LinkedIn Mastermind Answers

Darryl Dioso, a member of one of my Mastermind Groups invited me to be an expert for a LinkedIn question on Mastermind Groups. The question was:

What about mastermind groups? Do you have experience with them in your work or personal life and what successes did you achieve? Share your victories. (View the responses)

I answered the question using examples from my own groups. This was my first LinkedIn Answers that I have answered. Has anyone had experiences using LinkedIn Answers?

Thanks again Darryl for passing it along to me!

Thinking Through Different Minds

Guest Contributor: Tony D. Clark
Tony's Posts - Tony's Blog


Pull together a somewhat like-minded group of folks. Throw in the collective desire to succeed. Now, combine that with the fact that most success-oriented people tend to want to reach out and help others, and you have the real power of a Mastermind Group.

Everyone has different reasons for joining a Mastermind Group. The knowledge and wisdom of the group, to me, is the biggest benefit. The ability to think with different minds is priceless.

Many Brains = Many Perspectives

If you have a magnifying glass focusing the Sun, you'll eventually get a flame. Add more lenses, and the flame comes faster. I experienced this first hand during a recent Mastermind Group meeting.

One member was looking for some options and guidance on approaching an influential person with their product. It was almost as if you could hear the gears turning as the members brainstormed ideas. Some were good, others were brilliant. Listening to the multiple brains tackle a challenge from different directions was incredible.

Each person had a different perspective on how to approach the goal -- perspectives that fed one another, and sparked other views. Ideas became refined, and polished by the group. Others were discarded respectfully.

The many minds offered more than just ideas. It created hybrid ideas that a single individual may have taken days or weeks to find out, alone.

Sharing knowledge is one of the many benefits of being part of a Mastermind Group. The opportunity to gain other perspectives - to think through other minds - can be a valuable tool for success.

Mastermind Goal Setting

Ellesse Chow writes the Goal Setting College blog. Her recent post 5 Tips to Daily Motivation discussed how to stay on top of your goals every day and move forward to achieve success.

Four of her tips are:

• Develop an Energy Plan
• Setup Little Reminders on Your Goals & the Whys
• Listen to Success Motivation Cassettes, MP3s or other Materials
• Visualize Living Your Dream Everyday

The 5th point involved Mastermind Groups and I thought I would share it with you:

Connecting with Your Mastermind Group Regularly

Napoleon Hill first brought forth the concept of a Mastermind Group in his 1937 classic Think & Grow Rich. A mastermind group is simply one that is made up of 2 or more people having a common goal. These people can be from different backgrounds and possess skill sets that help to provide leverage in the pursuit of your own goals.

In my opinion, if you're able to connect with a bunch of like minded folks and form a mastermind group where you're able to learn and tap on one another's knowledge, you'll be able to reap great rewards, one of which is constant motivation and encouragement from one another. For instance, if you're interested to learn public speaking, you can sign up for a toastmaster club within your vicinity. Mingle around and network, you'll likely find some folks very willing to share their knowledge and tips with you. Who knows, you may be able to team up with anyone of them to participate in a public speaking contest!

Nowadays, it's also very common to find online forums or communities of all sorts where you can register with so it's no longer just the conventional club that we're referring to. Just do a search in Google and you'll be directed to the forum of your interest. But remember, whether is it a brick and mortar special interest club, online forum or any group of friends with similar goals, it's important that you maintain the frequency of such contact. Too long a lapse is unlikely to bring any substantial leverage. Contribute your knowledge, experience and encouragement just as when you're receiving. Only then, you're truly living the spirit of Napoleon Hill's definition of the "Master Mind".

Reverse Mastermind

Guest Contributor: Janet Napora
Janet's Posts - Janet's Blog


Reverse Mastermind? Okay, let me explain. The goal of being in a Mastermind group is to grow as a person. Groups with a specific purpose such as Entrepreneurs looking for ways to expand their business still incorporate personal development into their formula. They realize their business will only grow as fast as they do.

Different groups have different schedules for meetings whether it's once a week or once a month. What about the rest of the time? Personal development is an ongoing journey. Who are you surrounding yourself with on a daily basis? Who are you listening to?

