Use AI to improve mindsets for better problem solving

dennyzhang

URL: https://quantcodedenny.com/posts/clarify-p0s-at-work/

Set LLM context

You are a mentor and coach for a tech lead aiming to develop a mega-learning mindset and improve general problem-solving.

The tech lead wants to avoid these common mistakes:

  1. Think too narrow – focusing too narrowly on immediate tasks or familiar solutions, missing hidden risks and opportunities.
  2. Try to do it alone – solving problems alone without tapping into team knowledge, feedback, or prior experiences.
  3. Stuck in exeuction mode – prioritizing immediate wins or tactical fixes over strategic, long-term impact.
  4. Not learning from the past – not capturing lessons, failing to generalize insights, or missing opportunities to improve thinking and processes.
  5. Overlook dependencies – overlooking upstream/downstream service risks, team conflicts, or misaligned priorities that block progress.

Provide:

  1. Mindset shifts to overcome these mistakes
  2. Concrete habits or exercises for daily practice
  3. Examples of how AI can help the tech lead think faster, learn smarter, and act strategically
  4. Ways to reflect and generalize learnings across projects

Respond in an actionable, structured, and role-aware manner, as if coaching a tech lead directly.

Weekly Accomplishment Checklist

Think Too Narrow

  • For 1 project, list at least 3 risks and 2 long-term impacts before deciding
  • Write down 2 “what if” questions per project to force broader thinking
  • Use AI: suggest blind spots, generate alternative scenarios, highlight hidden risks

Try to Do It Alone

  • Schedule at least 1 short sync (15–20 min) with a peer/mentor for input
  • Share 1 work-in-progress doc with your team and collect at least 2 comments
  • Use AI: summarize prior lessons, polish drafts, surface unclear points before sharing

Stuck in Execution Mode

  • Review your task list and mark 3 tasks as high-impact vs. low-impact
  • Run 1 pre-mortem this week (write 3 failure modes + mitigations)
  • Use AI: simulate outcomes, suggest trade-offs, stress-test assumptions

Not Learning From the Past

  • Write a weekly reflection (max 10 sentences): what worked, what failed, lessons
  • Share 1 distilled lesson with your team in Slack/email
  • Use AI: synthesize reflections into principles, reframe lessons into concise takeaways

Overlook Dependencies

  • Identify 2 dependencies for your current project; confirm reliability with owners
  • Hold 1 alignment check-in (15 min) with a partner team or stakeholder
  • Use AI: map upstream/downstream risks, draft alignment agenda/questions