The End of Decision Fatigue: How AI helps Autumn P. Work Smarter

At Zscaler, our "AI Forward, People First" philosophy is about what AI can unlock in our people. We believe an "AI Innovator" isn't just someone with AI in their title; it's anyone who embraces AI curiosity to transform how they work. We're building a culture to empower our teams to see AI not just as a tool, but as a professional partner. Meet Autumn Policicchio, a Partner Enablement Activation Manager, who shares her story of how her journey with AI began in the most unexpected way.

It’s ironic: I’ve worked in the tech industry since before "the cloud" had two meanings, yet I was never someone who got excited about new technology. For years, I saw tech as just a tool for the job. But in the last year, something fundamental shifted. The AI I once imagined as science fiction became ubiquitous, and it started taking the guesswork out of my life.

The "Aha!" Moment: Optimizing the Home Life

My personal AI journey didn't start at my desk; it started in my kitchen. I wanted my family to eat better, and I wanted to spend less time on meal planning and managing our grocery budget.

On a whim, I uploaded a list of groceries I keep on hand and details of a specific meal plan to a chat AI. Within minutes, it generated a full weekly plan, complete with recipes and shopping lists, perfectly optimized around my inventory. Before long, my family was eating better, and I was more efficient than ever.

That personal "aha!" moment lit a fire in me. I was so impressed that I connected with Zscaler’s internal AI experts to host an info session for the Women in Zscaler Engage (WIZE) employee resource group. It was a huge hit and inspired me to become an early adopter of ZChat, Zscaler’s internal AI platform.

AI as a Professional Partner

I decided to apply the same principle from my kitchen to my work: identify the biggest time sink and apply AI.

As the manager for three simultaneous partner enablement programs, my bottleneck was clear: building presentations. I was constantly reinventing the wheel, and the creative drain from staring at blank slides was real.

This is where AI became my professional partner and my creative assistant.

• A Cure for Writer’s Block: Instead of staring at a blank slide, I use AI to brainstorm outlines, session flows, and talking points, kicking off the creative process instantly.
• A Creative Powerhouse: AI enables me to create stunning, relevant images and visual metaphors in seconds, adding a professional polish that used to take hours.
• The Honest Coach: This is the most critical part. I don’t just ask for ideas; I upload my finished drafts and ask for actionable critiques. By providing detailed context and personas (e.g., "Review this as a new partner who knows nothing about Zscaler"), I get incredibly accurate feedback.

I’ve learned the magic is in the prompt. If I’m not providing deep context—often full paragraphs—I'm not leveraging the full value of AI.

Avoiding 'AI Workslop' with Strategic Prompting

To ensure my AI-enhanced work is truly impactful and adds substance, I employ a multi-layered approach:

1. Strategic and Iterative Prompting: I break down complex tasks and focus on the 'why' behind the content. If an initial output feels generic, I vary my prompts to unearth deeper insights and ensure strategic alignment.
2. Leveraging AI for Self-Critique ("Coach the Intern"): I prompt the AI to act as a senior manager coaching an intern, specifically identifying logical gaps, missing information, or assumptions. This forces the AI to move from generation to critical analysis, highlighting potential errors before they reach my audience.
3. Persona-Based Feedback: I proactively ask the AI what an end-user (like a Zscaler partner) or a leader would question or expect. By anticipating these queries, I ensure the content is not just correct, but highly relevant, actionable, and persuasive.

Full Circle: Investing in My "Why"

Embracing AI has made me more efficient, but more importantly, it’s helped me invest my time back into my “why”: to accelerate my growth, develop my strengths, and become the woman my 5-year-old self would be proud and excited about.

This journey came full circle this past September when I had the honor of presenting a session at Zscaler’s internal AI-First Summit on this very topic: using chat AI as your professional coach.

Ultimately, by treating AI as a sophisticated thought partner—and providing it with the deep context it needs—I’ve transformed generic information into persuasive, high-impact resources. AI didn't replace my job; it elevated it.

Are you ready to grow, innovate, and find your own "aha" moment? Explore careers at Zscaler where you can leverage AI to shape the future of cybersecurity.