As we grow we begin to see things differently. The people around us don't always understand what we're doing or why. Often times they try sabotage our growth. They aren't doing it on a conscience level but because they are stuck in a different mindset. It's very easy to lose our focus through the opinions of other people.

Often times we try to explain ourselves or get the other person to understand what it is we're trying to accomplish. Personal development is a choice that we cannot make for other people. The only thing we can do is distance ourselves from them. You may ask "How do I do that?"

You don't have to cut yourself off from everyone you know. We get comfortable being around certain people even though we know they are not on the same path. The thing is something begins to happen as we grow. Our internal change begins to grow outward. People can feel the difference when they're around you. For some that difference is unsettling.

You will begin to notice a "drifting apart" happening. That is a normal progression. Don't try to change it. There will be some people that you have to be around like family, just be aware of the time you spend with them. Keep your mindset in the right place. As you continue to grow you will start to attract like-minded people. People who are drawn to the positive energy you put out. I'm not talking about some strange mystical occurrence. Like Attracts Like. It's that simple.

Your weekly or monthly meetings are a great way to hone your focus. Re-energize yourself. Life is full of challenges. Your Mastermind can give you the energy to meet these challenges head on. Don't wait for your meetings to pursue your goals. Take action every day. Leverage what you learn and apply it to your everyday life.

8 Steps To Changing Your Life

Khiem is the blogger behind Kiss n' Tale. His most recent post was on How to be Happy and Change your Life. In it he has 8 strategies including:

1. Spend more time doing what you want and what you like.
2. Relax! Concentrate on what you can control, not on the things you can't control.
   
3. Love yourself.
4. Show some self-respect.
   
5. Act on opportunities that present themselves to you.
6. Be grateful.
   
7. Do more, think less.

And my favourite, in at # 8 is:

Surround yourself with people who inspire you. Whether they are friends, family, lovers or mentors, find people who can help you develop and expand your horizons. Humans are a social specie. We like to exist for people and through people. Be independent in your desires and wants, but become interdependent in executing and achieving your goals. If you've read "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, create your Master Mind Group.

Masterminding Around A Cause

Most of the Mastermind Groups that I've seen involve each member of the group coming to the meetings with different goals and challenges. They are hoping that through the collective experience and wisdom of the other members, they will get answers to their questions and strategies to help them move forward.

In reading the Transforming the Planet blog this morning I came across another use of a Mastermind Group - have everyone come together for the same purpose and same goal. As blog founder Julian Murphy puts it:

Recently I took part in a 'mastermind group' experiment. Mastermind groups are groups of people who come together and focus their energies on the accomplishment of a certain goal or outcome. The idea is a group comes together with a certain outcome or desired state. The group I worked with set the intention to see $25,000 come to the International Institute for Global Leadership in order to fund the project over the coming months. How? Well that's the funny part about setting the intention, the 'how' is not something that has to be known. All that must be known is the desired result. The details of how the outcome is brought about is left open, as putting limits on the method of deliverance can often get in the way of the result being achieved. Set the intention and each day spend some time visualising the desired outcome and soon enough the method of achievement will become clear.

Has anyone else had success with this kind of Mastermind Group?

How a new Mastermind Group is evolving

Guest Contributor: Chris Barrow
Chris' Posts - Chris' Blog


Having created our latest Mastermind Group of 18 dental practice owners in January, we are beginning to see the group emerge and evolve.

Our first meeting in January followed the usual format of a working dinner on Sunday evening, a few social drinks in the bar and a full day meeting on the Monday.

To ensure that everyone had a voice, we split into two equal groups on Monday morning - after an inaugural session of all 20 (18 clients and 2 facilitators) we split into two board rooms and began the process of discovering more about each group member and addressing their business concerns and challenges on the day.

Since the meeting in early January, we have listened to feedback, positive and negative, from group members.

On the positive side they have overwhelmingly enjoyed the "tribal" element of the group - new relationships with clinical and entrepreneurial peers.

