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board-prep

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Original

English
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Translation

Chinese

/em:board-prep — Board Meeting Preparation

/em:board-prep — 董事会会议筹备

Command: 
/em:board-prep <agenda>
Prepare for the adversarial version of your board, not the friendly one. Every hard question they'll ask. Every number you need cold. The narrative that acknowledges weakness without losing the room.
命令： 
/em:board-prep <agenda>
要以应对严苛董事会的标准来筹备，而非友好型的。准备好他们会提出的所有尖锐问题，牢记每一个关键数据，构建一套既能承认不足又能掌控局面的叙事逻辑。

The Reality of Board Meetings

董事会会议的现实情况

Your board members have seen 50+ companies. They've watched founders flinch at their own numbers, spin bad news as "learning opportunities," and present sanitized decks that hide what's actually happening.
They know when you're not being straight with them. The question isn't whether they'll ask the hard questions — it's whether you're ready for them.
The best board meetings aren't the ones where everything looks good. They're the ones where the CEO demonstrates they see reality clearly, have a plan, and can execute under pressure.
你的董事会成员已经接触过50多家公司。他们见过创始人面对数据时退缩，将坏消息粉饰为“学习机会”，以及展示经过美化、掩盖实际问题的演示文稿。
他们能看穿你是否在坦诚相待。问题不在于他们会不会提出尖锐问题，而在于你是否做好了准备。
最成功的董事会会议并非一切看起来都一帆风顺的会议，而是CEO能够清晰认知现实、有应对计划且能在压力下执行的会议。

The Preparation Framework

筹备框架

Phase 1: Numbers Cold

阶段1：牢记关键数据

Before the meeting, every number in your deck should live in your head, not just the slide.
The numbers you must know without looking:
  • Current MRR / ARR and month-over-month growth rate
  • Burn rate (monthly) and runway (months at current burn)
  • Headcount by department
  • CAC and LTV by channel / segment
  • Net Revenue Retention
  • Pipeline: value, conversion rate, average sales cycle
  • Churn: rate, top reasons, top churned accounts
  • Gross margin (product), net margin (company)
  • Key hiring positions open and time-to-fill
Stress test yourself: Can you answer "what's your burn?" without hesitation? "What's your churn rate by segment?" If you pause, you don't know it.
会议前，演示文稿中的每一个数据都应烂熟于心，而不只是停留在幻灯片上。
必须脱口而出的数据：
  • 当前MRR / ARR及月度增长率
  • 月度烧钱率（Burn rate）及现金流 runway（按当前烧钱率可支撑的月数）
  • 各部门员工人数
  • 各渠道/细分市场的CAC和LTV
  • 净收入留存率
  • 销售 pipeline：价值、转化率、平均销售周期
  • 客户流失率：流失率数值、主要原因、流失的核心客户
  • 产品毛利率、公司净利率
  • 关键招聘岗位及招聘时长
压力测试： 你能毫不犹豫地回答“你们的烧钱率是多少？”“各细分市场的客户流失率是多少？”吗？如果停顿，说明你还没记牢。

