Why Most Directors Feel Unprepared
Even experienced board members know the feeling: you’ve read the materials, but something still feels missing. You’ve reviewed the financials, scanned the agenda, and maybe even highlighted a few sections. Yet when the meeting starts, you’re not quite sure you’re prepared to contribute meaningfully.
You’re not alone. In our research with over 100 board members, this was one of the most consistent themes: there’s a difference between reading and preparing.
Reading is passive. Preparation is active. Reading gets you familiar with what’s being presented. Preparation helps you know what questions to ask.
The Difference Between Reading and Preparing
Consider two directors reviewing the same quarterly financial report:
Director A (Reading):
- Opens the PDF
- Scans the numbers
- Notes that revenue is up, expenses are down
- Closes the document, feels “caught up”
Director B (Preparing):
- Reviews the numbers in context of the last three quarters
- Compares trends to what competitors are reporting
- Notices a discrepancy between narrative and data
- Formulates three specific questions for the CFO
- Considers how this quarter affects the strategic plan discussed last meeting
Director B isn’t smarter—they’re just using a framework.
The 6 C’s: A Framework for Effective Preparation
After years of working with directors and studying effective governance, we’ve identified six dimensions that separate confident, prepared directors from those who feel like they’re just keeping up.
We call them the 6 C’s.
1. Clarity
What it means: Understanding the core issues behind the agenda items, not just the surface-level topics.
Every agenda item exists for a reason. Something is being decided, updated, or discussed. Clarity means understanding:
- What decision is actually being made?
- What does management want from the board on this item?
- What’s the real question behind the presentation?
How to build it:
- Before reading materials, look at the agenda and ask yourself what each item is really about
- Identify whether each item requires a decision, discussion, or is informational
- Note where you need more context to understand what’s at stake
2. Context
What it means: Connecting current materials to historical context, strategic plans, and external factors.
Information without context is just noise. Context helps you understand:
- How does this relate to decisions made in previous meetings?
- What external factors (market, regulatory, competitive) are relevant?
- How does this connect to the company’s strategic priorities?
How to build it:
- Keep running notes from meeting to meeting
- Review previous meeting minutes before reading new materials
- Follow industry news relevant to your company
3. Comparison
What it means: Benchmarking against past performance, peer companies, and industry standards.
Numbers in isolation mean little. Is $10M in revenue good? It depends:
- How does it compare to last quarter? Last year?
- How does it compare to what was budgeted or forecasted?
- How does it compare to peer companies in the same sector?
How to build it:
- Request trend data, not just point-in-time numbers
- Ask for competitive benchmarking where appropriate
- Build familiarity with industry standards and ratios
4. Consequence
What it means: Anticipating the implications of proposed actions and potential risks.
Every decision has ripple effects. Consequence thinking means asking:
- If we approve this, what happens next?
- What are the second and third-order effects?
- What could go wrong, and how would we know?
How to build it:
- For each decision item, trace out potential consequences
- Ask “and then what?” at least three times
- Consider worst-case scenarios, not just expected outcomes
5. Contribution
What it means: Identifying where your unique perspective and expertise can add value.
Every director brings something unique to the table—industry expertise, functional knowledge, network connections. Contribution means knowing:
- Where can I add unique value in this meeting?
- What perspective might be missing from the conversation?
- What questions should I ask based on my experience?
How to build it:
- Before each meeting, identify 2-3 areas where you can contribute
- Prepare specific questions based on your expertise
- Think about what you’d want to know if you were the CEO
6. Commitment
What it means: Tracking decisions, action items, and follow-through from meeting to meeting.
Governance isn’t just about making decisions—it’s about ensuring they’re executed. Commitment means:
- What did we decide last time, and was it implemented?
- What action items were assigned, and where do they stand?
- What should we be following up on?
How to build it:
- Keep a personal log of key decisions and commitments
- Review action items before each meeting
- Don’t let important items get buried in the agenda
Applying the 6 C’s Without Tools
You don’t need software to use this framework. Here’s a simple approach:
Before reading materials:
- Review the agenda and identify what each item is really about (Clarity)
- Read previous meeting minutes to refresh context (Context, Commitment)
- Note any external developments that might be relevant (Context)
While reading materials:
- Look for comparisons—are trend lines provided? (Comparison)
- For each proposal, trace out potential consequences (Consequence)
- Note where your expertise is relevant (Contribution)
Before the meeting:
- Prepare 2-3 specific questions per major agenda item
- Identify any follow-up items from previous meetings (Commitment)
- Plan where you want to contribute to discussion (Contribution)
What Changes With the Right Tools
The 6 C’s framework works on paper, but it requires significant effort. You have to:
- Manually review past materials for context
- Search for industry benchmarks on your own
- Keep track of action items in a spreadsheet or notebook
- Remember to follow up on decisions from months ago
This is why we built Aureclar. Not to replace the thinking—that’s still your job—but to provide the infrastructure that makes the 6 C’s practical:
- Clarity: AI-powered summaries that cut through dense materials to surface key issues
- Context: Automatic connection to previous meetings, decisions, and strategic priorities
- Comparison: Integrated benchmarking and trend analysis
- Consequence: Risk highlighting and scenario analysis
- Contribution: Personalized insights based on your expertise and role
- Commitment: Action item tracking and follow-up reminders
The framework is the strategy. The tool is the implementation.
Getting Started
Start with one meeting. Before your next board session:
- Print out the agenda
- Label each item with which of the 6 C’s is most relevant
- Prepare at least one question per item based on that C
- After the meeting, note what worked
The directors who stand out aren’t the ones who read the most—they’re the ones who prepare the best.
Want to see how Aureclar operationalizes the 6 C’s? Learn more about our approach →