Get your team thinking strategically – without clearing the calendar.
Strategic thinking card deck. 52 prompt cards that start focused conversations in any meeting. No preparation, no offsite, no consultant required.
Designed for use by everyone from team leaders to CEOs across business, government and not-for-profits.
Physical deck shipped worldwide · No subscription or account required
Our tools are used all around the world.
What makes Finding Method in the Madness worth it.
Built for strategic thinking, not tactical fixes
Rewards repeated use over time
Works for any size, sector or experience level
Part of an integrated planning system
Based on real-world experience
The problem
Strategic thinking always gets pushed to later.
“We should talk about that properly – let’s put it on the agenda for next quarter”. Sound familiar?
You know strategic thinking matters. Your team knows it matters. But there’s always something more urgent. A project that’s overdue. A decision that can’t wait. A meeting that ran long.
So the big questions get deferred. Where are we headed? What should we stop doing? Are we pointed in the right direction? These questions don’t make it onto agendas because they don’t come with deadlines.
The result is a team that’s busy – genuinely, productively busy – but not necessarily pointed in the same direction. You reach the end of a quarter and realise you haven’t talked about strategy once. Not properly.
It’s not laziness. It’s not a lack of ambition. Strategic thinking, as it’s traditionally packaged, requires things most leaders don’t have on demand: a cleared calendar, an offsite, a facilitator and a full planning cycle.
Most leaders are waiting for the right moment. But the right moment never quite arrives.
How it works
Pick a card. Ask the question. Give it 15 minutes.
Finding Method in the Madness is a deck of 52 prompt cards, each carrying one clear strategic question. The questions span purpose, competitive advantage, the people you serve and honest self-examination.
No lengthy instruction manual, no workshop, no consultant, no preparation required. No waiting for the perfect moment to start thinking about the big things that matter for your organisation.
1
Pick a card that speaks to something your team hasn’t given enough thought
Shuffle through the deck. If a card makes someone slightly uncomfortable, that’s usually the right one to start with.
2
Give the conversation 15 minutes – longer if it hits a rich seam
The question does the work. Your job is to make sure every voice in the room gets heard. And – if you get stuck – use the facilitation guidance cues at the bottom of each card.
3
Close with at least one concrete next step
A conversation without an action is still just a conversation. Even a small commitment keeps the thinking alive.
Works in your existing meetings – try slotting it onto the agenda of your regular leadership meeting. Works in a one-on-one. Works alone if you need to think through a strategic question without a sounding board. No new meeting required.
The right question for right now.
The 52 cards cover enough strategic ground that one will always speak to where your team is right now. They’re the right tool for when you’re not sure where to start – or when you know something important isn’t being talked about.
No offsite required.
Strategic thinking has a reputation for needing a cleared diary, a booked venue and someone to run the session. It doesn’t. Fifteen minutes in a meeting you’re already having is enough to make real progress – by doing a little, often. This is how you start without waiting for the right conditions.
No facilitator required.
Three short cues sit at the bottom of every card. They’re not a script – you don’t have to use them. But if the conversation settles into comfortable ground or someone needs a nudge to say what they’re actually thinking, they’re there. Anyone can lead these conversations well.
Try it now
Simple questions that create powerful conversations.
The simplicity of the question is deliberate. The conversation it starts is where the value lives. The full deck contains 52 prompts, spanning purpose, values, competitive advantage, stakeholders and honest self-examination.
What need in the world would go unmet if we disappeared?
What future are we trying to create – and for whom?
What behaviour do we tolerate that quietly undermines who we say we are?
If outsiders replaced us, what might they change immediately?
Which problems keep returning because we solve symptoms, not causes?
Who outside our walls has more influence on our future than we like to admit?
Part of something bigger
Finding Method in the Madness is where the conversation starts.
The card deck is the front door to an integrated planning system. Each piece builds on the one before – from a 15-minute conversation to a clear organisational strategy to team-level action.
You are here · Entry point
Finding Method in the Madness.
Gets strategic thinking happening in short, regular conversations. No preparation required. Fits into meetings you’re already having. The simplest possible start.
Next step · Turn thinking into a plan
Strategic Planning Toolkit.
Everything a leadership team needs to build a clear one-page strategic plan – without consultant fees. For when the conversations from the card deck reveal it’s time to commit to a direction.
Translate the plan into team action
Team Planning Toolkit.