Phase 2: Anticipate the Hard Questions

阶段2：预判尖锐问题

For every item on the agenda, generate the adversarial version of the question.
Standard adversarial questions by topic:
Revenue performance:
  • "You missed revenue by 20% this quarter. What specifically failed?"
  • "Is this a pipeline problem, a conversion problem, or a capacity problem?"
  • "If you missed because of one big deal, how dependent is your model on individual deals?"
  • "When do you project recovery and what are the leading indicators you're right?"
Runway / burn:
  • "At current burn you have N months. What's your plan if the next round takes 9 months?"
  • "What would you cut first if you had to extend runway by 6 months today?"
  • "Is there a scenario where you don't raise another round?"
Product / roadmap:
  • "You shipped X. What did customers actually do with it?"
  • "What did you kill this quarter and why?"
  • "Where are you behind on roadmap? What's slipping?"
Team:
  • "Who's at risk of leaving? How would that affect execution?"
  • "You've had 3 VP-level hires not work out. What pattern do you see?"
  • "Is the team the right team for this stage?"
Competition:
  • "Competitor Y just raised $50M. How does that change your position?"
  • "If they copy your best feature in 90 days, what's your moat?"
针对议程上的每一项内容，设想最严苛的问题。
按主题分类的典型尖锐问题：
营收表现：
  • “你们本季度营收未达目标，缺口20%。具体哪里出了问题？”
  • “这是销售 pipeline 问题、转化率问题还是产能问题？”
  • “如果是因为某笔大额交易流失导致未达标，你们的业务模式对单个交易的依赖度有多高？”
  • “你们预计何时能恢复增长，有哪些领先指标能证明你们的判断正确？”
现金流 runway / 烧钱率：
  • “按当前烧钱率，你们的现金流还能支撑N个月。如果下一轮融资需要9个月，你们的计划是什么？”
  • “如果现在必须将现金流 runway 延长6个月，你们会首先削减哪部分开支？”
  • “有没有可能你们不需要再进行下一轮融资？”
产品/路线图：
  • “你们推出了X功能，客户实际使用情况如何？”
  • “本季度你们砍掉了哪些项目，原因是什么？”
  • “路线图上哪些项目滞后了？具体是什么在拖后腿？”
团队：
  • “哪些员工存在离职风险？这会对执行产生什么影响？”
  • “你们有3位VP级招聘人选未能胜任，你看到了什么共性问题？”
  • 当前团队是否适配公司现阶段的发展需求？”
竞争：
  • “竞争对手Y刚完成5000万美元融资。这会如何改变你们的市场地位？”
  • “如果他们在90天内抄袭你们的核心功能，你们的护城河是什么？”

Phase 3: Build the Narrative

阶段3：构建叙事逻辑

The board meeting isn't a status update. It's a leadership demonstration.
The structure that works:
  1. Where we are (honest) — Current state of business, the real number, not the smoothed one
  2. What we learned — What the data is telling us that we didn't know 90 days ago
  3. What we got wrong — Name it directly. Don't make them ask.
  4. What we're doing about it — Specific, dated, owned actions
  5. What we need from this room — Concrete ask. Not "support" — specific introductions, decisions, resources.
The rule on bad news: Never let the board be surprised. If a quarter went badly, they should know before the deck. A 5-sentence email 3 days before: "Revenue came in at $X vs $Y target. Here's what happened, here's what I'm doing, here's what I need from you."
董事会会议不是状态更新，而是领导力的展示。
有效的叙事结构：
  1. 当前现状（坦诚） —— 业务的真实状态，真实数据，而非经过平滑处理的版本
  2. 我们的收获 —— 数据告诉我们的、90天前未知的信息
  3. 我们的失误 —— 直接点明问题，不要等他们提问
  4. 应对措施 —— 具体、有明确时间节点、责任人的行动方案
  5. 需要董事会提供的支持 —— 具体的请求，不是“支持”这种模糊的词，而是具体的人脉介绍、决策、资源支持
坏消息处理规则： 绝不能让董事会感到意外。如果本季度业绩不佳，他们应该在收到演示文稿前就知晓。提前3天发一封5句话的邮件：“营收为X美元，未达Y美元目标。以下是原因、我的应对措施以及需要你们提供的支持。”

Phase 4: Adversarial Preparation

阶段4：模拟严苛场景筹备

Do a mock board meeting. Have someone play the hardest director you have.
The simulation:
  • Present your deck as you would
  • The mock director asks every uncomfortable question
  • You answer without referring to the deck
  • After: note every question that made you pause or feel defensive
The questions that made you defensive = the questions you need to prepare for.
开展一场模拟董事会会议，让某人扮演最严苛的董事。
模拟流程：
  • 像正式会议一样演示你的文稿
  • 模拟董事提出所有令人不适的问题
  • 你不参考演示文稿进行回答
  • 结束后：记录所有让你停顿或产生抵触情绪的问题
让你产生抵触情绪的问题 = 你需要重点准备的问题

