The Matrix That Changed My Leadership Practice

I’ve always loved strategic planning. It’s one of my top strengths, and I enjoy looking out on the horizon, mapping possibilities, and charting paths forward. But I also know this: no matter how brilliant your strategy, your real impact is determined by what you prioritize every day.

And that’s where the Eisenhower Matrix changed everything for me.

This deceptively simple 2x2 grid forces clarity. It asks you to look at your workload—and your team’s—and sort everything by two factors: Urgency and Importance.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Urgent + Important = Do it now.

• Not Urgent + Important = Schedule it.

• Urgent + Not Important = Delegate it.

• Not Urgent + Not Important = Delete it.

Why This Matrix Mattered in My Work
At one institution, we were facing a flood of IT project requests from every corner of the university: student systems, compliance updates, learning platforms, finance tools. Everyone felt their project was urgent. But when everything is urgent, nothing is strategic.

We gathered a cross-functional team and used the Eisenhower Matrix as our filter. It slowed us down in a good way. We didn’t just triage the loudest requests. We surfaced the ones that truly mattered: high-impact, high-alignment, future-focused initiatives. Some projects were delayed. A few were cut. But the ones we did? We did them well.

Leadership Requires This Discipline
Many leaders I coach are stuck in quadrant one: urgent and important. They’re firefighting all day. But leadership isn’t about managing emergencies. It’s about investing time in quadrant two: the important but not urgent.

That’s where vision lives.
That’s where team development happens.
That’s where systems get better instead of just faster.

What I Recommend:

• Use the matrix as a team activity once a quarter.

• Put tasks on sticky notes and sort them together.

• Name the tension: we’re not choosing between good and bad, but between good and essential.

One Final Note:
Urgency is emotional. Importance is strategic. If you only react to what feels urgent, you’ll always be in reactive mode.

Want to try this with your team? Download the Eisenhower Matrix tool in the Podcast Ep02 resources (https://www.engagedbydesign.com/blog-resources) and start reshaping how you spend your time and how you lead. 

Because better decisions today create better outcomes tomorrow.