Mendelow power-interest matrix - Free Template

Three pages. Page one is the matrix itself - a clean version with the four quadrants marked, ready to print or work from on screen. Page two is a summary card to keep beside you: what each quadrant means, how to engage the people who land in it, four steps for running the exercise, and the traps to watch for. Page three connects the tool to the wider work of leading change well. Together it is enough to run a first mapping session in one sitting, and to come back to as people move between quadrants and the picture shifts.

Start by listing every person and group your change could affect, inside the organisation and out - cast the net wide before you judge anyone's position. Use sticky notes or a shared whiteboard so you can move people around as the picture sharpens; first instincts are fine, and the close calls make for the most useful conversation. Watch the pull to spend most of your energy on the people already on side - the matrix is there to point your attention at the quiet powerful, not the loud and supportive. Treat power and interest as separate questions; the person who emails you most is often the one with the least ability to change things. And come back to the matrix at each milestone - positions shift as the work reaches new people.