How To Immediately Have Much Better Board Meetings: The Power of 3+3 Feedback
Board meetings often feel a bit like performance theater—polished presentations met with polite nods and generic questions. But what if you could crack open what your board members are actually thinking? The 3+3 feedback framework transforms board dynamics from surface-level pleasantries into actionable intelligence that drives real business decisions.
Almost immediately.
What Is 3+3 Feedback?
The concept is elegantly simple: immediately after each board meeting, every investor must send you an email containing:
Top 3 Things That Are Going Well at [Company Name] AND Top 3 Things I’m Worried or Concerned About
That’s it. No lengthy reports, no formal documents—just six bullet points that capture their honest assessment of your business.
Why This Framework Is Game-Changing
Cuts Through Meeting Theater
Board meetings have an inherent performative element. Investors may hold back concerns to avoid seeming negative in a group setting, or they might not want to derail the agenda with probing questions. The 3+3 format creates a private channel for authentic feedback that bypasses group dynamics entirely.
Forces Structured Thinking
Requiring exactly three items in each category pushes board members beyond their gut reactions. They can’t just say “things look good” or mention one concern—they have to dig deeper and prioritize their observations. This constraint often surfaces insights that wouldn’t emerge in casual conversation.
Captures Real-Time Impressions
Asking for feedback immediately after the meeting—ideally within 24 hours—catches thoughts while they’re fresh. Board members’ initial reactions often prove more valuable than their considered opinions after they’ve talked themselves out of concerns or forgotten positive observations.
Reveals Perception Gaps
You’ll be surprised how often board members identify “strengths” that you consider weaknesses, or worry about things you thought were going well. These perception gaps are pure gold—they show you exactly where your communication needs work and highlight blind spots in your own thinking.
The Compound Benefits
Early Warning System
Patterns in the “worried about” section serve as your canary in the coal mine. If multiple board members consistently flag the same issue, you know it needs immediate attention before it becomes a crisis.
Validation and Confidence Building
When board members consistently highlight genuine strengths, it builds your confidence in areas where you might have doubts. This validation can be particularly valuable for first-time CEOs who may underestimate their progress.
Better Board Preparation
Over time, you’ll develop a sense of what resonates with different board members, allowing you to tailor your meeting preparation and presentation style for maximum impact.
Investor Alignment
The exercise helps board members crystallize their own thinking about your business. When they have to articulate specific concerns and strengths, they become more thoughtful participants in future discussions.
Implementation Best Practices
Set Clear Expectations
Introduce the 3+3 framework as a permanent fixture, not a one-time experiment. Make it clear that this feedback is expected after every board meeting, no exceptions.
Make It Easy
Provide a simple email template or use a basic form. The lower the friction, the more likely you are to get thoughtful responses. Consider something like:
Subject: 3+3 Feedback – [Date] Board Meeting
Going Well:
- [Specific observation]
- [Specific observation]
- [Specific observation]
Concerns:
- [Specific concern]
- [Specific concern]
- [Specific concern]
Respond Thoughtfully
When board members take time to provide feedback, acknowledge it meaningfully. You don’t need to write essays, but a brief response showing you’ve absorbed their input reinforces the value of the exercise.
Track Themes Over Time
Keep a simple spreadsheet or document tracking recurring themes. If “sales pipeline visibility” appears in multiple members’ concern lists across several meetings, you know exactly what to prioritize.
When This Framework Shines Brightest
Diverse Cap Tables
As your board becomes more diverse—different backgrounds, industries, investment stages—the 3+3 framework becomes invaluable. New board members without company history can quickly surface fresh perspectives, while seasoned members might reveal assumptions they’ve never voiced.
High-Growth Phases
During periods of rapid change, board members may struggle to keep up with your evolving business model, market position, or operational challenges. The 3+3 format ensures you understand how they’re processing these changes.
Difficult Periods
When facing significant challenges, board meetings can become tense affairs where people hold back honest observations. The private nature of 3+3 feedback creates space for more candid input during sensitive times.
Common Objections and How to Handle Them
“This feels like extra work for busy investors.” Frame it as making their time more valuable. Five minutes of post-meeting reflection often provides more actionable insight than lengthy meeting discussions.
“What if they give superficial feedback?” Start with whatever they provide and gradually encourage more specificity. Even surface-level feedback reveals how board members prioritize different aspects of your business.
“Some board members might not participate.” Make participation non-negotiable from day one. Board service includes providing feedback—it’s part of their value-add responsibility.
Beyond the Basics: Advanced Applications
Once the 3+3 framework becomes routine, consider these extensions:
Quarterly Deep Dives
Every few meetings, ask for expanded feedback: “Top 3 strategic opportunities” and “Top 3 execution risks.”
Cross-Pollination
Share anonymized themes across board members (with permission) to spark deeper discussions about shared concerns or opportunities.
Management Team Integration
Adapt the format for your leadership team’s post-meeting debriefs, creating alignment between board and management perspectives.
The Bottom Line
The 3+3 feedback framework transforms board meetings from static presentations into dynamic intelligence-gathering sessions. It’s not about managing up or performing for investors—it’s about extracting maximum value from the expertise around your table.
Your board members bring decades of experience, industry knowledge, and pattern recognition. The 3+3 framework ensures none of that wisdom gets lost in meeting pleasantries or forgotten in the rush to the next agenda item. Instead, you get consistent, actionable intelligence that helps you build a better business.
Implement this after your next board meeting. The insights you gain will make every subsequent meeting more valuable—not just for you, but for every participant around the table.
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