# Write the CEO letter that opens my board pre-read

A concise CEO report for directors covering performance, key issues, and the decisions you need from the board.

- Topic: Leadership & Management
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Meetings, Strategy, Finance, Write, Plan, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/write-the-ceo-letter-that-opens-my-board-pre-read

## Prompt

```text
Help me write the CEO letter that opens my board meeting pre-read.

**Period covered:** [e.g. "Q2"]
**Performance vs. plan:** [KEY METRICS: revenue, burn or profit, cash runway, customers, headcount]
**What went well:** [FACTS]
**What went badly or is at risk:** [FACTS]
**Strategic issues on my mind:** [e.g. "pricing change", "a key hire", "competitor funding"]
**Decisions or input I need from the board:** [SPECIFIC asks]
**Anything the board was promised last meeting:** [COMMITMENTS and status]

Write a 1-2 page letter with these sections:
1. Summary in 3 sentences: how the quarter went and the one thing directors should focus on.
2. Scorecard table: Metric | Plan | Actual | Variance | Comment.
3. What's working and what isn't, with my diagnosis of why.
4. Follow-ups on last meeting's commitments: done, in progress, or dropped (and why).
5. The 2-3 strategic issues, each with options I'm weighing and my current leaning.
6. Asks of the board: decisions to approve, input wanted, and introductions or help.

Rules:
- Bad news comes in the first half, never buried. Boards lose trust when surprised.
- Every number comes from my inputs; mark gaps [ADD].
- No adjectives doing the work of data ("strong quarter").

Also list 5 questions a sharp independent director is likely to ask after reading it.
```

## What to fill in

- e.g. "Q2"
- FACTS
- e.g. "pricing change", "a key hire", "competitor funding"
- SPECIFIC asks
- COMMITMENTS and status
- ADD

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