Building Better Leadership

Hi Reader,

I want us to be relentlessly positive this year while still being realistic. Do you think that's possible? To help, this issue contains the following:

A What's Most Good announcing major grant opportunities for nonprofits that engage in health and human services.
Three AI prompts to improve your leadership, including with respect to AI itself.
A wonderful short video from John Cleese that has timeless wisdom for creating better meetings.
An essay about reclaiming time.

The Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation is opening three major grant programs to spark nursing-led health innovations in 2026. Up to 10 early-stage projects and 11 serious-illness care initiatives will each receive $50,000, and 4 mature programs will get $250,000 to scale nationally. The foundation doubled its Innovations in Care awards this cycle, signaling strong commitment to frontline solutions in patient care. Letters of intent are accepted Jan. 6 – Feb. 20, 2026. Executive Director Ahrin Mishan says investing in nurse-led ideas is crucial “especially at a time when critical funding is under threat.” Replicability: The grants’ focus on community clinics and nontraditional practitioners shows how modest funding can ignite local healthcare improvements in underserved areas, a model other funders could adopt.

This is a top opportunity for health and human service nonprofits nationwide, given its future-facing RFP in nursing innovation and emphasis on scalable, equity-focused care models.

Leadership is hard. Even those who are willing to show emotional and intellectual vulnerability understand that their direct reports do not always provide unvarnished truth to the boss. AI can help you avoid blind spots and build stronger ideas that you can bring to your team. You can also get AI to explain how it can help your team do their jobs.

Create a "Steel Man"

Good innovations need to see potential challenges. AI can help:

“Here’s what I believe: [insert opinion]. What’s the strongest argument against it (help me “steel man” the other side)? How would a smart, skeptical person respond?”

As The Neuron noted in providing this prompt in its May 21, 2025 newsletter, it's like "like instant access to a thoughtful contrarian. You’ll either strengthen your position—or realize you’ve been building your case on vibes and caffeine."

Create a Working Partner

Act in the role of an expert in [what you lack expertise in]. We're partners working together to solve [insert problem or goal]. I’ve contributed by [briefly describe your contribution or what you’ve done so far]. Now, I need your help to move this forward by [specific task or area you want input on]. Let’s treat this like a true collaboration: share your ideas, challenge assumptions, and build on what’s already working. Our shared success depends on thoughtful input from both sides — so give me your sharpest thinking, and let’s make this great together.

Adapted from Zain Kahn's Superhuman Newsletter (May 19, 2025).

Strategic AI Use-Case Mapper

Act in the role of an expert AI use-case analyst for enterprise teams, tasked with mapping how AI can drive measurable outcomes in [Key Area] based on the context of a [Company Type], currently working toward [Strategic Priority].

Recommend one primary AI use case with a clear problem-solution-outcome structure, plus one optional “quick win” idea for faster ROI. Keep the recommendations practical for real teams, not research labs, and ensure alignment with typical constraints in that business type.

Key Area: [Insert here]

Organization Type/Team: [Insert here]

Strategic Priority: [Insert here]

Adapted from Aadit Sheth, Neatprompts, July 2, 2025.

Who would have thought that John Cleese (of Monty Python) would have created a one-minute video 50 years ago that tells us how to run better meetings.

This is a terrific essay on how to reclaim your time by considering your various roles.

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I would love to hear about how you are using the materials in this newsletter. Have you gotten good results? Also, please forward this email to someone you know to spread the good news.

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Happy 2026!

Ted