Your Motive Story & Wellbeing Plan of Action
Your Motive Story helps you reflect on your motives in a meaningful way and put insights into action. We include this section at the end of your results as well, but include it upfront for you to keep in mind as you dive further into your results. This integrated narrative is meant to be shared and is oriented toward building familiarity, understanding, and connection between people with different motives. Create your own, and/or select prompts below that are most compelling to you, or that you think would best help you meet your motives or communicate with others.
Considering your work life right now, on a scale of 1-10, how “met” are each of your top 5 motives? Give a rating for each of the 5.
How do you feel about your motive ratings? Would you say your work life is suffering, healthy, thriving or somewhere in-between?
Identify the “why” behind your motives. For example, is a motive of top importance because it’s…
- Tied to a specific outcome or goal? Aspirational and forward looking?
- Value-based, one that is woven into your personal values and sense of self?
- Threatened or severely suffering and desperately needs tending to?
- Specifically connected to where you are in your personal life right now? Or a new significant change in your work or personal life?
- A “deal-breaker” motive, something you feel you cannot or will not work without?
For each of your top five motives, complete the following:
- My own summary of what this motive means to me is…
- Something I hadn’t thought about, but which feels true to me about this motive is…
- Something I like about myself or about the way I work because of this motive is…
- One current challenge to this motive being fully met is…
- A mindset I can cultivate to help me support this motive is…
Your Motive Story & Wellbeing Plan of Action
Thinking of your motives all together, complete the following:
- One of my motives that I often feel is misunderstood is…
- The motive that causes me the most frustration or stress right now is…
- A motive that I’m grateful that my company, manager, or team is good at is…
- If I could get people I work with to better understand just one or two of my motives, those motives would be…
- A motive I am willing to compromise right now for the sake of my other motives is…
- One thing that would be valuable to share with others based on my motives is…
- The motive I do the best at honoring is…the motive I struggle the most with is…
Motives across from each other on the Circumplex tend to hold tension with each other, while Motives next to each other have more in common. Do any of your motives feel at odds or like they are competing with one another? If so, how do you experience and reconcile this?
Now that you see your motives more clearly, list five changes you want to make in your work life to honor your motives. These can be big or small.
List five things that your manager, peers, clients, department, or company could do differently to better honor your motives. Be specific about who, what, and which motive. Try not to let fear, self-censorship, or practicality block what you honestly wish you could ask for. If it helps, make two lists: a candid one just for you, and a more “realistic” one that you’re more comfortable talking about with others.
Have more questions about practically integrating this knowledge into your work life or about Motive Stories? Visit our website www.motivesmet.com