Part 3 of 8: The Intake Sheet

Strategy’s Secret Weapon

Let’s assume you’ve put your hand up.

You’ve taken the mic.

Now the strategy session is in full swing.

People are finally engaging. Ideas are flying.

You’re no longer side-lined.

You’re in the driver’s seat.

Why?

Because the person asking the questions is the one leading the room.

Capture Everything. But Do It Properly.

You need an intake sheet.

A place where every good idea, offhand comment, or loose nugget of value gets captured.

Not a flipchart.

Not scribbles on the wall.

A simple spreadsheet you can analyse later.

Start with these basic columns:

• Idea
• Logical Owner
• Financial Impact (This Year / Long-Term)
• Workstream or Function
• Strategic Theme
• Start Date
• Duration

Let the ideas flow. Don’t judge them in the moment.

Structure protects you and it protects the creativity of the room.

You’ll bring order to the chaos later. And that’s your job.

You’re Quietly Taking Control

Once this sheet is running, you’ve done something no one else has.

You’ve captured the raw material for real strategy.

Because strategy’s not a whiteboard.

It’s a spreadsheet and you own it.

We’ll Add More Columns Later

Yes, this is just the beginning.

As we move forward, we’ll add layers:

• Complexity
• Payback
• Confidence
• Dependencies
• People required
• Top 3 risks
• And more...

But don’t start there. Start here.

Right now, you're not just taking notes.

You’re shaping the roadmap.

And no one even realised it happened.

Finance just took the lead.