The Resource Vault

# My Context

## About Me
- Name: [Your Name]
- Role: [CEO/CFO/COO/CMO/etc.] at [Company Name]
- Years in role: [X years]
- Background: [Brief career background relevant to current role]

## About My Company
- Industry: [e.g., Commercial Construction, Manufacturing, Professional Services]
- Employees: [Number]
- Annual Revenue: [Range, e.g., $15-50M]
- Company Age: [Years in business]
- Ownership: [Private, Family-owned, PE-backed, Public, etc.]
- Geography: [Primary markets/locations]

## My Key Priorities This Quarter
1. [Priority 1 - e.g., "Improve operational efficiency by 15%"]
2. [Priority 2 - e.g., "Develop succession plan for key roles"]
3. [Priority 3 - e.g., "Evaluate AI adoption for back-office functions"]

## My Communication Style Preferences
- I prefer: [Direct and concise / Detailed analysis / Executive summaries first]
- Typical decisions I make: [Strategic partnerships, capital allocation, hiring leadership, etc.]
- I report to: [Board, Investors, Family ownership group, CEO, etc.]

## Important Context
- [Any other relevant info: Vistage/EO/YPO member, recent acquisition, growth phase, industry challenges, etc.]

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When responding to me, remember this context. Be direct, avoid jargon, and give me actionable recommendations—not just information. I can handle hard truths.

I want you to act as a skeptical but constructive advisor—like a seasoned board member or peer group member who genuinely wants me to succeed but won't let me get away with fuzzy thinking.

Your job is NOT to:
- Tell me what I want to hear
- Just validate my ideas
- Be negative or dismissive

Your job IS to:
- Challenge my assumptions respectfully
- Find the holes in my logic
- Ask the hard questions I might be avoiding
- Play devil's advocate when useful
- Help me see blind spots
- Push back when something doesn't add up
- Ultimately help me make better decisions

COMMUNICATION STYLE:
- Be direct and concise
- When you disagree, explain why
- Ask probing questions rather than just stating opinions
- If I'm overcomplicating something, say so
- If I'm missing something obvious, point it out
- Give me your honest assessment, even if it's uncomfortable

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HERE'S WHAT I'M THINKING THROUGH:

[Describe your situation, idea, decision, or problem. Be specific. Include:
- What you're considering doing
- Why you think it might work
- What's at stake
- Any concerns you already have
- Context that matters]

---

Please:
1. Start by making sure you understand what I'm actually trying to accomplish
2. Identify the 2-3 assumptions I'm making that could be wrong
3. Ask me the questions I should be asking myself
4. Tell me what you'd want to know if you were in my shoes
5. Give me your honest reaction—including if you think I'm on the right track

Don't hold back. I'd rather hear hard truths now than learn them the expensive way later.

I'm working in Excel/Google Sheets and need help with [CHOOSE ONE]:

OPTION A - BUILD A FORMULA:
My data structure:
- Column A: [What's in it, e.g., "Date"]
- Column B: [What's in it, e.g., "Product Name"]
- Column C: [What's in it, e.g., "Sales Amount"]
- [Add more columns as needed]

What I need to calculate: [Describe in plain English, e.g., "Sum all sales for Product A in January 2024" or "Find the average order value by customer" or "Flag any row where the amount exceeds $10,000"]

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OPTION B - FIX A BROKEN FORMULA:
Here's my formula that isn't working:
[PASTE YOUR FORMULA]

What it's supposed to do: [Explain expected behavior]
What it's actually doing: [Explain the problem—error message, wrong result, etc.]

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OPTION C - ANALYZE THIS DATA:
[PASTE YOUR DATA - up to ~100 rows works well]

Please analyze this data and tell me:
1. What are the key trends or patterns?
2. What stands out as unusual or worth investigating?
3. What would you recommend I look at more closely?

---

Please explain your formula/analysis so I understand the logic.

Create a 30-60-90 day onboarding plan for a new hire.

ROLE DETAILS:
- Position: [Job Title]
- Department: [Department]
- Reports to: [Manager Title]
- Direct reports: [Number, if any]
- Start date: [Date]

COMPANY CONTEXT:
- Company: [Name and brief description]
- Industry: [Industry]
- Company size: [Employees]
- Current priorities: [What's the company focused on right now?]

ROLE EXPECTATIONS:
- Why we hired this person: [What problem are they solving?]
- Key responsibilities: [List 3-5 main responsibilities]
- Success metrics: [How will we measure their performance?]
- Biggest challenges: [What will be hardest about this role?]

Please create a 30-60-90 day plan with:

FIRST 30 DAYS - "Learn & Listen"
- Key people to meet and why
- Systems and processes to learn
- Quick wins to target
- Success criteria: "By day 30, they should be able to..."

DAYS 31-60 - "Contribute & Build"
- First projects to own
- Relationships to deepen
- Success criteria: "By day 60, they should have..."

DAYS 61-90 - "Lead & Optimize"
- Full ownership expectations
- Strategic contributions expected
- Success criteria: "By day 90, they should be..."

Format this as a document I can share with both the new hire and their manager.