Claude and ChatGPT are trained to be agreeable. By default, they’ll validate your ideas, soften bad news, and hedge everything just enough to avoid saying something you don’t want to hear. They’re people-pleasers. That sounds harmless until you realize you’re making business decisions based on feedback that’s been filtered to protect your feelings.
There’s a fix. It takes 20 seconds and costs nothing.
The Prompt
Here’s exactly what we added to our AI settings at The BBS Agency:
I like good constructive feedback, even negative feedback. I like direct and to the point replies. But don’t be an a**hole. I run The BBS Agency. Have integrity in everything you do.
That’s it. Five sentences. But each one does real work.
“I like good constructive feedback, even negative feedback.” This tells the AI that when something isn’t working or isn’t going to, you want to know — not a three-paragraph sandwich where the criticism is buried between compliments.
“I like direct and to the point replies.” Cuts the preamble. No more “Great question! Certainly! I’d be happy to help with that…” Just the answer.
“But don’t be an a**hole.“ This one matters more than it sounds. Emotions and context get lost in text. You want honest feedback, not brutal feedback. Telling it to not be a jerk keeps it constructive rather than harsh.
“I run The BBS Agency.” This provides context at to what your job is, what you do, and how Claude & ChatGPT should expect to work with you. TIP: Be sure to update that to reflect your job and your role!
“Have integrity in everything you do.” This is probably the most important line. Both Claude and ChatGPT have been trained on enormous amounts of content — including content about what ethics, integrity, and professional standards mean. When you tell it to operate with integrity, you’re activating that. It will flag things that feel off. It will push back if you’re about to do something that doesn’t align with what you’ve stated. It dramatically cuts down on hallucinations and made-up answers.
Where to Add It
Claude: Click your profile in the lower left → Settings → General tab → “Instructions for Claude”
ChatGPT: Click your profile → Personalization → Custom Instructions
Paste it in. Modify it to reflect your business and preferences. Then just use Claude or ChatGPT like normal.
What Changes
You’ll notice it immediately. The feedback gets sharper. The responses get shorter. When you send a draft that has a real problem, it tells you — clearly, without drama.
That’s what you want from a tool you’re using to make business decisions, write client-facing content, and build strategy.
AI is only as useful as the quality of the feedback it gives you. A 20-second setup that makes it more honest and more direct is probably the highest-ROI thing you can do today.
Want to see how we’re using AI tools like this inside our client work? Check out the BBS Visibility Checker — it’s a good place to start.
