The Human Operating System
You've become good at prompting AI. But did anyone teach you how to prompt yourself?
Whether we’re talking about ChatGPT or your nervous system, the quality of a prompt determines the quality of the response. You’ve learned to be specific with AI - now you have to do the same with yourself.
We are animals with biological code. As Yuval Harari puts it, millions of years of evolution have written programs into your nervous system: fight-or-flight when threatened, conformity in groups, short-term thinking under pressure. This code kept our ancestors alive. It's still running - usually without your conscious input.
The work isn't to override your biology. It's to know it, work with it, and upgrade your programming so your code doesn't run you. That's the shift from code to consciousness - from automatic reaction to aware choice.
From consciousness, human-centric leadership becomes possible - and McKinsey research shows it delivers. Companies focused on this are 1.5X more likely to remain high performers, with half the earnings volatility of their peers. But here's what that actually means for you…
You stop making decisions you regret later because you were triggered.
Your team stops second-guessing whether it's safe to tell you the truth.
You can finally see what actually matters instead of just reacting to whatever's loudest.
The exhausting gap between how you want to show up and how you actually do? It closes.
Most leadership training focuses on what to do: better communication frameworks, more efficient processes, sharper execution. What actually differentiates leaders now is how to be. Not your to-do list but your to-be list. The state you lead from determines everything else. And like any high-performance capacity, it's trainable.
That's what this framework is. Elite athletes train their bodies deliberately. You're about to train your operating system for leadership the same way.
Awareness: Prompting yourself to notice what's actually happening
Altitude: Prompting your mind for insight and perspective
Alchemy: Prompting your nervous system to shift state
Take what resonates. Try what feels right. I'd genuinely love to hear how these land for you.
How the 3As Work Together
These three practices build on each other in the moments when leadership gets hard. Think of it as a progression:
You catch yourself spiraling or avoiding or snapping at your team (Awareness)
You step back far enough to see the pattern clearly instead of being swept up in it (Altitude)
Then you shift your state so you can handle it the way you actually want to - not the way your code defaulted to (Alchemy)
Each practice strengthens the others. The more aware you b.ecome, the faster you can create distance. The better you get at shifting state, the easier it is to observe without reacting. The more you walk the path, the more this becomes your new operating system
Your Next Step
The 3-Day Microdose (my recommendation):
Day 1: Awareness
Day 2: Altitude
Day 3: Alchemy
Three practices, three consecutive days, just a few minutes each. Experience the progression. See what shifts.
Or jump straight to what you need most: If you've got a difficult conversation tomorrow or a board meeting this week, start where the pressure is:
Start with AWARENESS if:
You're making decisions on autopilot
You catch yourself mid-reaction and think "why did I just do that?"
You're exhausted but don't notice until you've made a mistake
You want to be more present in meetings but your mind is always racing
Start with ALTITUDE if:
You're stuck in the weeds and can't see the bigger picture
You have a major decision and you're too close to it
You need strategic clarity before a board meeting or investor pitch
You're at a crossroads and not sure which path to take
Start with ALCHEMY if:
You walk into high-stakes moments already dysregulated
You need to shift from scattered to focused or hesitant to courageous
You carry stress from one meeting directly into the next
You want immediate tools before presentations, difficult conversations, or decisions
Still not sure? Start with The Oracle (under Altitude). Meet the version of you who's already solved what you're facing. That's the one I'd pick. There's something about accessing your own wisdom that cuts through all the noise.
You're Ready
You already know you need strategic thinking, analytical skills, coaching capability. But what makes all of that actually work? The ability to lead yourself first.
Let me be honest: You're never going to be 100% conscious. Nobody is. You'll still snap at your team sometimes. You'll still spiral before big presentations. You'll still avoid difficult conversations. That's being human.
But even a 10% shift changes everything. One crucial conversation that doesn't blow up. One hiring decision made from clarity instead of panic. One board meeting where you stay grounded instead of defensive. That's what this work delivers.
And that's why all three practices matter. The magic is in how they work together: You catch yourself mid-pattern. You rise above it. You shift your state and choose differently. Do that enough times and it starts becoming your new default - not because you're trying to be perfect, but because it actually works.
Go lead.