CHAPTER 6

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Now you know how to idea map, have created several

examples, and understand the laws. This chapter will

cover the following topics:

• Learning about the value of seeing other people's maps

• Viewing idea maps created by 11 professionals from

around the world

Learning By Seeing

For many people there is a big gap between knowing how to

idea map and actually applying it to something worthwhile.

Seeing others' models will act as the bridge. These examples

will open your eyes to a wealth of possible uses and will help

spark creative applications of your own.

Having spent nearly 15 years teaching idea mapping to

thousands of people, I have been exposed to an amazing variety

of applications. Seeing how and understanding why

others have been successful with this tool is an excellent way

to learn how to incorporate idea mapping into your work and

life. In this chapter, I will highlight hand-drawn examples

from business people around the globe. These maps will follow

the laws closely. Each will have a different use, level of

complexity, style, and purpose. The selections will be a mix

of typical and uncommon business applications. Following

will be a series of application descriptions, benefits, and the

associated idea maps. Enjoy meeting some of my friends.

(The idea maps that are too large for this book and color ver-

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sions of all maps are available at www.IdeaMappingSuccess

.com.)

Lesson Eight-

Get ideas for idea-mapping applications

by seeing others' examples.

Data Collection for Annual Job Review

Anyone who has ever had a job has been through the review

process. Many dread the thought of preparing for their review

as they painfully attempt to recall and describe all the

important data for an entire year. Without good records,

some accomplishments are already distant memories. Jared

Kelner had a better idea.

He is a service account manager for a large internet

hardware manufacturer. He is responsible for selling the appropriate

services from his company's services portfolio to

one of America's largest communications companies. Some

of the services he sells are proactive engineering services,

professional installation and project management services,

and maintenance/technical support services. Once the new

services are in place, he works with an extended team to ensure

the services are delivered with the highest level of quality

and accuracy, and that services are constantly exceeding

the customers' expectations.

Kelner states, "It becomes cumbersome and challenging

at times to ensure that you discuss all of the year's key

topics during the review. When you have multiple spreadsheets

and word documents to sort through, there is a greater

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chance of missing some critical information. I created this

idea map to keep a running log of my annual activities at

work so that when it comes time to sit down with my manager

for my annual review, I will be able to quickly and efficiently

present a summary of everything I did in the past

year. By consolidating everything on to one idea map, the

discussion becomes very fluid, natural, and comprehensive.

In general, the benefit [of ] idea mapping this topic for my

annual review [is that it] helps to focus the conversation during

the review itself. Prior to creating this idea map, I used a

spreadsheet as my information repository. My intention is to

add content to the map at the end of each week. Ultimately,

I can use the information on the idea map as my benchmark

for setting the next year's goals and objectives."

Figure 6.1 is Kelner's initial template to which he will

add data throughout the year. He has six main branches, each

representing large amounts of data. They are Financial Goals,

Meetings, Conflicts, Training, Travel/Expense, and Major Wins.

An image-rather than a word-describes each branch. The

map will be explained by using the clock positions.

One o'clock Branch-Financial Goals

At the one o'clock position are his financial goals showing

year-to-date progress toward annual sales goals. Kelner

mentions, "By posting this information on my wall, it is a

constant reminder of what I have ahead of me in terms of

sales objectives."

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Figure 6.1 Data Collection for Annual Job Review

Three o'clock Branch-Meetings

Kelner adds, "Internal and external meetings make up almost

50% of my time. It becomes very important to continually

track the participants, content, action items, and results

of each meeting. By idea mapping the key strategic meetings,

I am able to provide my manager [with] a detailed, yet concise

summary of the meetings throughout the year."

Five o'clock Branch-Conflicts

"By mapping the major and minor conflicts I encounter during

the year, my manager and I are able to review how these

conflicts impacted the business and my overall productivity.

Tracking these conflicts helps lay the foundation for next

year's projects for streamlining processes."