Takes the organisational strategy and turns it into clear goals, shared purpose and ways of working – at team level, not just leadership level. For team leads who need to connect their team to the bigger picture.
For teams who want a guide alongside them
One Day Planning Workshop.
A fully facilitated day with an Impact Society facilitator. The same rigour as the toolkit, with expert guidance for leadership teams who prefer not to run the process themselves.
Start here if you’re not ready to invest yet
Free resources.
Explore our free Team Alignment Canvas, strategic and team planning audits, and Strategic Planning Quick Start Course. A complete experience at no cost – for leaders who want to learn more before making a commitment.
Frequently asked questions.
How long does a session take?
The instructions suggest at least 15 minutes per card. In practice, sessions often run longer – not because the card demands it, but because the conversation takes off. That’s a good sign. If 15 minutes is all you have, you’ll still leave with something worth carrying forward.
Do we need to use the cards in a particular order?
No. The deck is designed to work in any order. Shuffle through and pick a card that speaks to something your team hasn’t given enough thought recently. The one that makes someone slightly uncomfortable is often the right one to start with. Over time, move around the deck – you’ll find that some prompts feel different on the second and third return.
Is this suitable for a small team or just two people?
Yes to both. The deck works with any group size – from a large leadership team to a two-person partnership. It also works for a solo leader who needs to think through a strategic question without a sounding board. The prompt structures the thinking regardless of how many people are in the room.
We already do strategic planning – is this still useful?
Yes. Strategic planning tends to happen in concentrated bursts – once a year, maybe twice. The cards are designed to keep strategic thinking alive between those cycles. Teams that use them consistently will arrive at their next formal planning session finding the work is sharper because the right conversations have been happening all along.
What makes this different from just writing our own list of questions?
You could write your own list. The difference is that these 52 questions have been specifically developed and refined by strategic planning experts to operate at strategic altitude – they’re designed to pull you above the day-to-day without requiring you to set the context first. A home-made list tends to reflect the concerns you already have. These prompts surface the ones you haven’t thought of yet.
Who is this not right for?
If your organisation is in a genuine crisis – cashflow, regulatory action, a major operational failure – this is not the tool for right now. Strategic thinking requires a minimum of psychological safety and forward-looking headspace. If you’re in triage mode, get through the crisis first.
It’s also not a substitute for formal strategic planning. If you need to build a proper strategic plan with clear direction, measurable goals and accountability, consider the Strategic Planning Toolkit or a facilitated workshop instead. The cards are designed to complement and build to that work, not replace it.
Do you offer discounts for bulk orders?
We do! Edit the desired quantity at checkout – and use the following codes:
- 10 – 24 decks: 20% off – use code BULK10
- 25 – 50 decks: 25% off – use code BULK25
For orders of more than 50, get in touch and we’ll provide a tailored quote and discount. Bulk discount codes can’t be combined with other promotions or discount codes.
What if we’re ready for more than just conversations?
The card deck is designed to get strategic thinking happening regularly – but at some point those conversations will surface a need to commit to a clear direction. That’s where the Strategic Planning Toolkit comes in. It gives a leadership team everything they need to build a one-page strategic plan, without consultant fees. If you want to take that plan and translate it into team-level goals and ways of working, the Team Planning Toolkit picks up from there. And if you’d rather have an experienced facilitator alongside you for the planning process, the One Day Strategic Planning Workshop covers that. The deck is the starting point. There’s a clear path forward from here when you’re ready.
What if we want hands-on support using the deck with our team?
If you’d like a facilitator to run sessions with you – or a thinking partner to help you get the most out of the conversations the cards surface – Impact Society offers one-on-one leadership coaching and workshop facilitation services. It’s worth considering if your team is working through something significant, or if you want an outside perspective in the room.
I have more questions, how can I get in touch?
We’d love to hear from you! You can e-mail us here anytime. We’ll help you with any questions or advice you need on how the workshop might be able to help your organisation or team.
Ready to start?
Strategic thinking doesn’t need a cleared calendar. It needs the right question.
The deck ships ready to use. Pick it up, open your next meeting with a card and watch your team come alive when given the space to think.
Physical deck shipped worldwide · No subscription or account required
What’s in the deck
52 prompt cards plus 2 overview cards. 54 cards total.
Rewards repeated use
Prompts designed to be used again and again. The same card often feels different six months later.
Format and quality
Physical product
54 A6 cards
152 x 118 x 40 mm, 450g