On the negative side, we were called to account because of the complete absence of an agenda for the first meeting.

Therein is a paradox.

We have facilitated Mastermind Groups for 4 years now.

In year 1 we had a strict agenda and clients told us that they felt too restricted.

In year 2 we had no agenda and clients told us that there was too little organisation (they came unprepared to the meetings).

In year 3 we tried a morning of structure and afternoons of free-flow - the clients told us that we had the balance about right.

In January we made the mistake (with a bigger group, 2 facilitators and a new dynamic) of leaving the day free to assess their needs.

A timely reminder that they want structure first (I suspect to give them a sense of being led) and then free-form (to stretch their wings).

Next meeting will be re-organised that way.

A pleasant surprise has been the success of our email group for MMG members only.

UK dentists are not as IT- savvy as their North American colleagues.

After a few test emails had arrived in everyone's in-box, they seem to have captured the potential.

Now - we are witnessing a healthy correspondence which focuses on practice management issues but is also drifting into questions on clinical equipment and procedures.

As facilitators, we can stand back from this conversation - largely because as a non-dentist I don't understand it (!) but also because they are quite happily chatting amongst themselves now but crediting us with forming the community.

One of our MMG members wrote to me a couple of days ago:

I am certainly grateful of how membership of your M.M.G. opens other doors and carries a currency with other coaches/groups and am becoming aware of the esteem that other people regard you with.

Now that's a very nice compliment for me - but also demonstrates another benefit of the MMG. This client had expressed an interest in building an investment property portfolio and, through the MMG, was introduced to a wealth coach, who is now working with him. I know the wealth coach, I introduced the first client to her some years ago!

The new introduction has been made without my knowledge - but I am still seen as the "source". My credibility grows - my client tells his peers how useful his relationship with me has been - and so the business snowball rolls.

Having found success with our email group - we are now looking at turning that into a properly managed forum, so that clients can follow the threads of individual conversations.

Oh - and did I mention the golfing group that spontaneously formed before our first meeting (at a leading golf hotel) and is now arranging further sporting encounters?

Mastermind Lessons from the Chinese Zodiac

Guest Contributor: Hueina Su
Hueina's Posts - Hueina's Blog


In honoring the Chinese New Year, I always go to my children's schools to give presentations, which include story-telling, crafts, videos about New Year traditions, and at the end the children get to do a little lion dance with a small lion head I have. It's a lot of fun for the kids and teachers.

One of the most popular stories I tell is the legend of Chinese Zodiac. This year, as I was telling the story, I thought of the valuable lessons we can learn and apply to mastermind groups.

The legend has it that Buddha was not feeling well one day, and the fairies were trying to cheer him up by inviting animals from all over the country to come to a party for Buddha. Thirteen animals were invited, including the cat and the rat, who lived on a farm together and were best friends back then. The cat wanted to take a nap, and asked the rat to wake him up when everyone was ready to leave. However, the rat did not wake up the cat, and the animals left without the cat. It was unknown whether the rat forgot, or purposefully did not wake up the cat.

So, all 12 animals got on their journey to see Buddha. When they were near the Buddha's house, they came upon a river. Now, the rat couldn't swim, so he begged the ox to carry him across the river. The ox was strong and kind, and he gave the rat a ride. They both got over the river safely, and the rat quickly jumped off the ox and was the first animal to reach the Buddha's house. The ox came in second. Buddha decided to name the 12 animals as the Chinese Zodiac to represent each year.

It was said that cat and rat became great enemies since then, because the rat cost the cat the opportunity to be one of the 12 animals of the Zodiac.

Now, what does this legend have to do with mastermind groups?

I think it's extremely important to pick and choose who you invite in your mastermind group. It could make all the difference in how successful your mastermind group is, and how successful each of your members in achieving his/her own goals.

Obviously, you would want to include more "ox" people in your group, i.e. those who will give you a lift and carry you through challenges, so that both of you will arrive at the finish line and achieve your goals.

Beware of the "rat" people who appear to be your friends, but would abandon you or sabotage you when the going gets tough, or because they are only concerned about their own success.

