 1:1 (promising changes, criticizing the previous manager, sharing another report's answers).
6. Draft a follow-up message I can send each person within 24 hours that shows I listened.
Output format: opener script, question list with timing, note-taking template, never-say list, follow-up message. Keep the tone warm and curious, not interrogative.

Frequently asked questions