Preparing the work before a billionaire principal gives it attention

Built on Speed of Implementation by Richard C. Wilson.

Prepare the working materials before asking a billionaire principal to concentrate on an implementation decision. The meeting should let the principal choose or approve something. Searching for basic records while everyone waits consumes the attention the project needs.

The preparation section of Module 3 in Speed of Implementation recommends defining the work before the opportunity to execute arrives. I would apply that principle to a single enterprise assignment. The preparation should make the principal's contribution specific and keep the operating responsibility with the people who will carry it out.

Identify the decision that needs the principal

Write the requested decision in a sentence. Approval to investigate a service is different from approval to offer it. Choosing a business priority is different from selecting a technical implementation. Staff should know which choice exceeds their existing authority.

If no decision requires the principal, ask why the meeting is needed. The team may need a manager's instruction or a missing fact instead. Referring every uncertainty to the family owner slows ordinary work and obscures the decisions that actually warrant attention.

Assemble the relevant record

Collect the information needed for that choice. Use the current operating facts and show where they came from. A concise account of a capacity constraint is more useful than a long history of every conversation about the project.

Distinguish confirmed facts from estimates. If the project depends on a supplier's willingness to change terms, show whether the supplier has agreed or whether staff are assuming it. That difference can determine the appropriate next authorization.

Keep supporting material available without forcing the principal to read it all. The person responsible should be able to answer a challenge using the record, including a question about an inconvenient fact.

Bring a recommendation someone owns

The project lead should explain the proposed next action and its consequences. State what resources it needs and what existing work will be affected. A recommendation that ignores the delivery team's workload is incomplete even if the owner likes the idea.

Include a credible alternative when it changes the decision. That might be a narrower scope or a decision to wait for an existing dependency. Avoid filling the meeting with artificial options added only to make the preferred proposal look obvious.

Ask the operating manager to confirm the recommendation before the session. Disagreement belongs in the decision material when it remains unresolved. Concealing it until after approval creates an instruction people may be unable to follow.

Resolve avoidable dependencies beforehand

Check that participants can access the relevant information and understand their roles. If counsel needs to assess an issue before the owner can authorize it, arrange that assessment through the proper channel. The meeting should not imply that an unanswered specialist question has disappeared.

Use a clear list of the remaining unknowns. Some will be acceptable for a limited next step. Others will prevent action. State which is which so the principal does not confuse incomplete information with a recommendation to accept unlimited uncertainty.

Capture the instruction in usable language

After the decision, record what was authorized and the conditions attached. Include the person responsible for completing the work. Staff should not have to interpret a brief expression of enthusiasm as permission to spend or sign.

Check the account with the relevant participants. A principal may have approved an investigation while a project lead heard approval for launch. Correcting that difference immediately is less costly than untangling commitments later.

Finish the handoff

Send the instruction to the people who must act on it, with the information they need. The meeting is not complete merely because the principal has left. A decision without an operating handoff can sit unused while everyone assumes someone else is advancing it.

Set the next report around the result or dependency the principal needs to see. Avoid requesting updates that simply repeat that work continues. The next contact should help resolve a defined issue or confirm that the authorized result has been delivered.

Questions and answers

How much material should the principal receive? Enough to understand the recommendation and its consequences, with evidence available for questions. Length alone does not indicate readiness.

Who owns the preparation? The person responsible for the proposed work, supported by the managers and specialists whose input affects the decision.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Family governance documents and dispute processes should be reviewed by a qualified attorney.