Seven o'clock Branch-Training

"Throughout the year, employees engage in many forms of

personal and business training. From Project Management

to Public Speaking classes or from Technical Certifications

to Business Theory books, it is critical to discuss all of the

training efforts that were made in the year. By idea mapping

the training on an ongoing basis, I am able to highlight all of

the educational activities during the review."

Nine o'clock Branch-Expenses

"Measuring, tracking, and managing your business expense

report is critical to the financial success of the company. By

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mapping the ongoing expenses throughout the year, I am

able to provide a detailed summary of all monies issued for

things like airplane fares, hotel and rental car charges, and

meals."

Eleven o'clock Branch-Major Wins

"The branch of major wins is a critical part of the annual review

process. It is very important to highlight my significant

accomplishments in order to help position a promotion, a

bonus, or a special assignment. By mapping the major wins

throughout the year, the discussion around this point becomes

extremely effective."

In Kelner's example, he was preparing for his own review.

I know leaders who create similar idea maps when preparing

to give reviews to their employees. Whether on the

giving or receiving end, make an idea map for your next review!

Estate Planning

Liza Seiner is a lawyer who uses idea maps for her clients

who need estate-planning services. When I met Liza in October

of 2004, the beauty and artistry of her maps overwhelmed

me. I was even more surprised to discover she was

a lawyer. She did not fit my stereotype. Idea mapping renurtured

her love of drawing and in addition provided a practical

reason to use them with clients. (See Figure 6.2 for Liza's

Estate Planning Map.) She now combines her ability to teach

idea mapping with her legal background. Refer to Figure 6.2

as you read her description of this map.

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Figure 6.2 Estate Planning

I began using the maps in my client meetings when I realized

that they helped me to organize my own thinking. The first

ones that I used were for clients that were coming to see me

after several years. They had done estate-planning work

(meaning that they had created Wills, Powers of Attorney for

finances, and Living Wills for healthcare decisions). I needed

to refresh my memory on the various terms we had chosen to

include in their documents. Doing an idea map was a review

and preparation tool.

When I got to the actual meeting, I used the idea maps

as an "agenda" to review with them what we had done in the

past. Normally, I can expect to spend about 11⁄2 hours in a

meeting with a client (whether it's a new client or a review).

By using the maps for review, we were easily able to save

thirty minutes, and they were very appreciative of the review.

It made their understanding much greater, and we could

write the changes they wanted to make on the map.

With new clients, much of the information that I present

to them has to do with explaining how the documents

work to achieve their goals. The explanations are still necessary,

but the visual layout allows them to grasp the material

better, and I think they give better responses to questions that

I have about their goals and desires.

Every client that I have seen using an idea map has expressed

their enjoyment of the process. The following gives a

little perspective on the size and complexity of cases with which

they have been used: I have used them with clients that had

very few assets, but perhaps "unconventional" family structures

(i.e., no children, but many people they wished to provide

for at their deaths); large asset clients (one in particular

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had multiple businesses, complex inheritance issues, and unfocused

goals); and the "average" couple, with kids and grandchildren,

who wanted to provide for their families, and make

sure that decisions about finances and healthcare were taken

care of so they didn't have to worry about it.

The map in Figure 6.2 is the template Liza uses to gather

client information, understand the goals, and finally meet

with the client.

Decision-To Move or Not to Move?

Vanda North is currently the founder and director of The

Learning Consortium, a global training organization based

out of the United Kingdom that specializes in accelerated

learning techniques for increased business productivity and

profits. Vanda has over 30 years of experience working with

world business leaders. She founded The Buzan Centres and

was the global director of the Buzan Organization from 1988

to 2006. Figure 6.3 shows Vanda's idea map, which captures

the critical issues around a decision to relocate their headquarters.

I was aware for some time that I might need to move my offices

from Bournemouth, U.K., to another location. At the

time the decision wasn't pressing; however, if things continued

as they were, it would become more necessary. After considering

many points, there still wasn't a clear-cut direction. I

began to explore the issues in more detail.