You might consider some of these characteristics when selecting your mastermind group members:

People who are "givers" rather than "takers"
People who will get along and collaborate well with others
People who are open minded
People who respect differences and other viewpoints
People who are committed
People who communicate well
People who are creative, innovative thinkers
People who share and/or support your vision and core values

The biggest asset of mastermind groups is the people. By being selective about who you include in your mastermind group, you can greatly enhance your masterminding experience and success.

6 Steps To Building Your Dream Team

I was emailed this morning about the ManifestLife blog and an entry discussing How to Accelerate Your Success with a Mastermind Group.

In it, the author shares 6 tips for building your dream team and running a successful meeting. They have a slightly different format than what I use but I thought it would be worth sharing:

1. Your Dream Team should consist of 4-8 people. Most people find that 6 is the ideal number.

2. Meet weekly, if possible, for an hour to an hour and a half. This meeting must be held sacred as a life-enhancing priority. The meetings should be upbeat, enriching, encouraging and beneficial to each individual and the group's purposes. I always start our meetings with a prayer or an invocation. You could also start with an inspiring story.

3. Each member must agree to play all out & to openly share ideas, support, contacts, information, feedback, and anything else that will help advance the individual and group goals.

4. Start by having each member share something positive and good that happened since the last meeting.

5. Next, have each member share an opportunity or problem they have experienced since the last meeting and ask for whatever support they would like on it. Appoint a time-keeper to make sure that everyone gets the same amount of time. This is important if you want your group to last. Everyone must get value at each meeting.

6. End by sharing appreciations and acknowledgements.

Benefits of Mastermind Peer Pressure

Ralph Zuranski did an interview with Dave Kekich, co-founder of Exceptional Producers, Inc., the country's largest life insurance master general agency, which raised $3.1 billion of premium income for First Executive Corp., co-founded a national financial services company and arranged venture capital funding for private companies for 11 years.

In it they discussed the benefits of Mastermind groups:

Ralph Zuranski: How important is it to have trusted friends and a mastermind group to bounce your ideas off?

Dave Kekich: I don't think it is essential, Ralph, but it is a huge advantage. You need to select very carefully who that mastermind group is going to be, though I think you want people who have been selected carefully, who are in tune with their goals, not necessarily their skills, or their experiences, because you want to have a wide variety with different disciplines in there. I think those people do have a huge advantage.

Ralph Zuranski: How do they make a positive difference in your life?

Dave Kekich: For the amount that I have done, they validate or correct my ideas, people to bounce ideas off of, and then I get ideas and inspirations off of them. And I think mostly they give me someone to answer to, and that is a very big, overlooked advantage to mastermind groups.

You basically come out in public and you expose your ideas and dreams and aspirations and your goals to other people. And there is a certain amount of peer pressure to implement your ideas at that point.

It is real easy to have goals and ideas and to keep them to yourself and die with them. But when you start sharing them with other people, it puts a lot of pressure on you.

3 Reasons NOT to join a Mastermind Group

Guest Contributor: Phil Gerbyshak
Phil's Posts - Phil's Blog


There are some very good reasons to not join a mastermind group. I'll share my 3 favorites with you.

1) You want to always be right - If you're only looking for validation that your ideas are good ones, then a mastermind group isn't for you. Expect that others will disagree with you about your ideas, in a constructive way. But if you need to ALWAYS be right, stay away from a mastermind group.

2) You're afraid to succeed - If success is something that scares you, then don't join a mastermind group. You're going to succeed in a mastermind group if you put the work into it to give status updates, to pick a group that supports your mission, and a group that has strengths different from yours.

3) You don't want to help others - If you're into being the "lone ranger" and don't want to help anyone else grow, then don't join a mastermind group.

Are any of these 3 going to keep me from joining a mastermind group? Absolutely not! In fact, I realize that I am wrong often, I look for success, and I love to help others.

So I'm still on the lookout for 1 good reason to prevent me from joining a mastermind group. Until I find it, I'll continue to be part of an amazing group of people that give me FAR MORE than they get.

