More Mastermind Rules

Guest Contributor: Kelly Smith
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In my last post I discussed the importance of rules in a mastermind group. I read somewhere that without rules there is chaos, and I have to say I agree. I mean, we don't always like the rules but let's face it, they are there for a reason. I am a mother of two and also run a private dayhome and I definitely need rules!

So, if you were to set up your own mastermind group or going to join one what are some rules that your group would benefit from to keep it in tact?

I will give you examples through some of the rules one of the mastermind groups I belong to uses. Now, it's my belief that it's much easier to have accountability when you have a group where people are meeting face to face. But online, I find especially for newer people, that they may have more anonymity and have a tendency to not follow the rules the same way they would in person. Our mastermind group chats online through skype groups, web conferences and the phone. The best way I have seen the rules work is with a monitor. We do have a gentleman appointed by everyone who actually monitors the conversations to be sure they are appropriate and safe for everyone. Especially our chat area that's open 24 hours a day, what we call the "virtual water cooler".

We call our monitor the sheriff because he is unbiased and everyone in the group feels they can turn to him when there is a problem or even a question. This can be a tricky thing when appointing someone in this position because it can be a powerful position or detrimental position if not taken seriously. Our group just happens to be very fortunate to have a sheriff who exudes the leadership and trustworthy qualities that makes him the perfect man for the job. If someone does say something out of line, (including the one who originally started the group), he/she is immediately called on it, any inappropriate words or conversations in the chat are deleted and the person will be given a warning and if not stopped, will be removed from the group.

These enforced rules creates a safe haven where people can discuss what's on their mind or brainstorm ideas without being judged or criticized.

The other point of rules is to keep the atmosphere positive within the mastermind group. The outside world can often be a negative place that doesn't influence creativity, entrepreneurialism and other freedoms of the like. The rules will set the tone of a positive and support place for people to go. So, are you catching my drift of what a fantastic influence rules can be in a mastermind group?

Since our mastermind includes people who run businesses from home, another rule is no cross recruiting, sales pitches, spamming, etc.

Inviting new people into the mastermind group - we can all invite people but we must propose each new member to a leaders board to be approved before entering the group.

Those of us on the leaders board are also expected to lead or be part of the trainings. This is a huge benefit to being part of a mastermind group - the trainings. Our particular group is based around online marketing so the leaders use their strengths to help others who may be new to online marketing, wanting to pick up tips or just share their ideas with so they don't feel all alone in the marketplace. It can take a lot of work to run a mastermind group and having all of these leaders working together to help trainings run, monitoring the chats and answering questions when needed helps everything run smoothly.

This rule is another great one, it's orientation. People are required to attend a type of orientation before being active in the group. This is a huge benefit, so that the new people can feel comfortable when first joining and they aren't fumbling around in the dark, so to speak, when they attend trainings. It takes care of the small stuff first so they can get down to the fun part of joining a mastermind group - participation!