Leading with Strategy

42From Possibilities to Priorities: The Impact–Effort Matrix

The whiteboard was already full, and the markers were beginning to dry out. Around the table, the leadership team sat in various stages of excitement and confusion.

They were gathered to align on a strategic objective: Growing the top line: Improving client retention by 20% within the next 12 months. A bold goal, one everyone agreed was essential. But the moment they entered the realm of  how, things started to get messy.

This was a team that prided itself on creativity. And for good reason. In less than 45 minutes, they'd generated over 20 distinct ideas, ranging from a revamped onboarding journey, to quarterly executive relationship reviews, to launching a loyalty app, to reorganizing the client success function. The energy was electric. Divergent thinking was flowing. They were dreaming, expanding, innovating.

And then it happened: They hit the wall.

“I love all of these,” someone said, half joking. “Let's just do them all.”

Everyone in the room laughed, but the tension was real.

Another voice, more serious this time, added, “Realistically, we only have the resources to do a few well. But how do we decide?”

Silence. Then the familiar shuffle of people pulling back into themselves. Postdreaming fatigue. A quiet kind of overwhelm.

This is the part of the meeting no one prepares for, the moment after the possibilities, when the choices must be made.

I've seen this scene unfold in boardrooms, project teams, nonprofit ...