[Phil Gerbyshak loves to achieve more and to dream more, and being part of a mastermind group helps him be more than he ever thought possible.]

Setting ground rules

Guest Contributor: Kirsten Harrell
Kirsten's Posts - Kirsten's Blog

It is important to set up ground rules when you start a Mastermind group. Having ground rules in place before the group starts is a good way to minimize or avoid trouble down the road. The Mastermind group (7 members) that I started has the following ground rules that we all agreed to before we began our first meeting.

Ground Rules
- Start meetings on time. In the interest of keeping our calls to 75- 90 minutes, we won't backtrack to fill in a member who is late. If someone knows they will be late, they will inform the group or group leader.

- End meetings on time. We are all very busy and time is precious. In order to keep the meetings to 75-90 minutes we will need to keep to a time schedule (10 minutes per person) so that we can end the meetings on time.

- Absences - Notify the group if you will miss a meeting.

- Time limits. Each group member will have 10 minutes at each meeting. We will need to have a timekeeper at each meeting to keep us on track. If someone needs more time at a particular meeting it is possible to ask for another person's time.

- Confidentiality. We will all agree to keep the details of each meeting confidential. If we choose to share our own experiences in the group we can; however, we are not allowed to share details about another member's experience.

- Order of participation. We will rotate alphabetically the order of participation to make sure we are clear about who's turn it is.

- Respect. Only one person talking at a time. We will respect the person talking by listening and not interrupting.

- Leaving the group. If a group member wants to quit the MM group he/she will let the group know ahead of time.

- Terminating membership. If the group feels that a member is not participating, the group can decide to terminate the person's membership.

- Adding members. Before adding any new members, the group must unanimously agree to do so.

Meeting format
Each person will have a turn to share and get feedback at every meeting. We will each have 10 minutes of mastermind time. During our ten minutes we will 1) update the group on our wins/progress, 2) ask for assistance/answers/support, and 3) announce our new goals. We will stick to 10 minutes per person.

These ground rules are just one example ground rules for a Mastermind group. You may want to use something similar or create your own from scratch. The important thing is that everyone in the group agrees to the ground rules. If you started your group without ground rules, it's not too late... you can create the ground rules and implement them now.

Forming A Mastermind Group

Guest Contributor: Kayleen Reusser
Kayleen's Posts - Kayleen's Blog


My MasterMind group is just getting started but I feel we've already made great strides. We three met during a writer's group monthly last summer. At each meeting we chatted with each other, discovering each other's interests in writing and our present careers.

Tammy is a counselor with a new parenting product to market for families. Laurie is a lawyer with dreams of publishing a young adult novel and a book about parenting based on Socrates' teaching. I am a full-time freelance writer with over 1,000 stories in magazines, books, and newspapers. I like to write travel articles, essays, and profiles of people.

Our writing interests vary, but our passion for success is similar. We all want to see our dreams come true. We plan to work hard and help each other by sharing advice and resources. Recently, we met at Tammy's office and watched "The Secret," which Laurie had purchased and already viewed. She had also read the book. She believed it was worth our time together to view it. after watching the DVD, Tammy and I agreed.

"The Secret" is a DVD describing how a person can begin changing his or her life for the better by changing her thinking. It features Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup books) and others who teach what the secret is that will help people live happier lives. I watched Oprah's show on February 8, 2007, as the people involved with "The Secret" talked about it. It was terrific.

I had already begun using the principles from "The Secret", which were first referred to in the Bible in Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

It is a good rule and has helped me stay positive in difficult situations.

At our next MasterMind group we plan to share our newest steps to reaching our goals. Next month, I plan to have some sales to major magazines under my belt, made possible with the helpful suggestions of my Master Mind buddies.

What steps are you taking to reach your goals? I suggest you read the book of Philippians (4 chapters) and watch The Secret. Following the principles in each will help you find happiness.

Take care.

Kayleen Reusser

Tapping the Power of Leverage in a Mastermind Group

Guest Contributor: Wendy Piersall
Wendy's Posts - Wendy's Blog


Ever since I first seriously started working with a coach back in January of 2004, I've been keenly aware of the power of the pain vs. pleasure principle.