Phase 5: Director-by-Director Prep

阶段5：针对每位董事的个性化筹备

Not all board members want the same thing from a meeting.
For each director, know:
  • Their primary concern right now (usually tied to their investment thesis)
  • The metric they watch most closely
  • What would make them lose confidence in you
  • What they've said in the last meeting that you should address
Common director types:
  • The operator — wants to know what's breaking and who owns fixing it
  • The financial investor — focused on path to profitability or next raise
  • The strategic investor — worried about competitive position and moat
  • The independent — watching governance, team dynamics, and your judgment
不同的董事会成员对会议有不同的需求。
针对每位董事，你需要了解：
  • 他们当前的核心关注点（通常与他们的投资逻辑相关）
  • 他们最关注的指标
  • 什么会让他们对你失去信心
  • 他们在上次会议中提到的、你需要在本次会议中回应的内容
常见的董事类型：
  • 运营型 —— 想知道哪里出了问题，以及谁负责解决
  • 财务投资者 —— 关注盈利路径或下一轮融资
  • 战略投资者 —— 担忧市场竞争地位和护城河
  • 独立董事 —— 关注治理、团队动态和你的判断力

Pre-Meeting Checklist

会前检查清单

48 hours before:
  • All numbers verified against source systems (not last week's export)
  • Deck reviewed for internal consistency
  • Pre-read sent to board (deck + 1-page brief on key topics)
  • One-on-ones done with any director likely to have concerns
  • 3 hardest questions you expect — rehearsed out loud
Day of meeting:
  • Agenda with time allocations distributed
  • Know the ask for each agenda item (decision needed, input wanted, FYI)
  • Materials to leave behind prepared
  • Follow-up action template ready
会议前48小时：
  • 所有数据已与源系统核对（而非上周的导出数据）
  • 演示文稿已通过内部一致性审核
  • 会前资料已发送给董事会（演示文稿 + 1页关键议题摘要）
  • 已与可能有疑虑的董事进行一对一会谈
  • 已大声演练过3个你预计会遇到的最尖锐问题
会议当天：
  • 已分发包含时间分配的议程
  • 明确每个议程项的诉求（需要决策、需要输入信息、仅告知）
  • 已准备好会后要留下的资料
  • 已准备好后续行动模板

During the Meeting

会议期间

What the board is watching:
  • Do you own the bad news or deflect it?
  • Are you defending a narrative or sharing reality?
  • Do you know your numbers or do you look things up?
  • When challenged, do you get defensive or engage?
  • Do you know what you don't know?
The single best thing you can do: Name the hard thing before they do. "I want to address the revenue miss directly. Here's what happened, here's what I should have caught earlier, here's what changes."
董事会关注的点：
  • 你是主动承担坏消息的责任还是推诿？
  • 你是在维护既定叙事还是分享真实情况？
  • 你是否牢记数据，还是需要查阅资料？
  • 受到质疑时，你是抵触还是积极回应？
  • 你是否清楚自己的认知盲区？
你能做的最重要的事： 在他们提问之前主动提出棘手问题。“我想直接谈谈营收未达标的问题。以下是原因、我本应提前发现的问题，以及我们的调整措施。”

After the Meeting

会议之后

Within 24 hours:
  • Send action items with owners and dates
  • Send any data you promised but didn't have
  • Note the questions that came up you weren't ready for
  • Schedule follow-up with any director who seemed unsatisfied
The next board prep starts now.
24小时内：
  • 发送包含责任人及时间节点的行动项
  • 发送会议中承诺提供但当时未准备好的数据
  • 记录所有你未准备好的问题
  • 与任何看起来不满意的董事安排后续会谈
下一次董事会筹备现在就开始了。