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 about them, and where you want the board's help. Candour here is the whole game.
5. Decisions & asks — explicit: "We're asking the board to approve X" / "We'd value input on Y" / "We need intros to Z." Tie each to the agenda.
6. Risks & watch-items — the top risks to the plan and runway, and the leading indicators you're watching.
Appendix — detail, financials, and supporting data (linked, not inline).
Quality Checks
- It's genuinely a pre-read — sent ahead, readable without a presenter
- The TL;DR stands alone for a time-pressed director
- Metrics are shown vs. plan, with misses surfaced honestly (not buried)
- The decisions/asks for the board are explicit and tied to the agenda
- Runway and the top risks are stated plainly
Anti-Patterns
- Do not save bad news for the live meeting — boards punish surprises; lead with the hard numbers
- Do not send a deck to be read aloud — a pre-read is prose/dashboards designed for solo reading
- Do not omit the asks — if the board doesn't know what you need, the meeting defaults to status theatre
- Do not vanity-metric the dashboard — show the numbers that govern the business, against plan
- Do not inline 40 pages of appendix — link the detail; keep the core pre-read tight
Based On
Board-management practice — pre-circulated reading, metrics-vs-plan transparency, and decision-focused agendas.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Prepare a board pre-read."
- "Write our board pack for next week."
- "Send the board materials before the meeting."
- "Make the board meeting about decisions, not status."