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Face the board with evidence

Your responsibility in a board discussion is to provide the information directors need to assess the business and exercise their judgment. Confirm the purpose with your CEO, or with the chair if you are the CEO: a decision, advice, or an update. Use the same preparation for a review with your CEO when you do not attend board meetings.

Provide balanced information in advance. Show results against agreed targets, relevant trends, and material risks alongside progress. Trace figures to their sources and distinguish confirmed causes from explanations you are still testing.

State your recommendation and its tradeoffs when a decision is needed. Explain what the proposal requires, what alternatives you considered, and what evidence would make you reconsider. Coordinate material updates with your CEO or chair as issues arise.

Payam and I would rather see an unanswered question recorded than a confident guess. If you do not know, say what you need to check and when you will respond. Credit the person who identified a material error when correcting it, and correct the information for everyone relying on it.

Record decisions and follow-up commitments. Explain the implications to the relevant leaders and update the operating plan. Return with the promised evidence by the agreed date.

Where this gets tested You are preparing your first board presentation A board exists to govern the business, not operate it. Ensure you provide them the right information prior to the meeting to enable an effective discussion during it. Prepare evidence and alternatives, and state what remains uncertain. State your recommendation, resource requirements, and risks. Read the scenario

The full behavior set lives in the CEO Board Engagement skillset.

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