The guy on the right drew this map.  He is bailing out the boat that is sinking.  He is doing his job in spite of a bad situation.  I asked, “Who is the guy on the left?”  He said “That’s my boss.”  A few heads turned toward his boss sitting up front.  I asked “So what is he doing?” He answered, “He’s pissing in the boat and not doing much else.”  There were guffaws from his cronies and the rest of us couldn’t resist smiling.  It’s funny.  The manager just shook his head probably thinking “is it that bad?”  Then one of his buddies asked, “So why are you smiling then?”  He whipped his head around and was shocked to see the smile.  This was a union management meeting and so far nothing had gone well.  In that split moment, he saw himself and maybe the others did too.  I mentioned it much later: “Is it possible that the fight, leading the cause, being the union representative is fun for you?  Would you have as good a time if we solved all these problems?”  When the thirty people present got the opportunity to speak for themselves it turned about 27 of them liked their jobs and just wanted to get back to doing their jobs.  Only the three union reps were angry and unhappy.  Often groups that seem to be at an impasse are simply being held hostage by a few malcontents.

This guy is in pain. I’ve seen this drawing from many people in many industries.  The tug of priorities feel like they are tearing you apart.  What I like about this guy’s drawing is the expressions on the faces of the people who need his attention.  A nice person, a mad/mean person, a sad person, a clueless person, and the two handed power tug of a scared person.  All priorities are not equal and yet the sense of urgency of the “tugger” is unrelated to the importance of the priority.  This picture also gives the drawer a chance to see that he/she draws him/herself as a victim with no power.  The question arises – Is that really true?

This guy is in pain. I’ve seen this drawing from many people in many industries.  The tug of priorities feel like they are tearing you apart.  What I like about this guy’s drawing is the expressions on the faces of the people who need his attention.  A nice person, a mad/mean person, a sad person, a clueless person, and the two handed power tug of a scared person.  All priorities are not equal and yet the sense of urgency of the “tugger” is unrelated to the importance of the priority.  This picture also gives the drawer a chance to see that he/she draws him/herself as a victim with no power.  The question arises – Is that really true?

Drawing a picture of “what it’s like at work” gives people an opportunity to express negative emotions with humor.  When I facilitate this kind of exercise, everyone shares their “metaphor map” in a democratic process.  Some are positive but many people need to process stress, anxiety and frustration.  It is humor that makes this work.  When we can laugh at ourselves and each other, we find that negative perceptions ARE surmountable if we can talk about them.  Emotions that cannot be discussed cannot be healed.  This map was drawn by a guy who was new to a senior management position at a “troubled” facility of a national organization.  He explained, “This is what remains of me.  This job has ripped out my heart and guts.  The people here are chewing away my legs and feet.  I hold up my arm for help and the guys above me snap it off.”  This drawing was not so much a message to the group – although it made a strong impact – but it was a catharsis for the man who drew it.  Many people say the Metaphor Map process is cathartic.  He got lots of attention, genuine laughter at this graphics, and validation.  My guess is that this picture caused him to ask himself, “Am I really going to let this happen to me?”  After the catharsis of admitting he hit bottom and the validation that everyone could relate to the feeling, there was no where to go but up.