Do you have a mastermind group? Not sure what it is? A master mind is a group of like minded individuals who share common interest. They are willing to meet with each other on a regular basis and assist in supporting and holding each other accountable to reaching their goals.
The best thing is this can be a focused, high energy group that can provide insight that any one individual would not be able to obtain if they were just brain storming alone. Having other people who share the same interest provides synergy and helps everyone benefit from various points of view on the same topic.
I am a member of a master mind group of speakers who are looking at expanding their impact in the various markets they speak. We share a number of things in common, we are members of Toastmaster International, we have competed in speech competitions (even competed against one another), and we enjoy sharing information with each other.
The size of the mastermind group is important. We started with a size of 5 and grew to 7 although we normally have around 5 people attend when we meet do to schedules and time constraints. Our gender makeup is one female and six males. One of the things that we enjoy is meeting over lunch and making it a working meeting. We have selected restaurants which have free WIFI and bring our lap top computers. This allows us to show our group members specific sites and tools on the internet we use and how they work.
Having a mastermind group is very similar to the study group I had in graduate school. We want to ensure that the group is successful because our personal success is tied to the group. We find that each of us has an area of expertise that we have to offer the group and benefit from the open sharing of this information.
Do you need a mastermind group? Only if you are looking to reduce your learning curve by leveraging the knowledge of like minded individuals who are focused on being successful. And the best thing about the development of a mastermind group is that it is free. Our payment to each other is our time and open sharing of information. We like to meet over food because it allows us to develop our relationship with each other and make the work that we do together more enjoyable.
The most important part of development of a mastermind group is the outlook of the members. Everyone must agree to respect each other’s opinion and be open to comments made by others. Just like in the development of any group you may experience the various stages of forming, storming, norming and then performing. If the group members are selected correctly the storming stage should be minimized by the desire for the group to be successful. It is the need for the mutual exchange of ideas that drives the group.
If you are looking to reduce your errors, help others, open to new ideas, and have a true desire for success then a master mind group is for you. I encourage you to find out more about it. Start a small group and meet. If you have a question about how to start a mastermind group please feel free to contact me. I would be happy to help you.