There was another aspect-the feelings of the rest of the

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Figure 6.3 Decision

team. I wanted to find out how a move would affect them. We

had a team meeting and BrainBloomed_the main considerations

(red) while creating an idea map. Then we used a color

code for either staying (green) or moving (purple). Each person

completed a color copy of the map with any issues about

that topic and gave a rating (or weighting) to each branch.

The scale went from -100 (negative impact) to +100 (positive

impact). Everyone added their own thoughts, worries, concerns,

hopes, and the specific impact it would have on them. It

was a great chance to really know how each person felt.

There were several surprises and some very valuable input

that may well not have come to light if this process had not

been conducted. Further, even if people were negative about

the situation, they felt better for the chance to have voiced

their opinions and to have them recorded and validated. I collated

all of the input and computed an overall score to determine

a suggested direction.

The map consolidated ideas from the powerful brains

throughout the entire organization. Further, everyone really

felt that they contributed and had assisted in a big decision.

Regardless of the decision, some people would not be happy-

at least that was now known. It was therefore an easy matter

to discuss alternatives (given the circumstances). In most

cases, the person had a solution for their own problem, and

that made them feel good as well.

I would not make a decision based only on this process;

however, to involve the whole team and to have a strong

awareness for how the people that make things happen on a

daily basis feel and what can be done, I think it is the best and

easiest way to move forward.

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The end of the story was that we did decide to move. It

was one of the best decisions we have made, and everyone felt

good about it.

Vision/Mission

It is a well-known fact that creating a written vision for life

and work significantly increases the likelihood of achieving

that vision. Yet, how many of us take the time and effort to

do this? Figure 6.4 is the most significant idea map I have

ever created for my work and life.

I mentioned earlier that I taught Covey's Seven Habits

of Highly Effective Leaders while working for a previous employer.

During this workshop, each participant does some

soul-searching exercises to lay the groundwork for writing a

mission statement. Various experts want to distinguish a vision

from a mission. I'm not going to get hung up on the

semantics. Call it what you want! The basic idea is to create

a vision of you and your life as you want to see it lived out

both personally and professionally. It typically will not

change although life circumstances change.

During the Covey workshop participants create a draft

of their vision and are encouraged to finish it after class. Over

a 9-month period while teaching this class, my guilt steadily

increased because I had never completed my own vision and

felt like a hypocrite telling others to do something I had not.

I had completed all the exercises, but could not seem to put

something as important as my entire life into a nice paragraph,

a list of bullets, or any of the other recommended

formats.

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Figure 6.4 Vision

I was home recovering from some minor surgery one

day and had one of those "aha!" moments. It's actually a bit

embarrassing to admit that although I had been idea mapping

for 5 years by now, it never dawned on me to try putting

my vision in that format. I immediately located the exercises

from the class, all of the preparation, and my weak attempt

at a draft. Within 30 minutes I completely converted this

painful linear document into an idea map. That was in February

of 1997. Since then I've only made one tiny revision. I

reduced it to a 6″ × 3.5″ page and had it laminated. I have a

small binder that contains my PDA, some unlined paper, and

a four-color pen. In the front of the binder is now this reduced

version of my vision map. It was easy to create, and

now it helps me to make better decisions and shapes how and

where I spend my time.

The idea map itself is self-explanatory. The icons in the

central image hold volumes of words for me, so the use of imagery

saved what would have been pages of linear descriptions.

My main branches cover work, life, learning, using my

talents, freedom, things I enjoy, and my spiritual commitment.

It has stood the test of time and has been a great reminder

for me and a source of inspiration.

