The Motivational Maps Experience is a short series of interview/case studies carried out by James Sale, the creator of Motivational Maps. The Business Practitioners involved are all valued Practitioners of Motivated Performance.
Find out more about Sonia and what she does with Motivational Maps at soniagavira.com Introduction
Sonia’s journey with Motivational Maps began when she met Susannah Brade-Waring at an Employee Engagement event organised by someone at Merlin.
"I had just finished working on a global project of engagement for Ford Motor Company and they’d asked me to present to a group of local leaders interested in engagement. I sat next to Susannah we immediately hit it off – it’s easy to do with her!"
Sonia's Experience
Top Motivator: Searcher
As might be expected of a Searcher, the real moment of connection with the Maps came when Sonia received some feedback for the work she’d done: ‘I have recently licensed some people who are loving the Maps and really starting to use them in their business - one of them thanked me and said that she had nearly given up her business and that the work with the Maps has given her a new lease of life.’
As someone licensed in a number of tools – Myers Briggs, True Colors, Disc, PIAV, Strengthscope to name just a few – Sonia found herself experiencing the same feelings that many others have expressed on first encountering the Map: ‘Not another tool!’ However, her concerns were quickly soothed: ‘A little while after the event, Susannah contacted me about Motivational Maps. I really liked Susannah, so I did it despite misgivings and found the information really interesting. It was talking to me about where I was in that moment and resonated deeply.’
It turned out Sonia’s motivation was declining. ‘And I knew why - I no longer had a huge project that was making a huge difference (Searcher). I no longer had that community of coaches globally (Friend). And I was starting to think I might have to go back into employment (Spirit) in order to keep some form of regular income.’ Sonia’s next remark is intriguing, because it points towards the therapeutic power of the Maps: ‘The Map really was telling me my story as I was living it then.’ Another way to word this might be it was reflecting her real story and journey, which is what therapists naturally do with their clients in order to help them grasp their narrative.
‘What it also told me,’ Sonia continues. ‘Was that my dislike of talking about myself and putting myself in the limelight (Star was then my lowest motivator), was getting in the way - how could I go out and do the work I wanted to do if I was reluctant to promote myself?’
It’s not only the drivers that speak volumes and ‘tell the story’ but also the lower motivators. In some ways, we can get more information on the ‘way forward’ from a difficult situation by looking at the lowest motivator than the highest. Or, at least, that was the case for Sonia, as she underwent a transformation: ‘I set out to work on that and reframe how I saw promoting myself, in a way that would plug into what really drives me. So I said to myself: ‘Sonia, if you want to make a difference, build a community, and keep your independence, you have to talk about yourself and what you offer. That way, talking about yourself will help you make a difference, build a community, and keep you working for yourself.’ Sonia uses the Maps ‘language’ to help communicate with her inner psyche.
The results are fascinating and surprising: ‘Six months later, I redid my own map and the Star motivator had moved up to number 4! That is what then sold me on maps and that’s what lead me to train with Susannah to become a BP.’
Sonia's Top Tip
‘It’s a financial and time commitment that you have to be ready for and you need to be clear who your target market is going to be. But it is really rewarding seeing others realise how amazing the information that the Maps gives you is.’
"I now use the maps as part of my intake session - the session that I use to get to know my client and set up the coaching contract. And what I’ve found is that most of my clients want to repeat the Map towards the end of our working together as they sense that there has been a change. The maps are also becoming an integral part of my work in employee engagement and leadership development where we explore motivation as the missing piece in engagement and leadership performance. The piece which has always been there as an intangible and now can be tangible."
Comments