Newsletter January 2025

Welcome to our January 2025 TetraMap newsletter.

We look ahead to a bright new start and the infinite possibilities of a fresh new year.

A significant theme for TetraMap this year is ‘25 in 25’ – time to celebrate our quarter century of TetraMap! There will be events, learning opportunities, innovations, and reflections throughout the year, designed to bring a whole new dimension to your TetraMap experience.

If you are looking to start the year by taking your skills to the next level, applications for our Masters Facilitation Course open in February. We’ve also updated our website with details of new certification courses for 2025, so take a look if you’re looking to spread the word.

We kick off the year with our keywords for 2025: COURAGE and KINDNESS. Building on last year’s theme, where we recognised the courage of our fellow TetraMappers for continuing to strive to build a better world, we take a closer look at why kindness at work pays off with some wise words from TetraMap Master Facilitator, Mark Doughty.

This month we introduce our new Managing Director, Madelize Bekker, and share more about her vision for TetraMap in the coming year.  

We also take a trip to Germany to visit the growing European TetraMap community led by Anja Doil and Sabine Grüner – what is their secret? This year, we will be following your progress around the globe to learn how you are growing our TetraMap community.

In Trust the Process we focus on the tetrahedron and its vital role in setting the scene for TetraMap. Read tips from the experts on getting the most out of your tetrahedron.

To our newest TetraMap Certified Facilitators, we wish you the best of luck for 2025. Many of us take holidays over the Christmas and New Year period, so you may just be embarking on your first TetraMap workshop. Don’t forget we have a wealth of information on our website and if you need any reminders or encouragement, we have a very useful page of tips and reminders. And if you have any queries, you can bet you are not the only one, so give our website search box a try – it’s brilliant at bringing up current and archived information.

Looking ahead, we are opening up the topic of neurodiversity and how TetraMap could offer an exciting pathway to neuroinclusion. If you have experience of using TetraMap in this field, we’d love to hear from you. Please drop an email to Emma Mauger, emma@tetramap.com or Ruth Robinson, ruth@tetramap.com

Leading the way in Europe in 2025.

Two of the most experienced TetraMap Master Facilitators in Europe, Anja Doil and Sabine Grüner, are leading the way in building a connected and engaged TetraMap Community in the DACH region, meaning Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This year alone, they have held two certification courses in Germany and have another one planned for April 2025 – plus their dedication to creating a TetraMap German language circle is making a huge impact.

Anja is a TetraMap facilitator and systemic coach with more than 25 years of experience in people and leadership development, coaching and consulting.

“My TetraMap journey started in 2017 in Spain, when an acquaintance explained TetraMap on the back of a napkin in just a few minutes – FIRE from the first moment on!  I took it to my (now former) employer, a global IT consultancy, and grew TetraMap to more than 50 in-house facilitators in 28 countries and reached hundreds of employees with TetraMap workshops.”
– Anja Doll

Anja is now co-owner of Vemmer.Doil, a boutique coaching and consulting firm for executives, teams and HR professionals, with TetraMap having a very special place in her portfolio.

Sabine’s love of TetraMap dates back even further, with her being the first ever German Facilitator, learning from Jon and Yoshi in New Zealand as early as 2006. And – without TetraMap and Jon and Yoshi – her firm EQ Dynamics in Munich would not even have its name!

Sabine is a trainer, facilitator and consultant, specialising in creating awareness and competence around values and emotions in business for managers and team members across industries in Germany. She has been instrumental in bringing TetraMap to Germany for almost 20 years, enabling workshop participants as well as facilitators to cross the English language barrier. She has been certifying TetraMap facilitators for many years and has brought TetraMap to approximately 1,350 teams of her customer firms and more than 15,000 of their employees all over Germany so far.

Sabine and Anja met because of TetraMap and they realized that their elemental preferences complement each other perfectly. While Sabine easily sets a target and creates a smart path forward, Anja drums up support from others and thinks in options – and when they flex, they smile at each other because they know…!

Together they have started to lift TetraMap in the German-speaking countries to the next level, building a connected and engaged TetraMap Community, sharing their combined wisdom and experience to inspire others:

 

 

They have great plans for 2025 – to reach out to every German-speaking facilitator and bring together a great crowd next year – to support and empower each other, revitalizes facilitation skills, and – last but not least – to celebrate 25 years of TetraMap in Central Europe as well!

Ruth Robinson, General Manager, Europe and UK said: “Anja and Sabine are doing some amazing work in Europe, not just in growing TetraMap but in creating a strong network of TetraMap facilitators who feel valued. They practice generosity in the spirit of TetraMap, committed to providing support and establishing a great circle of people who enrich each other personally and professionally.”

Trust the Process – Provides the ultimate guide to the tetrahedron.

