Good morning, Brilliant Leader Reader:
Welcome to this Week's Dose of Operational Strategy.
This week, we're talking about A Simple Task, But One That Often Gets Overlooked: The Meeting Ended. Now What? Plus, I'm sharing another AI for Brilliant Leaders tip on using Projects in ChatGPT more strategically, and all roads lead to North Carolina as I prepare to host the 2026 Speak Life Awards & Brunch. Let's dive in!
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On Friday, I attended the Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce networking happy hour. I met some incredible people from different industries, had great conversations, exchanged business cards, and a few people even asked me to add them to my newsletter list. It reminded me of something that happens to so many of us.
We attend networking events; We go to meetings; We schedule meet-and-greets. We have calls; Someone makes an introduction; The conversation is great, and then life happens. A project pops up. Something needs our attention. We get distracted, and the follow-through never happens.
That simple follow-up could have been the beginning of a referral, collaboration, friendship, client relationship, speaking opportunity, or strategic connection. So today, I want to remind you:
The meeting may be over, but your work is not.
Here are four things to do after making a new connection.
- Capture the context: Make a quick note of where you met the person, what they do, and something memorable from your conversation. You do not want to look at a business card two weeks later and think, “Now, who was this again?”
- Follow up within 24 to 48 hours. Send a simple email or message. Let them know it was great meeting them and that you would like to continue the conversation. Do not overcomplicate it.
- Take responsibility for the next step. When they respond, do not leave the scheduling responsibility sitting with them. Send your calendar link. Suggest a time. Schedule the coffee meeting. Make it easy for the relationship to continue.
- Learn a little more about them. While you are waiting to reconnect, take a few minutes to learn about their business. You may come across an article, opportunity, resource, or piece of information that connects directly to something you discussed. Send it to them. A simple message such as:
“I was thinking about our conversation and came across this. I thought you might find it helpful.”
That small gesture says something important: I listened. I remembered, and I value the connection.
Bonus Tip: Let AI Help With the Follow-Through. Use your favorite AI tool, whether that is ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or another platform, to help you create your follow-up sequence.
You can create: an initial “great meeting you” email, a second follow-up, a reminder to reconnect, a meeting recap, a personalized resource-sharing message
As your AI systems become more advanced, some of this process can even be streamlined through AI agents or AI-supported workflows. The goal is not to remove the human connection. The goal is to make sure you don’t lose the connection because life got busy. Follow-through is a simple administrative task, but it can quietly cost us valuable opportunities when we overlook it.
Now I want to hear from you.
Does this happen to you? Do you leave an event with great contacts and then realize days or weeks later that you never followed up?
Hit reply and tell me.
Until next week.
Much Love, Stacey
Stacey On The Move
All Roads Lead to North Carolina
This Saturday, I have the honor of supporting and serving as the host of the 2026 Speak Life Awards & Brunch, hosted by the visionary Dr. Laticia Nicole Beatty. There is something special about helping someone bring their vision to life, and I'm truly excited to be a part of this incredible celebration.
I'll also have the privilege of serving alongside Dr. Nadia Monsano, who will be joining us as our Virtual Host. I'm looking forward to an afternoon of celebration, inspiration, and honoring individuals who are making a meaningful impact.
Stay tuned... I'll be sharing highlights from this unforgettable event!
AI For Brilliant Leaders
Are You Using Projects in ChatGPT Properly?
Let me ask you a question. Are you actually using Projects in ChatGPT the way they were designed to be used? A Project is not just a folder where you throw a few random chats. Think of a Project as a dedicated workspace for one initiative. It gives you a single place to store conversations, files, instructions, reference materials, research, goals, and information related to that particular initiative.
When you set it up properly, it makes working inside ChatGPT much easier. Projects are great for planning, research, content creation, book development, events, ongoing business initiatives, and so much more.
Here are three things I want you to think about when you’re setting up your Projects.
- Create Projects by Initiative. Do not create a Project for every random topic you think about. Create it around something you’re actually building, managing, planning, or developing.
For example: 2026 Her Chosen Legacy Summit or 2026 Social Media Book Development. Now ChatGPT has a workspace for that initiative instead of information being scattered throughout different conversations.
- Give the Project the Information It Needs. This is the part I think people miss. Do not create the Project and then expect ChatGPT to understand everything you’re trying to accomplish. Give it context; Add the relevant files. Add your reference materials; add your goals; add the information ChatGPT needs to understand what you’re building. You can also add Project Instructions specifically for that Project. Click the three dots beside the Project, select Project Description, and add the instructions you want ChatGPT to follow while you’re working there.
For example, you might say: Act as my content writer. Write in my tone and voice. Be concise. Help me organize this initiative. Ask clarifying questions when information is missing. Those instructions are stored in the project description, and you won’t have to explain them every single time you start working.
- Keep Related Conversations Together. This is another big one. You do not need to create a brand-new Project every time you want to discuss another part of the same initiative. Keep the related conversations inside the same Project. You may have one conversation about the budget; another about marketing. Another about speakers; another about logistics. Another about content. Those can reside inside the same Project because they all belong to the same initiative. That is the point. The Project keeps that body of work together so you can continue building instead of constantly starting over. Depending on the features available in your ChatGPT account, you can add files via Google Drive, and Projects can be shared for collaborative work.
So here’s the easiest way to remember it: Do not think of a ChatGPT Project as a folder. Think of it as a workspace. A place where you’re actually doing the work. The more intentional you are about what you add to the workspace, the more useful ChatGPT becomes on that initiative.
Take a look at your Projects. Are they organized around actual initiatives? Do they have clear instructions? Have you added the information ChatGPT needs? Are you keeping the related work together? You may already be using Projects. Now the question is whether you’re using them strategically.
Until next week.
Regards,
Stacey D.M. Shaw
Your Chief Administrative Strategist
Author: Administrative Foundations for Success | NASDAQ Milestone 2024 Recipient | Wall Street Times Featured: "Building Strong Foundations. Streamlining Operations. Sustaining Growth." | 2024 Most Influential Speaker
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