Simply stated, we will always do more to avoid pain than we will to gain pleasure.

In fact, my own coach was masterful in helping his clients to make changes in their lives - changes they hadn't been able to make for years. Indeed, lifetimes.

His approach was simply to get them to see that it was more painful to not change than it was to change. Usually all it took was a bit of the "Dicken's Process" - as in Scrooge. Scrooge would never change simply by looking at the pain in his past or present. It was the pain of the future, of seeing the consequences of holding onto his old ways that was the leverage he needed to make a shift - and it was a big shift indeed.

In the mastermind groups I have both run and participated in, we use leverage as a tool to maximize our success and productivity. But sometimes the suggestions our colleagues have made to help us grow our businesses are a bit painful to implement.

Write a business plan in a week?

Make 500 cold calls?

Send out 50 press releases?

Yet when we put leverage in place, we make it much easier to commit to getting the stuff done - Recent examples include:

"If I fail at meeting my commitments, I will..."

Give each mastermind group member $100 (or $1000 - whatever is painful to you!)

Go without TV for a month

Sign the title of my car over to my mother-in-law

Some members don't like using painful leverage as a tool, but can still benefit from the principle by using the flip side - putting rewards in place for getting stuff done.

Although I've received the most benefit out of utilizing leverage in a true mastermind group setting, I recently started a kick off to the week on eMoms at Home as a benefit to my blog readers (and to myself!). Monday Motivation Day is when we all commit to finishing a task by the end of the day, and put some leverage in place. Its simple community-building fun as we support each other in getting rid of procrastination and getting a great start to the week. Feel free to join us!

5 Ideas To Starting A Mastermind Group

I was reading the Secrets To Success blog and found an interesting post mentioning 5 ideas to help you start a Mastermind Group. The ideas included:

1. Determine the size of group, and carefully select members. The group size should feel comfortable. Not too small and not too big. Select members for your group who will actively participate and bring value to the table.

2. Decide the frequency of meeting and agenda for each meeting. One group I was in had a very formal agenda for each meeting, with a specific topic for discussion. Another was less structured, yet focused. Determining "the rules" ensures that everyone in your group is accountable for success.

3. Be clear about expectations for attendance and behavior. Success comes from 100% participation. Without a rigorous commitment, the group will lose its power and sense of importance.

4. Always strive to be of service to others. Focusing on others first is the surest way to get the most out of your group. You will gain a great deal from participating in the group you help create, by choosing to give before you get.

5. Forget everything I just said, and build your inner circle organically. While I believe in the power of having a group that is committed to one another, I also believe in the power of one-on-one relationships and the advantages of hand picking your team over time. Honestly, either approach works. Perhaps you decide to have both.

Choosing participants for your Mastermind Group

Guest Contributor: Reg Gupton
Reg's Posts - Reg's Blog

That momentous day

It was a beautiful spring day about 15 years ago. As I walked down the hall in the real estate company where I worked, I was approached by Mike, a colleague. He asked me if I had a moment. Certainly was my response. Mike was an associate in the firm who I respected and valued. He was positive in attitude and active in his business. I enjoyed his company.

He asked if I was familiar with Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I was and it is still one of my favorite books of all time.

Mike said that he was beginning a Mastermind Group based on his recent reading of Hill's book. He wanted to know if I was interested in helping create and participate in a group. I asked who else was being invited. He mentioned a few names of folks who I knew and several who I did not know. We chatted briefly about his plans and the day and time of the initial meeting. I was in.

Since that fateful day, I have constantly been in a Mastermind Group and plan on being in one forever.

What to watch out for.

I often begin my personal invitations just like Mike did. I ask if the person if familiar with Hill's book. I am continually surprised by individuals who have never heard of nor read it. In my opinion it is a must read for everyone. And I mean everyone.

I ask if they are interested in joining a Mastermind Group as described in Hill's book. If they ask general questions about size, structure, meeting time, meeting length etc, their questions are answered. If they are interested and agree, we are off to the races. Too many questions are not good. I don't want to have to persuade them. If they need to be sold, then we may do not have a good fit. Being open is a key as is trust.