Vision-Getting Started

This is an activity and an idea map that ties to the previous

vision application. It is so important for individuals to have a

vision for their lives and careers. I've occasionally asked

people to map their vision as a workshop activity, and it is

frequently highlighted as one of the most beneficial aspects

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Figure 6.5 Vision-Getting Started

of the course. Therefore, I'm going to strongly encourage

the creation of this kind of idea map. Your map will have

branches that are different from my example in Figure 6.4

and a different amount of detail. Here are a few suggestions

as you begin this activity.

As a starting point, I've created an idea map (refer to

Figure 6.5) that provides some categories to foster the thinking

process around your own vision. I use this same map for

workshop participants and project it on a screen throughout

this part of the course. (It was created using software, and

we'll get to that in the next chapter.) It's always good to start

by taking an inventory of your strengths and talents-both

used and unused. What relationships and areas of life are important

to you? What provides meaning in your life? What

do you want to accomplish? What would you do for free if

money was no issue? What do you hope to be? Do you feel

your work and life have purpose? What provides that purpose

(or would provide it if it is missing)? What is it that really

matters in life? These are just some questions to get you

started. Don't limit yourself to this map. Use it to spark additional

thoughts about your own life.

As you consider the major areas of your life vision, begin

an idea map. Capture all of your ideas without editing

right now. Then leave it alone for a day or even a week. Repeat

this process several times without looking back at previous

maps. Then sit down with all your maps. Consolidate a

final (final for now at least) idea map of everything that seems

important at this stage. You may find you leave some things

out, or you may find a new way to capture multiple thoughts

into one word or image. This process may take some time, so

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allow yourself several drafts if necessary. Add, change, and

delete branches from this map until you feel it is finished.

The final product will be worth the effort.

This is an added note for those in leadership positions.

In his book Primal Leadership, Daniel Goleman talks about

the importance of individual and organizational vision. For

leaders managing a team of employees, have each team member

create a vision map for his or her work and life. Then

help him or her live out the part of that vision that can be

realized in the workplace. Use the Team Mapping Method

described in Chapter 9 to create a vision for your organization.

You will have a happier and more committed team.

Objectives will be clearer, and there will be a reduction in the

wasted time that is caused by confusion around purpose.

Others will be fighting to get onto your team! The results

will amaze you!

Problem Employee and

Difficult Discussion

Karen Maggard was the second vice president for the sales

division of a large insurance company. She was having a serious

problem with one of her employees. As she described the

various issues over the phone, I mapped out her concerns and

then faxed her the map. It was a helpful tool going into her

next round of discussions with this employee. The map kept

her focus on the issues and not the emotions of the situation.

See Figure 6.6.

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Figure 6.6 Problem Employee

Marketing Campaign-

Youthful Tooth Company

For 25 years, Jeff Alexander has been the president and coowner

of a company called The Youthful Tooth Company,

which has four locations in the San Francisco Bay area. During

television appearances, the company is referred to as the

Disneyland of Dentistry. It's a place where kids can actually

have fun at the dentist. It is a colorful, fun, and exciting place

to work where those who need dental care (especially for

kids) never get turned away, even if they are financially unable

to care for themselves.

Jeff uses his vast areas of expertise to teach seminars

and work with companies on a multitude of topics. This idea

map (see Figure 6.7) came from a seminar Jeff gave in the Bay

Area to his managers and other visiting doctors, dentists, and

other health care professionals. The logo of the company is

in the center of the map, and the seminar topic was a new

marketing campaign.

Each participant received a copy of the map, which

served multiple purposes. Jeff used the map as the actual

notes for teaching the 2-day program. Participants were

encouraged to add to the map throughout the seminar-

especially in the areas that affected them directly. They assigned

names and completion dates to tasks and then posted

the map where their team could see the progress. Jeff had

each student make a "fun agreement"-to add a celebration

branch to the map to reward accomplishments, which resulted

from using the idea map. This provided enjoyment

for all!

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Figure 6.7 Marketing Campaign

When Jeff delivers seminars for companies, he frequently

leaves them a copy of his idea map as a review of the

material. He recommends that they enlarge the map and post

it in a common area for all the staff to constantly see (like in

the lunchroom, but out of view of customers or patients). He

has had great results with this method. The map acts as not

only a reminder, but also shows progress and evaluation on

unfinished projects.

