Every business leader has been there.

You gather smart people around the table. You explain the goals. You run the meetings. And yet, you leave each call without a clear next step.

You’re stuck. Sometimes, the issue isn’t about people working against each other. It’s about everyone working with different assumptions. And when that happens, no amount of talking fixes it.

But there’s a new way to move forward. Many CEOs and founders are starting to use AI not just for writing or coding but to organize ideas, resolve deadlocks, and bring structure to chaos.

This article breaks down a simple method that helped a team go from 10 hours of meetings with no outcome… to one single AI-assisted prompt that changed everything. Here’s how to use it in your business.
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The Business Problem: Alignment Is Harder Than Execution

Let’s say you’re leading a high-stakes project. Two key leaders on your team, maybe your Head of Sales and your Product Director have different visions for how it should start.

Both have valid points. But neither will budge. Every meeting ends in circles. Deadlines are approaching. And you still don’t have alignment.

This isn’t a workflow problem. It’s a people problem wrapped in strategy.

And it’s a perfect moment to bring in AI not to decide for you, but to structure the problem.

Read More: Steal These 5 AI Use Cases from the World’s Most Efficient Companies
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The 1-3-1 Framework: An Executive AI Method for Strategic Alignment

The framework is called 1-3-1. It comes from entrepreneur Dan Martell. 

And when paired with AI, it turns messy ideas into clear strategy.

Here’s how it works:
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Step 1: Define the One Core Problem

The AI starts by rephrasing and clarifying the exact issue.

For example:

“Two senior leaders are stuck on different ideas about where to begin a project. We need one clear starting point they can both agree on.”

By feeding the AI your meeting notes, emails, or stakeholder feedback, it can summarize the root issue with surprising clarity.

Why this matters:

• You eliminate hidden assumptions.
  
• Everyone sees the same problem.
  
• You remove the emotion and focus on facts.
  

For inspiration, check out our blog post sharing 10 AI business ideas for small companies.

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Step 2: Generate Three Strategic Paths

Once the problem is clear, the AI suggests three ways forward.

Each path is practical, balanced, and informed by the data you gave it.

It might sound like:

1. Start with the customer pain point (Sales’ preference).
   
   
2. Begin with a technical foundation (Product’s preference).
   
   
3. Launch a hybrid pilot that tests both paths in parallel.
   
   

The AI explains the pros and cons of each.

It’s not “deciding” for you. It’s creating space for clarity.

Why this matters:

• It turns either/or fights into both/and conversations.
  
  
• It creates shared language across teams.
  
  
• It saves weeks of back-and-forth.

Read More: The Power of AI Meeting Co-Pilots: How CEOs Use AI to Grow Revenue
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Step 3: Recommend One Clear Path

Finally, the AI picks one best option and explains why.

Example:

“Option 3 balances short-term validation with long-term scalability. It addresses the Sales team’s urgency while de-risking the Product team’s concerns.”

Even if you don’t go with that final pick, the value is in the reasoning.

You now have:

• A rational summary
• A fair breakdown of options
• A strong starting point for real decisions

Step 3: Recommend One Clear Path

Finally, the AI picks one best option and explains why.

Example:

“Option 3 balances short-term validation with long-term scalability. It addresses the Sales team’s urgency while de-risking the Product team’s concerns.”

Even if you don’t go with that final pick, the value is in the reasoning.

You now have:

• A rational summary
• A fair breakdown of options
• A strong starting point for real decisions
  
  

How to Use This in Your Business

You don’t need fancy tools to make this work.

Here’s a practical way to get started:

What You Need:

• A local or cloud-based AI (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.)
• The 1-3-1 framework (we’ll share a prompt below)
• Raw materials: meeting notes, emails, strategy docs, or stakeholder quotes
  
  

What You Provide:

• Clear context: “Here’s the issue we’re stuck on…”
• All relevant data (paste in full if possible)
• Your desired outcome (alignment, clarity, decision)

What You Ask AI:

“You are a team of expert consultants. Use the 1-3-1 framework. Analyze this situation and give me:

• One clear problem statement
• Three viable strategic solutions (with pros/cons)
• One final recommendation with reasons.”
  

That’s it. You’ll often get back a structured, unbiased summary in under 60 seconds.

It’s not about trusting the AI blindly. It’s about using it as your thinking partner.

Read More: AI in Employee Training: Practical Use Cases for Faster, Smarter Learning
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Real-World Scenarios Where This Works

Here are five examples where CEOs can use the 1-3-1 AI method:

1. Product Launch Disagreements

Your CMO wants to go wide with features. Your CTO wants to keep it simple. Use AI to break down both ideas and create a hybrid launch plan.

2. Customer Feedback Overload

You’ve collected hundreds of survey responses. Instead of scrolling, have AI summarize themes, rank key concerns, and suggest improvements.

3. Strategic Planning Sessions

Before your quarterly retreat, ask AI to turn past meeting notes into structured options for what to prioritize next.

4. Hiring Decisions

Struggling between three final candidates? Feed the AI their resumes, interview notes, and role goals. Let it summarize trade-offs and make a justified suggestion.

5. Conflict Resolution

When team members can’t agree, let AI translate their perspectives into options everyone can understand.
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Why the 1-3-1 AI Method Drives Faster Decision Making

Most executives don’t need more data. They need clarity.

