Sometimes in your Mastermind Group you will want to spend time brainstorming.
A successful Mastermind Group is one that can brainstorm well. Many groups have problems brainstorming, therefore do not leverage their thinking power to the extent possible.
Brainstorming is the unashamed, prolific sharing of ideas that come to your mind when you are in the group setting.
Here are three principles to follow for better brainstorming:
Principle number one: Never judge (hold back) your own ideas. Allow the idea to flow out of your mouth before you judge whether it is feasible, outrageous, lame,etc. In other words, you are not allowed to judge your idea. The purpose of the idea is to spark other ideas. Your idea is simply a catalyst to get the "storm" of ideas going. You cannot be afraid of what others in the group will thing when you blast the idea onto the virtual blackboard. There is no teacher grading you on how "good" or "bad", "wrong" or "right" the idea is.
Principle number two: Never firehose someone's idea. That means when someone contributes an idea, no matter how ridiculous it might sound, you must not label it, you may not point out why it wouldn't work, you may not say anything about it. The whole exercise of brainstorming is to bring forth more ideas. Just listen to the idea, relax and say what that reminds you of, or makes you think of, listen to the next idea, and come forth with anything that's in your mind. Everyone in the group must feel safe and relaxed. Brainstorming should be one of the most fun activities you do together as a group.
Some people have a very difficult time with brainstorming. It requires breaking through the adult temptation to explain why something won't work. In brainstorming, it is not an issue whether it will work or not. Each idea is simply a step along a larger path of ideas your group is building together. You are the road crew.
Principle number three: Don't expect immediate results. Sometimes, the ideas will "soak" in your brain, and sprout forth a stand-alone magnificent idea. Be patient.
Lastly, the more child-like you allow yourself to be, the more creative your ideas will be, because children are less judgmental than adults as a whole. Judging is something we learn to do more of as we age. So use your best child-like mind when brainstorming.
My hope for you in 2009 is that you remain open-minded enough to see the opportunities before you, and remember there is no such thing as a bad idea. Only bad implementation.
To your abundant success and happiness in the coming year, Coach Julia
This is how I always finish my years - reflecting on this year and setting my plans: intentions , goals for 2009. It's the easiest homework I have when preparing for my clients. And now, one of my categories is my mastermind group--completing 2008 and inventing 2009.
The group began in March of 2008. We spent several months figuring ourselves out-- establishing our group size - we went from four to six; played with the possibility of seven, but focused on 6. Then we struggled with a format that allows for unstructured conversation and also has a fixed framework - hard to define, but we've made it work. We include an accomplishment and search for feedback about a challenge. We always start with a benediction and end with a final prayer. And, as I've written, we've struggled with our individual and group spirituality. It works for all of us. We've each had significant personal breakthroughs, in different parts of our lives, ranging from business, to health…
Mark has made more in this last month than in the previous 6 months. Ira is creating a new enterprise that will save children lives and make serious money I've started a new business thinks to a coach the group had me hire Ron has written and gotten funding for a significant film. Sandy has had miraculous breakthroughs in health and Doug is exploding in new business. And is working with me to produce a television show/series on reversing autism. We credit the group for this. There's a simple moral: Get into a mastermind and make it work for you. Love one another.
When we meet again --delayed for year end until January 7, we've agreed to spend the session creating 2009 for the group. Looking at creating a group project. Let you know next month.
So, in one of my Mastermind groups, we've reached the fantastic Epilogue of Napoleon Hill's 'Think And Grow Rich', which we've been reading for the last 10 weeks to focus our sessions and also to generate ideas and discussions. And of all the chapters, this one 'How To Outwit The 6 Ghosts of Fear - Take Inventory of Yourself...' is in my experience usually the most interesting one for a group to take on and it's great for this time of year too - a time when many people like to reflect on the past year and start thinking of what they'd like to achieve in the fresh new year ahead.
