{"id":"lead-two-bosses-conflicting-asks-reply","audience":"managers","category":"leadership-work","track":"leadership","level":"advanced","technique":"constraints","title":"Reply to two VPs with conflicting asks and set up one decision","free":false,"task":"Two VPs have given your team conflicting top priorities. Write one email to both, plain text, under 160 words, subject first. Set out the conflict in two lines (one per VP, with each ask and date), give the capacity numbers, offer two options labeled Option 1 and Option 2 with what slips, and ask them to decide by a date. Do not take a side, do not blame either, and end with: Our team will start on whichever you choose.","materialLabel":"Context (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"VP Marketing (Chiamaka): \"The campaign landing pages must be live by Dec 6. Highest priority.\"\nVP Sales (Dmitri): \"The customer demo environment must be fixed by Dec 6. Highest priority.\"\n\nTeam capacity (6 engineers): landing pages need 18 engineer-days; the demo environment fix needs 22 engineer-days. Available engineer-days between now and Dec 6: 30 (after holidays and leave, confirmed Nov 25).\nEarlier I estimated 25 days of capacity; the confirmed number is 30.\n\nOptions I see:\n1. Do the demo environment fully (22 days) and the landing pages partly (8 days, 3 of 6 pages), rest by Dec 13.\n2. Do the landing pages fully (18 days) and the demo fix partly (12 days, covering the two main demo flows), rest by Dec 13.\nTotal needed 40 days; capacity 30; the 10-day gap is why one must slip.\nDecision needed by Wednesday Nov 27.\nMy personal view: Sales should win. Do not say.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":160},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Taking a side","why":"The AI recommends Sales.","fix":"Say: \"Do not take a side.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Old capacity","why":"The AI uses 25 days.","fix":"Say: \"Confirmed capacity is 30 days.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Missing the deadline","why":"The AI ends with 'let me know'.","fix":"Say: \"Ask for a decision by Wednesday Nov 27.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Wrong ending","why":"The AI adds a sign-off after the last line.","fix":"Say: \"End with exactly: Our team will start on whichever you choose.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Markdown","why":"The AI bolds options.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text.\"","checks":["plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each sentence: \"each under 25 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part instead, for example: \"each line under 12 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Both VPs","patterns":["chiamaka","dmitri","both"]},{"label":"Numbers","patterns":["30","40","engineer-days"]},{"label":"Options","patterns":["option 1","option 2"]},{"label":"Neutral","patterns":["don'?t take a side","neutral"]},{"label":"Ending","patterns":["end with","exactly"]}],"hint":"Say what the email must lay out, the neutrality requirement, the ask date and the exact last sentence.","rubricLabels":["Starts with a Subject line, states Chiamaka's ask (landing pages by Dec 6) and Dmitri's ask (demo environment by Dec 6) on separate lines, and gives 30 available engineer-days (not 25) against 40 needed","Offers Option 1 (demo environment fully, 8 days of landing pages, 3 of 6 pages, rest by Dec 13) and Option 2 (landing pages fully, 12 days of demo fix, two main flows, rest by Dec 13), asks for a decision by Wednesday Nov 27","Does not say which VP should win and ends with exactly \"Our team will start on whichever you choose.\""]}