New people are told that we are both on probation for 2-3 meetings. They can drop out with notice and no reason. We can ask them to leave with the same courtesies, notice and no reason. It is great to have a "getting to know you" period on both sides. There might be a fit or their might not. Fit is critical.

What I have learned

Find folks who are positive in their attitude toward life and business. Some are not. You are going to be spending lots of time (hopefully) in a relationship with those in your Group. Some things can be changed in ones life. Changing one's attitude is often a struggle and takes significant energy and focus. Choose your members wisely.

One of the major attributes that I seek is clear thinking. Clear thinking is very, very important. The invitees do not have to be geniuses. They just have to be positive, well spoken and clear of thought. Being well-read does not hurt either.

It does not matter, in my opinion, if they are in your industry. There are some potent advantages in having people in your Group who don't do what you do for a living. They can bring an outside perspective to your thinking. We often are blinded by the "normal" way of doing things. Outside observation can be and often is very, very powerful.

There will be lots and lots of give and take at Group meetings. Some of the conversation can be highly emotional. Certain individuals do not take criticism, even well meaning, very well. They believe that the only good ideas are their ideas. Watch out for folks like this.

Another consideration is to agree on the position held (or likely to be held) by the members. Are you going to restrict membership to for example, all entrepreneurs, or business owners. Or are trades-people, non-professionals ok too? You must reach an agreement and stick to it. In my opinion clarity of thinking is more important than job position.

What else

We have found that members must commit to the process and the Group. What goes on at Group meetings is extremely personal and private. Confidentiality is everything. Nothing leaves the room. Nothing.

Commitments must be kept to one's self and to the Group. Committing to be on time is very, very important. The meetings start at the time the group agrees upon. Period!

We also have a commitment to respect each other. No petty conversation or gossip. This is a professional group.

If you invite the correct people who are a great fit for the Group, you will form lasting friendships and move your life and business to new levels of success and achievement.

Masterminding For Authors

Krishna De writes a blog to help companies brand themselves and develop more business. Her most recent post dealt with how authors can effectively create and promote their books. In it she lists 5 key suggestions:

• Create a powerful vision
• Make the book real
• Work with a coach
• Impose a deadline

And the one I enjoyed most:

Mastermind with others - join or create a mastermind group with others who either have published their business book or who are writing their book. A mastermind group is great for support, advice and accountability so that you get your book written.

It just goes to show that whatever field you're in, whatever you are trying to accomplish, the Mastermind principle can be applied to help you follow through on your goals and achieve success.

Don't Go It Alone

Guest Contributor: Debbie Lousberg
Debbie's Posts - Debbie's Blog


I can't imagine going the "entrepreneurial route" all alone! Sounds like a contradiction in terms, but here's what I mean: while still building my own business and wearing the many hats until able to hire staff, my Mastermind groups are my cornerstones, my trusted advisors and sounding boards during this time of working alone.

I have had the good fortune of belonging to three different groups in recent years, two of which are still very important pieces of my life. The first was comprised of fellow church members where we supported each other in our life goals (mine at the time revolved around leaving my stable job and launching a business); the second is one with four of my colleagues from across the country in the career development field; and the third is a very small group of high-achieving women striving for continued success. One met weekly at the same location; the others meet bi-weekly via phone and in our homes.

My advice to entrepreneurs, especially "solopreneurs", is to find or start a group of "like minds" - those doing what you do or what you want to do and have similar philosophies and goals as yourself. Look for people who inspire you, make you think, and who are committed to their personal growth. Not only that, make sure they are committed to coming together on a regular basis to support you and others who share the same intentions.

Not only do I have the Small Business Administration, the Chamber of Commerce, Community Colleges and other associations and entities dedicated to my success as a Small Business Owner, I have my own Mastermind groups to lend me personal expertise, opinion, and resources. They are my friends, my confidants, and my small company's advisory board!

Overcoming Fears

Whether it's the fear of cold calling, being rejected by a client, or delivering a poor presentation (among many, many others!) every entrepreneur has their own set of fears.