This month’s Trust the Process provides the ultimate guide to the tetrahedron with an in-depth exploration of how it provokes creativity and strengthens learning.

We often get asked ‘Why is the tetrahedron so important, and why do we introduce it before the instrument?’ Well, the tetrahedron not only offers a powerful way to connect the Elements and inspires teams to think differently, it also sparks creativity and transforms how people think and work together.

By introducing the tetrahedron early in your sessions, you set the stage for participants to understand how people and the Elements – Earth, Air, Water, and Fire – work together in harmony, sparking insights that lead to better collaboration and innovation.

Madelize Bekker, Managing Director TetraMap International, explains: “The tetrahedron isn’t just a shape – it’s TetraMap’s competitive edge, sparking creativity and transforming how people think and work together. It represents the balance, strength, and creativity that come from interdependence, and it’s a cornerstone of the Why Are You Like That? (WAYLT) workshop experience.

“The tetrahedron is what makes TetraMap unique. It’s a simple yet powerful visual that helps participants see the big picture without any binary thinking. All the concepts of ‘up and down’, ‘left and right’, ‘inside and outside’ disappear when you fold the map into a tetrahedron and that is much closer to what reality is like. It provokes creativity because it challenges people to think beyond their individual Element preferences and imagine how all four work together. That’s where the magic happens – in the connections.”

Why the Tetrahedron Comes First

The tetrahedron is introduced before the instrument in WAYLT because it provides a unifying framework and it is the perfect way to set the context and introduce the metaphor of a map and of nature. It’s stable, balanced, and represents interdependence. By starting with the tetrahedron, participants grasp the importance of balance and interdependence, which prepares them to make the most of their personal results later in the session. It shows participants how no Element can stand alone.

The tetrahedron reminds us that no Element operates in isolation. It’s about synergy. You’ll see participants having lightbulb moments as they realize how their strengths complement others and how they can create something stronger together.

Louise Duncan, TetraMap International Global Brand Ambassador, said: “Part of TetraMap’s appeal is the playfulness, and the tetrahedron is tactile and gets people involved. It guides them to look at the interdependence of all four elements even before they find out their own elemental preference. And facilitators can really make it meaningful by asking simple questions, such as how it reflects the participants’ workplace, which can quickly open up some incredible conversations.” 

Madelize added: “The beauty of the tetrahedron is its adaptability – whether it’s a conversation starter, a hands-on exercise, or a metaphor for balance – it opens the door to creativity, collaboration, and deeper insights.

The tetrahedron doesn’t just teach balance – it sparks creativity. As participants explore the connections between the Elements, they start thinking differently about how to approach challenges. This shift in perspective often leads to innovative ideas and solutions.

It provokes curiosity and brings out the best in teams, helping them see challenges and opportunities from multiple perspectives.”

Making the Tetrahedron Work for You

There are so many ways to use the tetrahedron in your workshops – it’s a versatile and powerful tool. In addition to the instructions for how to introduce and use it in the Why Are You Like That Leader Guide, here are a few ideas to make it meaningful and engaging for your participants. Try one (or more) of these approaches in your next workshop and watch how the tetrahedron transforms the learning experience!

“The tetrahedron is a wonderful mechanism for facilitators to work with emergence.”
– Emma Mauger, TetraMap Global Head of Learning

Emma offers her practical tips on getting the most out of your tetrahedron in your workshop:

• Use the imagery on the TetraMap tetrahedron to facilitate a conversation about widening perspectives as a team. Notice how the full image on the folded out TetraMap moves to focus more deeply on specific perspectives once folded up into the tetrahedron shape. 
• In practice, the diversity of all four Elements can give us a fuller view of the horizon – engaging all Elements gives us more visibility about what is happening than we can reach by ourselves.
• Invite participants to share three key topics they believe would benefit from seeing the bigger horizon. Prioritise the topics and agree one to work on as a group.
• Shape a powerful catalytic question for the Elements to explore and then unpack together focusing on the new clarity available.

“If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don’t bother trying to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking.”
– Buckminster Fuller

The tetrahedron is TetraMap’s tool to do exactly that.

Why kindness at work pays off.

One of our keywords for TetraMap this year is KINDNESS. It can transform workplaces, drive success, and foster a positive culture where we can all thrive. In fact, kindness in leadership is a superpower, according to TetraMap Master Facilitator, Mark Doughty.

As a Leadership and Talent Director and long-time fan of TetraMap, Mark suggests being kind every day could be just as powerful as eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day! Acts of kindness have been associated with the release of dopamine and oxytocin, hormones that improve mood and foster a sense of being connected. Together, these chemicals improve our mood, wellbeing, health, and connectedness.

