board-pre-read

# Board Pre-Read Skill The best board meetings spend zero time on status because the board already read it. A pre-read sent 48+ hours ahead does that: it conveys the state of the business and, crucially, tells the board exactly what input and decisions are needed — so the meeting is discussion and decisions, not a slide-reading session. This skill structures that document. ## Required Inputs Ask for these only if they aren't already provided: - **The headline** — the one thing the board should take away this period (good or bad). - **Metrics vs. plan** — the key numbers against the plan/forecast (revenue, growth, burn, runway, the north-star). - **What changed** — major wins, misses, and shifts since last meeting. - **Decisions/asks** — what you actually need from the board (approval, input, introductions). ## Output Format ### Board Pre-Read — [company], [month/quarter] **Sent:** [date, ≥48h before the meeting] **1. TL;DR** — 3–5 bullets: the state of the business, the headline, runway, and the decisions you're bringing. A busy board member should get the gist from this alone. **2. Metrics dashboard** — the core numbers vs. plan, with the trend and a one-line "so what" each. Show misses honestly — boards trust founders who surface bad news first. | Metric | This period | vs. plan | Trend | Note | |---|---|---|---|---| **3. What's working** — the 2–3 things going well and why (so they can be doubled down on). **4. What's not** — the 2–3 problems, what you're doing ...