Entire Books-(Big Maps!)

Pete Wilkins is a senior manager with the Consulting Group

at Deloitte. In May of 2005, he attended a 5-day QBI (Qualified

Buzan Instructor) certification workshop I was teaching

in Vancouver, British Columbia. In preparation for the certification,

candidates were required to map three books and

then bring their maps to class. This is a daunting task for beginners.

Candidates used their own discretion to determine

the amount of detail in their maps. I suggested they include

enough data to learn the concepts and skills they will need

to teach others. They usually create their maps on 11″ × 17″

paper. For the larger books, I recommend one map per chapter.

Then I met Pete.

When it was time for the group to review his prework,

Pete unrolled three LARGE pieces of flipchart paper. Each

page was a map that captured an entire book. They were

huge, beautifully done, had many images, and contained a

high level of detail. Pete was able to learn and internalize volumes

of information through this activity. He put them up

on the wall in his home for a while after the course. This en-

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abled him to review the material frequently and have greater

recall of the information. Figure 6.8 will show you a photograph

of one of his giant maps! This is an idea map of the

book Get Ahead by Vanda North. See www.IdeaMapping

Success.com for Pete's other two large book idea maps.

Dual Core

Gregg Stokes is a partner and executive art director for Clarity

Creative Group in Las Vegas, Nevada. Refer to Figure 6.9

as he describes his application.

Idea maps serve as a detailed visual reference to capture large

quantities of information. At a glance, I can get a project

overview and see the overall project structure. Also present is

the ability to see details that are included in the branching.

This project was a 3D animation based around several

scenarios. I created this Dual Core idea map to show relationships

and continuity between scenarios. At the core of the

project was a new microprocessor architecture-which is a

highly technical product. The many benefits that the end user

derives from this advanced technology were established as the

deliverable.

The outcome was clarity. After many meetings and

discussions, I provided a map that distilled hours of discussions,

hours of conversation, and pages of notes into one map.

The project was given the green light, and we proceeded to a

full-blown 3D animation.

The animation served as a vehicle that brought an awareness

to the internal sales force on how this new technology

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Figure 6.8 Get Ahead

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Figure 6.9 Dual Core

should be explained to their customers. It also created excitement

as it was used to close a very technical presentation that

needed a flashy ending.

I have used idea maps countless times to summarize

technical details for projects that need to be organized and

structured. I have always received positive feedback from my

clients as to how the idea map was the first time they saw the

project as a structured whole-instead of pieces and parts.

Cancer Map

Although the focus of this book is the business applications

of idea mapping, we all know that it is virtually impossible to

separate our professional lives from our personal. I met Judy

Grewell on February 8, 1996. In all my idea-mapping experiences,

this is one of the most profound and unique idea

maps I have ever been privileged to see. I'll let Judy tell the

following story in her own words. Refer to Figure 6.10.

This idea map was done by my late husband, John, and me

during the last few weeks of his life. I had taken a class, taught

by Jamie Nast, on February 8, 1996. John and I began the

idea map on February 9, 1996, continuing it energetically

until a day or two before his death on March 18, 1996. (I finished

some details of it afterward.) We had so many things to

sort out and think about regarding his cancer treatment and

other decisions once he was determined to be terminally ill

on February 28, 1996. Using the idea-mapping strategy, we

were able to organize the immense array of details during this

stressful time. We put a large piece of chart paper on the wall

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Figure 6.10 Cancer Map

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in the dining room and captured thoughts together nearly

every night. Even when John was finding deep thinking very

difficult (he eventually died of a brain tumor), the strategy

helped him see, understand, and add to the information until

a couple of days before his death.

Here is a brief explanation of the map; in the actual map

there are boxes around major points of consideration.