It's my favorite chapter of the whole book, where Hill manages to condense his 25 year's work researching the lives and habits of successful people, into a lively, self-help, rollercoaster ride to the end. The six basic human fears, according to Hill, are: Fear of Poverty, of Criticism, of Ill Health, of Loss of Love of Someone, of Old Age and of Death. Hill details these Fears at length, including their symptoms, so that you can 'determine which, if any, of the six common fears have attached themselves to you', and while he doesn't mention Fear of Falling Share Prices or Fear of Redundancy specifically, these are definitely covered in one or more of the other Fears. It's reassuring too, that a book written in the 1930s after the Great Depression is so relevant today - it's nothing new.
If the Six Ghosts of Fear aren't enough to provoke a discussion, next up Hill introduces us to Old Man Worry and The Devil's Workshop (how to protect yourself from the negative influence of other people) - all food for thought, especially in these Credit Crunch doom and gloom media times. If any of your members are just about to loose their nerve in starting a new venture, going for a promotion, or taking any sort of 'risk', this is all good advice for pepping up their spirits and keeping their Big Picture a great one.
But the best part of all is the section entitled '57 Famous Alibis by Old Man If'. Someone should turn this into a Mastermind Group Party game - it could be fun!... The first player thinks of a great idea - a desire or goal they've wanted to achieve for a while, then the other group members take it in turns to guess which of the 57 Famous Alibis 'IF only I had time, 'IF times were better', 'IF I were only younger'... etc.' are the reason they haven't achieved it yet - it's bound to be in Hill's list - even our excuses aren't original.
Seriously though, if reading or discussing the concepts in this chapter doesn't boot every member of your group enthusiastically, No-Excuses or feeling sorry for themselves, into a zero limits positive frame of mind for next year, I don't know what will. What a great Christmas present...
I met this week with my smallest Master Mind group, one comprised of me and two other women in the coaching business. I represent the Career Transition aspect, another represents Family coaching, and the third is a Life coach. We are all very different from each other with diverse backgrounds and varied family roots. Our approaches to business are unique as well. The Family coach comes from the social work and therapy field so successfully integrates that expertise into her sessions with family groups. The Life coach is extremely intuitive and sensitive to what's not being said by a client so relies on her insights to help clients through transformations. I am pragmatic and deal mostly with the black and whites of job search strategies and the job market. We have completely different target markets, work habits, and processes.
My point of bringing up these differences is that we originally came together as casual friends getting together to discuss our respective business activities not really knowing if we'd have much to help each other with except for friendly support. It's turned out that we not only are a great support system for each other, and our individual strengths come into play when brainstorming solutions. We each bring something special to our master minding table which has helped tremendously in the growth of our businesses and in our personal lives. The Family coach brings a mental health point of view to our challenges and successes, the Life coach adds her intuitive approach to help us get to the bottom of issues, and I pepper our discussions with reminders of practicality, marketplace and business management recommendations.
Just when you think a potential member of your group may not have anything special to contribute, take the time to find out what makes them unique as a person. Their perspective, background and approach to issues the group discusses may be exactly what one or two members need to hear. Instead of focusing on filling a group with people from different businesses, pay attention to their personalities, success stories, and outlooks on your group's topics. You never know the riches one person may have to share until you take the time to dig a little deeper. Good luck on building a diverse and powerful group, no matter the size!
Christmas is upon us once again. The decorations are up, the trees are decorated and shoppers are out in full force. I love Christmas. What I love most is giving gifts.
Many people have had to tighten their belts in this economy but for me gift giving cannot be sacrificed.
I've always believed that the price tag has nothing to with the value of a gift. We've all heard the saying "it's the thought that counts". But it has to be meaningful thought. I can spend twenty minutes looking for the right Christmas card, matching it to the person's personality and the thought I want to convey. It doesn't matter if it's my mom, my brother or a co-worker.
We all know one important aspect of a mastermind is listening. Knowing an individual, no matter who they are, is what gives you the insight to what's important to them. Sometimes it's not even what they say but what they do, what their priorities are.
For many, stress seems to come naturally with the holidays but it doesn't have to turn your days into chaos. Thinking with your head and your heart, being your authentic self will always show the people around you that you care.