The 1-3-1 framework, powered by AI, helps by:

• Reducing emotional noise
• Accelerating alignment
• Highlighting trade-offs
• Saving time and energy
  

You still lead the decision. But you do it with fewer blind spots.
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Best Practices for Your 1-3-1 AI Prompt

If you want your AI prompt to really work, follow these best practices:

• Be specific in your role instruction
  
  Start with: “You are a strategic advisor with deep business and operations experience.”
  
  
• Give real inputs
  
  Don’t summarize. Paste raw content like emails, transcripts, bullet points.
  
  
• Mention your goal
  
  For example: “We need to choose the best path forward before next week’s board meeting.”
  
  
• Use simple structure
  
  Ask for the response in 1-3-1 format so it’s easy to present.
  
  
• Review, don’t outsource
  
  AI is your co-pilot, not your boss. Use its answer as a thinking tool.
  
  

Final Words

You don’t need to spend weeks resolving internal debates. You don’t need to choose between gut feel and groupthink. You can let AI give you a structured draft that speeds up alignment and cuts through complexity.

And you don’t need to be technical to do this. You just need to give AI the right format to think in.

Here’’s the exact 1-3-1 AI prompt that top execs are using to make smarter decisions faster:

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Strategic Planning Prompt

# ROLE

You are a board of expert strategic consultants, a creative problem-solver, and a pragmatic project manager. Your expertise spans business strategy, operations, technology, and human behavior. You have a strong bias for action and prioritize simple, high-leverage solutions over complex, theoretical ones.

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# GOAL

Analyze the problem I provide and apply the 1-3-1 Framework to deliver a clear, actionable, and well-reasoned strategic response. You must think critically, creatively, and focus on immediate, tangible impact.

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# TASK & FRAMEWORK (1-3-1)

Task: You will rigorously follow the 1-3-1 framework based on my input below.

1. [ONE] Problem Statement Deconstruction:
   
   • Begin by rephrasing and confirming your understanding of my problem statement.
   • Briefly analyze the core challenge and its implications based on the context I provide.
2. [THREE] Potential Solutions:
   
   • Generate three distinct and viable solutions to the problem.
   • Core Principles: Each solution must adhere to the principles of KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and the Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule). Focus on the 20% of effort that will deliver 80% of the results. The solutions must be practical and straightforward.
   • For EACH of the three solutions, provide the following structure:
     
     • Solution Title: A clear, descriptive name.
     • Description: A concise paragraph explaining the solution's core concept and how it works.
     • Pros: At least 3 key advantages of this approach.
     • Cons: At least 3 key disadvantages or risks associated with this approach.
     • Estimated Resources & Effort: A high-level estimate (e.g., Low, Medium, High).
3. [ONE] Final Recommendation:
   
   • Select the single best solution out of the three you proposed.
   • Provide a detailed justification for your recommendation, using the Evaluation Criteria provided in my input. You must explicitly state why it represents the best 80/20 opportunity.
   • Explicitly state why the recommended solution is superior to the other two options.
   • Outline the immediate next 3-5 steps to begin implementing this solution.

# CONSTRAINTS

Adhere strictly to the constraints I define in the [--- YOUR INPUT ---] section (e.g., budget, timeline, team size). These are non-negotiable guardrails for your solutions.

# OUTPUT FORMAT

Use clear Markdown for headers, sub-headers, and bullet points to structure your response exactly as outlined in the Task section.

[--- YOUR INPUT ---]

1. Problem Statement: [Clearly state the single problem you are trying to solve. e.g., "Our customer support team's response time for high-priority tickets has increased by 40% in the last quarter, leading to a 15% drop in customer satisfaction scores."]

2. Context & Background: [Provide the necessary background. Why is this a problem now? What have you tried already? Who is affected? e.g., "We recently launched a new product version, causing a surge in ticket volume. Our team size has remained the same (10 agents). We tried creating FAQ documents, but they aren't being used effectively."]

3. Desired Outcome & Success Metrics: [What does success look like? How will you measure it? e.g., "Reduce the average response time for high-priority tickets to under 2 hours and increase the customer satisfaction score back to 90% within the next 6 months."]

4. Constraints & Resources: [List your limitations.]

• Budget: Maximum of $15,000 for new software or external resources.
• Timeline: A noticeable improvement must be seen within 3 months.
• Team: No new hires are possible in the next 6 months.

5. Evaluation Criteria for Recommendation: [List the key factors to weigh when choosing the best solution. The AI will use these to justify its recommendation.]

1. 80/20 Impact (Highest Priority): Which solution provides the maximum result for the minimum effort?
2. Simplicity (KISS): How easy is this to understand, implement, and maintain?
3. Speed to Implement: How quickly can we see results?
4. Cost-Effectiveness: What is the highest ROI given our budget?

[--- END YOUR INPUT ---]

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This prompt is your starting point, a powerful tool to bring structure to strategic chaos. By using AI as a thinking partner, you're not just resolving one-off disagreements; you're building a more aligned, decisive, and efficient organization. But where else can AI create value?

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Ready to Discover Your AI Advantage?

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You’ll walk away with clarity and action exactly what a CEO needs to steer AI strategy forward.

• Tailored to your business  
• Based on real operational data  
• Built for CEOs who want clarity and action

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can CEOs use AI to align teams? 

By applying structured prompts like the 1-3-1 framework, leaders can resolve internal deadlocks and clarify strategic direction.

2. What is the 1-3-1 AI method?  

It’s a framework where AI helps define 1 core problem, suggest 3 solutions, and recommend 1 path forward.

3. Which AI tools are best for this? 

ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity are all effective if given the right prompt structure.

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• Steal These 5 AI Use Cases from the World’s Most Efficient Companies

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