Treatment is the first branch. John was already under

treatment for the cancer, but since it was rapidly progressing,

the question was could we do more? The subbranches were doctors,

options, and medications.

Next was Support. These branches were the sources of

moral and physical support to us during John's illness. They

were work, family, church, and Hospice. The following branch

covered both financial and legal matters such as John's living

will, investments, insurance, and funeral expenses.

This last branch (Final Planning) was the most difficult

part of the idea map, since this occurred when John's death

was imminent (within days); he did as much of this with me

as he was able. It included the funeral, cemetery, obituary,

thank you notes, my leave of absence, and notifications.

When Judy created her idea map, she was a technical training

manager of a large information technology company.

When she attended the second day of the workshop and

shared her application, it was a very sobering experience for

the entire group. Thankfully, the story does not end there.

Several years later, she married a wonderful man, Dave Bess.

She continues to be a dear friend, and I thank her for her

willingness to share such a personal example.

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An Introduction to

Leadership Coaching

Kirsty Hayes is the founder of The Learning Attitude, an organizational

and leadership development company specializing

in improving personal and organizational performance.

She is based out of Sidney, Australia, has over 22 years experience

in commerce, and is an accomplished international

keynote speaker. She is the author of Leadership Coaching: A

Practical Guide published by Pearson Education Australia,

and the author of Dancing With Brilliance. Here is Kirsty's description

of her idea map (see Figure 6.11):

This idea map summarizes the introduction chapter of my

book Leadership Coaching-A Practical Guide. It outlines

what coaching is, the benefits of coaching, why coach, and

how to get the most out of this book. Each chapter in this book

is summarized with an idea map. Prior to writing this book,

I created a mega map outlining all the content I wanted to

cover and the order it was to be covered. I drafted the text from

the mega map. This map was recreated from my original map

as a subset of the entire book.

Company Mission Statement

Gan F. Tong is a partner in a company called MindeXtension

in Milan, Italy. Gan has years of experience in high-level corporate

leadership and business. She is a consultant, corporate

business trainer, and certified trainer for Franklin Covey

courses. I met Gan and Dario Biondo, the founder of their

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Figure 6.11 An Introduction to Leadership Coaching

company, in March of 2005 when I certified them both as

idea-mapping instructors. They are a brilliant team, and what

follows is an example of how they work together to bring excellence

to their clients. Gan describes her map (see Figure

6.12) as follows:

I did this map in about 15 minutes after reading loads of articles

and books on how to write powerful mission statements

for companies. In order to capture all the ideas that I liked

from those materials, I summarized them into a quick idea

map.

Dario then used this map to conduct a brainstorming exercise

(see the reference to BrainBloom_ in Chapter 9) for a

group of four business owners of a mid-size electronics wholesale

distributor in Tuscany, Italy. Their company is the market

leader in that region.

The idea map helped Dario to walk them through a very

time consuming and difficult exercise without any problem.

After spending a day with these business owners and going

through the various stages of the exercise, Dario gave them a

week or so to work on their own and complete these statements.

The outcome was that they completed their company

mission statement from those exercises and included the statement

in their new brochure.

So you can see from the examples throughout this chapter

what a valuable tool idea mapping can be to help collect, sort,

clarify, consolidate, and present large amounts of information-

whether personal or professional, whether in stressful

times or not, whether making decisions, developing marketing

plans, or creating a vision. See Figure 6.13 for a sum-

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Figure 6.12 Company Mission Statement

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mary of all the different uses for idea maps discussed in this

chapter. Idea maps assist people with their planning and

organizing. They give you a whole picture of the issue at

hand rather than scattered pieces.

Now that you have read these stories and seen the associated

maps, create an idea map that will assist you in life or

business. Continue to work on a map for your work and life

vision. In the next chapter, I will introduce an amazing software

package that will become a necessary tool as you become

a more proficient user of idea mapping.

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Figure 6.13 Chapter 6 Summary