While you're out picking up gifts ask yourself if this gift will bring a smile and joy to the person receiving it. I know that's what I enjoy the most. I know I've gotten excited over a ten dollar gift card from a book store because reading is one of the things that I love to do. It wasn't the ten dollars but the fact that the person put a moment of thought into a silly grab bag gift.
I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday of giving and receiving joy, love and a moment of thought.
It's the end of the year and time to reflect on what has been achieved and to look forward to what is to be.
Chances are in looking back most of us will encounter a little disappointment and regret at what has not yet been done, gained or mastered. All those goals that were set with anticipation and eagerness that we now feel a trifle sheepish for not having fulfilled. I know I have those feelings.
But just as they start to bubble up in my throat, I quickly remind myself of what I do already have and am grateful for.
Number one is good health and there is no price that can be paid for that. Wealth beyond comparison. My home circumstances are fine, my belly is usually full enough, my home is as secure as anything can be, I live in green surroundings and so far I'm hanging on to my job which is OK for the time being. Plus plenty, plenty more. Yes there is a lot to be thankful for.
Which is funny as my mastermind group is about to meet to reflect on our successes this year and to set new goals, and I was registering a flutter of frustration and disappointment that I wouldn't have much more to contribute on that front because some of my big goals from last year this time have not moved forward very much.
It has after all been one hell of a year world wide, and its left many people scared about the now and the coming months. We are bombarded every day with stories of the doom and gloom of the economy.
Will it get any worse economically? Most certainly for some people. it will. It is my belief that we have not yet even begun to uncover the might of the economic downturn and it would be very easy to get into a spiral of self-defeating talk and despair.
But frankly, we can choose not to buy into that kind of thinking. So now to counter that, I want to make sure that I remember what I have to celebrate and acknowledge all the little achievements that could so easily be overlooked. And that is something I can share with my group.
We get what we focus on. This is something that's been very prominent on my mind this last year. And if what I've been focusing on hasn't happened to me this year, well, I'll just add a 'yet' to it and keep my focus strong.
Forgive me if I seem a little airy-fairy but I will also be telling myself that the universe wants what is good for me and there is something even better for me ahead. That thought really shifts the disappointments and regrets.
Is this avoiding the reality and trying to see the world through rose coloured spectacles? I have in my journal, repeating over and over - 'Believe in your dreams'.
I choose to take inspiration from all those giants before me on whose shoulders I can stand who did just that. So many come to mind just now as I write and one that stand out is Martin Luther King. "I have a dream that one day…." Yes I know Obama has an awful lot to live up to now, but haven't we come a long way though the road was never smooth? That's life.
Yes believe in your dream.
Who knows how long the road may be? How do I keep my motivation going so that I can achieve what I want to?
Part of that of course comes from my own will and self determination but there is no denying the strength to be gained from working with others who will provide that little bit of extra support and push and challenge I need. And I believe that I can do all that for others too. Its been good to write this because its diluted that little bit of trepidation about my next mastermind meeting.
This month our Master Mind group focused less on careers and more on personal lives as the pace of activities (read this as "stress") has picked up. As I've said before, we are now good friends and thus feel comfortable discussing family and personal issues. I talked about my concern at not working full-time especially when my husband's place of employment is projected to close in spring 2009.
One of my Master Mind friends assured me she had been through a rough patch in her life when job, residence and other parts of her life had been in peril. That has all changed however and she is going strong.
When I said my writing jobs were drying up, another member talked about a possible story for the newspaper I write for as well as pointed me to a website that may be of assistance in finding sources for a possible book.
We listened as each other shared holiday thoughts and goals for 2009.
It was a profitable 2-hour meeting - and by that, I don't just mean financially. I laughed more then than I had in days as we dropped quips, puns and teasing remarks with each other. I felt better at leaving the meeting than I had in weeks. We hugged at the end as we wished each other a Merry Christmas.
Even though we don't see each other often, we seem to understand each other better than I do of some friends I see more frequently. My Master Mind group members are different in beliefs and ways of life, as well as careers, but they are some of my best friends and I'm thankful for them.
