This memo was originally written for the Meta Coordination Forum 2025. I’m sharing this here (with some edits) in the hope it will be useful for others as well. (my other MCF memos are here: How High Impact Professionals (HIP) can support you; More Sharing of Top Candidates - Easy, High-Impact, Underused)

Disclaimer: I wrote this fairly quickly - no further research done compared to the data we have already available.

I’ve learned a lot from running programs for experienced professionals who are short on time but eager to make a bigger impact. Below are a few of the most transferable lessons - especially relevant if you're designing programs, courses, or communities in the high-impact space.

Drive action

Build actions gradually

We don’t ask participants to quit their job in Week 1. Instead:

• Start with lower-bar, outward-facing actions (e.g. adding their mission statement to their LinkedIn, reaching out to people at high-impact orgs)
• Build toward bigger steps and actions over time
• Have the different weeks of the program to build on each other to make missing a week “more painful” and share the full roadmap at the start

Celebrate actions and wins

Our #iap-celebration Slack channel consistently gets strong engagement. This is a simple way to show others that high-impact career transitions are possible for people “like them”.

Offer people impactful steps inside their control

While the new giving pledges are only a small fraction (~10%) of our overall impact, they are a fantastic tool to showcase high-impact actions that are within people’s control. This is particularly important in a career program, where most successes will only happen in the months after the program. See more on our pledge drive here.

Keeping your top performers engaged

Maximise value per 15 minutes

People will show up only if the value of the sessions, readings, or activities are high. Since not everyone is booking for the same type of support, it can also be useful to offer different options (e.g. 1:1 advising, peer networking, extracurricular sessions, volunteering matching) and allow people to pick and choose between them.

Select top participants

The most common feedback after week 1 in the IAP is the high calibre of people. My theory is that by letting weaker people into the program, the main risk is not that those people will drop out but rather that the top performers will drop out. We use our vetting process to ensure a good match with our format and goals.

Build a high-trust environment

1:1s in Week 1

In the cohort sessions, after a brief introduction of the program and participants, we run 1:1 chats in breakout rooms between participants to build connections early. This allows participants to get to know each other, find common interests, and get invested into each other's progressions. 

Mastermind sessions

From week 2 onwards, we run Mastermind sessions (i.e. one person is in the “hot seat” and shares their biggest barrier/uncertainty and relevant background, and others then brainstorm ideas and potential actions) to allow participants to share what really blocks them from pivoting their career to high impact. They work best when supported by clear facilitation and shared norms.

Design around your high-performers

Experienced professionals are drawn to high-calibre peers. Build your program with them in mind – and use your vetting process to ensure a good match with your format and goals. Be realistic about what your team can support.

Make networking easy and low-effort

Make it easy to find connections

We create a shared slide deck with short bios and goals of every participant. It’s low effort to produce and makes it easier for participants to find each other and connect.

Include weekly 1:1 nudges

Each week, participants get a simple message encouraging them to book a new 1:1 call with someone in the program. This helps foster cross-cohort connections with minimal coordination effort.

Build in-person connections around conferences

Offering optional in-person meetups (e.g. at EAGs) can strengthen community bonds across virtual participants and create new connections.