Mark said: “We can all recall a manager we liked and think of fondly. You may even be working with one right now, if so, be assured they are a keeper! Such managers have a profound impact, not just on your own job satisfaction but on your health and wellbeing too.

“Why? Because when we think of ‘that manager,’ it’s unlikely that we remember them because of what they said in terms of their strategies or the direction they took or even their glossy presentations. We simply remember them for how they made us feel and for their kindness.”

But isn’t kindness just about being nice? Mark cautions there is a difference between niceness and kindness. Niceness is often more superficial, it’s about being polite and agreeable, sometimes to avoid conflict or to be liked by others. In many ways niceness is about avoiding issues and can be driven by a desire for approval, or more often an ulterior motive.

Many studies suggest that a less-than-kind working environment has a real impact on employee engagement and customer service. Work related stress, depression or anxiety comes at a substantial cost. For example, SHRM reports that incivility in the USA costs $2bn a day! In the UK, AXA , the workplace insurer, states that 23m sick days were taken last year in the UK with 70% of sickness attributed to stress at work. Additionally, the highly respected research firm Gallup reports that global employee engagement remains low, with only 23% of employees actively engaged.

Kindness as a leadership trait has greater impact on individual, team, company, and customer outcomes than traditional leadership approaches focused solely on authority and control.

“Kind leadership is not a soft approach; it is a strategic and impactful way to lead. As the world of work continues to evolve, the importance of being kind as a leader will not only grow but it will become pivotal to a company’s success.

Overall, kindness in leadership is the bedrock of genuine strength. It’s about balancing Trust -confidence in you as a leader in the unknown – and Credibility – confidence in you as a leader to deliver. It’s about being humble yet taking tough decisions and delivering results. It’s about doing the right thing always. And kindness is more than just a skill; it’s an art. Like any artisan it takes practice.”
– Mark Doughty

In summary, Mark said: “If you really want to promote kindness in the workplace, TetraMap is simple, effective, and works across all five generations. However, the beauty of TetraMap is that it talks to and amplifies the key traits of Kindness. Kind leaders matter most, and TetraMap is the artisan’s tool!”

Meet our new Managing Director, Madelize Bekker.

This January, we’re excited to welcome Madelize Bekker stepping up as our new Managing Director.

With a 17-year connection to TetraMap, Madelize is a Master TetraMap Facilitator and has previously served on the TetraMap board. Her strong focus on leadership and people development is complemented by a well-rounded academic background, including two Master’s degrees and additional credentials in teaching, technology, and entrepreneurship.

Madelize describes herself as an educator and leader, with over 25 years of experience driving international education initiatives across New Zealand, Australia, the UK, USA, Canada, China, South Africa, and Vietnam. Her ability to foster intercultural teams and her belief in lifelong learning have been key to creating success for clients around the globe.

Reflecting on her new role, Madelize shared: “I’m really looking forward to a new year where we continue to reach for new horizons. In our 25th year, TetraMap is more relevant than ever in helping people view the world from multiple perspectives. The exciting thing about TetraMap is how it encourages participants to step outside their usual behaviour and comfort zones. It challenges people to embrace new ways of collaborating and communicating, which leads to greater efficiency and job satisfaction.

“We’re privileged to lead the way with TetraMap and be part of a unique community offering a fresh approach to building better understanding and collaboration.”

Madelize is excited by the opportunity to strengthen TetraMap’s growth and impact by sharpening its image, refining systems, nurturing culture, and delivering meaningful outputs. Drawing on years of experience and a commitment to TetraMap’s Elements, here’s how she envisions the journey ahead:

Earth: Building on Strong Foundations

We’re proud of all we’ve accomplished so far, and 2025 is about building on that success. As we embrace a more digital future, we will keep people at the heart of everything we do – using technology ethically and responsibly to enhance lives, foster collaboration, and support meaningful learning, rather than letting it define or replace human connection.

Air: Staying Focused

Strengthening our image, systems, culture, and outputs means staying clear and consistent in how we communicate who we are, improving our processes to work smarter, fostering a supportive and aligned team culture, and delivering tools that are practical, impactful, and easy to use.

Water: Supporting Our Community

TetraMap’s principles and values guide us every step of the way. In 2025, we’ll continue to focus on bringing these values to life by offering support that’s rooted in empathy, inclusion, and a genuine desire to help. We’ll continue creating opportunities for collaboration and connection within our community.

Fire: Thinking Big for the Future

With a mix of creativity and wisdom, we’ll create environments that encourage growth, foster resilience, and drive shared success – together. 2025 is a big year for us, and we can’t wait to see what we’ll achieve with the support of our incredible TetraMap community. Together, let’s continue making collaboration, understanding and kindness the standard for how we work and grow.