# Tell my board about a missed target or serious problem

A prompt, candid board update on bad news with cause, impact, plan, and what you need from directors.

- Topic: Email & Workplace Communication
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Sales, Legal, Analyze, Plan, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/tell-my-board-about-a-missed-target-or-serious-problem

## Prompt

```text
Help me tell my board about a serious problem before the next scheduled meeting.

**What happened:** [THE FACTS - e.g. "we'll miss Q3 revenue by 25%", "lost our largest customer", "security incident"]
**When I learned it and what we've confirmed so far:** [TIMELINE]
**Impact:** [on revenue, cash runway, customers, people, legal exposure - with numbers where known]
**Cause, as best I understand it:** [DIAGNOSIS, and what's still uncertain]
**What we're already doing:** [ACTIONS and owners]
**What I need from the board:** [e.g. "nothing yet, just informing", "approval for X", "a call this week"]
**Board dynamics:** [e.g. "lead investor is anxious about burn"]

Draft:
1. An email to the full board: lead with the problem in the first two sentences, then impact, cause, plan, next update date, and the ask.
2. Talking points for a 1:1 call with my lead investor or chair before the email goes out, so they aren't surprised in front of others.
3. A short list of what I should NOT say yet (speculation, blame, unconfirmed figures).

Rules:
- Own it plainly. No minimizing, no over-apologizing, no blaming individuals in writing.
- Separate what's confirmed from what's still being investigated.
- Mark all estimates as estimates and any missing figures as [CONFIRM].
- If there's possible legal, regulatory, or disclosure exposure, flag that I should speak with counsel before sending.
```

## What to fill in

- TIMELINE
- DIAGNOSIS, and what's still uncertain
- ACTIONS and owners
- e.g. "lead investor is anxious about burn"
- CONFIRM

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.