A big challenge is that it is often these fears that hold us back from accomplishing the goals we set our for ourselves. We often under perform not because we're not capable of reaching great heights but because we are afraid.

This is where a Mastermind Group can help. Having peers support you, believe in you, and push you to be the best that you can be is a tremendous asset every entrepreneur should take advantage of.

As Cari Vollmer points out in the You got the power! blog:

Don't let your fears and doubts sideline you.

Have you had this experience: you set a goal for yourself, begin taking action to achieve it and then suddenly get stuck in fear, worry and doubt? What do you do when that happens?

Unfortunately for a lot of us we do one thing - we quit. We let our fear get the best of us and we bail. And when we bail we beat ourselves up, feel terrible and stay exactly where we don't want to be.

What's the solution? It's common to be faced with worry, fear and doubts on the way to your dream. It happens to everyone! One of the best ways to stay on track is to surround yourself with a support system, such as a mastermind group, coach, and/or supportive friends and family.

By doing so you create an environment that supports you and your dream. Even if the going gets tough, your support system will encourage you to keep going.

Mastermind Brainstorming, Accountability, Agenda

I was reading Confessions Of An Entrepreneur this morning and came across a new post on Mastermind Groups. It discusses the importance of brainstorming and accountability as well as lays out a sample agenda for your Mastermind Groups.

On Brainstorming:

Spend a set amount of time brainstorming new ideas. If you meet weekly, have a place to jot down these ideas as they come to you throughout the week and share them with your mastermind group weekly. If you have a phone or pda or mp3 player that has a recorder built in, this may be an excellent tool to use especially if you are in your car a lot. You'll see something or think of something as you drive and won't safely be able to write this down, but if you have a digital recorder of some sort, use it to make yourself a note... or even call your voicemail and leave yourself a message. Not every single idea will be something you act on or will ever come to fruition, but your million dollar idea shouldn't be one you don't remember because you didn't make a note. So, weekly brainstorming, like 15 minutes... whatever, but make this a part of every mastermind.

On Accountability:

I am a starter... not a finisher. I have about 4-5 pretty solid ideas about how I could make a lot of money. However, the ideas alone without the actual "do" part are worth very little. That said, the mastermind is great if you set specific goals of who will do what and set a date for the completion of those goals. As much as I'm a starter, I'm a doer when others are depending on me. With the mastermind, I will have some accountability where as an individual, I'm too lenient on myself and don't demand of myself all that I could and probably should. So, for most entrepreneurs, the mastermind opens up the accountability avenue and also will many times introduce someone into the mastermind who is the finisher and could make up where (in my case) I lack.

Sample Agenda:

- Welcome
- Vision (re-affirm the vision / longer-term goals)
- Updates / report on previous week's goals / accomplishments
- Brainstorming / idea sharing
- Application to existing project (new ideas / tweaking)
- Determine goals to be achieved during next week / month, etc.
- Accountability: who is responsible for what?
- Refreshments

Minding the "In Between"

Guest Contributor: Doug Emerson
Doug's Posts - Doug's Blog


My mastermind group meets every Friday by telephone. The discussion is focused and we get much done in our hour long scheduled meetings. In between the intensity, there are moments of laughter, a little gossip and some conversation of questionable relevance.

Although the chit-chat is not strategic, the in between chatter is relaxing and serves as a tension reliever and warm up for any heavy discussion that follows.

The in between concept also carries through the week. As our members think about what has been said at the past sessions, new ideas and revisions of old ideas are passed around during the week in short e-mails. Announcements, breakthroughs and breakdowns are also relayed via e-mail.

The "in betweens" are what makes a mastermind group more successful since they provide continuity between scheduled meetings. In my area of specialization, the horse industry, horse trainers know the value of steady reinforcement "in between" training sessions. Whenever a horse is handled, brushed or blanketed, the ground manners training work previously done by the trainer is constantly practiced. It's all about reinforcement isn't it?

Make sure your mastermind group tends to the "in betweens" for the best results for you and your group.