What good has your Master Mind friends brought to your life?
My mastermind group situation has evolved. Can that happen? Sure.
When I first started out years ago, Brad and I were in our first mastermind group, which was an incredible experience for us and shaped who we are today. We met our first mentor who had led the group and took us under his wing. We met many others just like us who were truly at the beginning of their journey. The goal of the mastermind was to teach people how to "fly" so to speak on our own. Well, once we did, we searched for another mastermind that would once again match where we were in our lives both professionally and personally.
It wasn't an easy journey to discover that magic we had in the first mastermind that had such an impact on our lives. Mastermind groups came and went, but just didn't fit the bill for us, as the people didn't follow the same beliefs which we felt were critical.
Then we recently came together with a group of people we had wanted to work with in the past in a joint venture and we were invited to be part of their mastermind group. I have to say I was a little gun shy at first after being so disappointed by others in the past, but I am happy to say we have once again found that certain something that can really make a mastermind work.
A mastermind group reflects your life just as those who surround you do. They say to be successful and happy in your life is to surround yourself by positive people who have the same outlook as you. That doesn't necessarily mean they are in the same business or even same industry as you. What's important at least to us for a mastermind group is a respectful atmosphere that influences growth.
It doesn't necessarily mean that one mastermind group is worse than another. As you evolve as a person in your business, you tend to be drawn to different people as they are drawn to you. It's definitely a Law of Attraction thing. As life changes, mastermind groups come and go within your life and one day you notice, you are surrounded by a group of people who grow with you and that is why I love mastermind groups.
One of the things that makes a Mastermind Group so effective is the power behind shared visions and goals. Typically, when thinking of goals, writing them down is the obvious way to state and work towards goals. However, this method has some disadvantages: if you're not naturally great with language, connecting the words on paper with action steps might not come easily; if you're a visual learner, boring words on a page might not excite you; written long-hand goals aren't easily digestible at a glance.
My Mastermind Group follows the Jack Canfield idea of a Vision Board. I've also heard this referred to as a Painted Picture. The practice is simple:
Write your goals down
Look for visual representations of your goals in magazines or online
Make a collage with the visual representations
Put this in a frequently viewed area
Extra: put your written goals in the middle, so that the visuals are flowing outward from the actual original ideas
My Mastermind Group takes these Vision Boards and spends our December meeting reviewing the boards and getting feedback from the group about the goals and also the pictures on the board. Then, we have a good time for the rest of the year as various pictures off the Vision Boards come true as we reach our goals.
I don't know about you, but I really love Thanksgiving here in the US. Not only do you get to spend time with people you may not see too often, it's also a great excuse to take Friday and the weekend off for a tiny needed vacation as the year comes to a close.
My question to you is; how are you treated at the holiday dinner table by your family?
Since I've been an entrepreneur for over 16 years now, I don't get as much guff as in the past, but let me give you a typical conversation from the not so distant past.
Dad: So how's being in business for yourself going?
Son: Not too bad, Pop.
Dad: You've been at this for a while now. When are you going to grow up and get a real job?
Son: I don't want a job, Pop. I want a business like I have.
Dad: But there's no stability in it? No known paycheck coming in? How can you live like that?
Son: Well I think that knowing I can make as much money as I can figure out how to make is a better option. And for stability, as far as I'm concerned, I 'd rather know when I'm going to fire myself and not leave it up to someone else that could care less about me more than themselves.
Dad: I don't get it.
Son: Nope. You don't.
Hmmmmm. Does that sound familiar at all from family and friends when sitting around a table or on the phone? My guess is it probably hits a few nerves.
So what's my point? Surrounding yourself a few times a year with people that don't understand you is bearable because they are family and friends. But if that's the only time you find yourself talking about your business to others, basically in a battle zone, I promise you it's not mentally or physically helping you or your business.
Wouldn't it make more sense to talk to like minded people on a regular basis around a positive energy charged table or phone call? Enter the mastermind group.
If you're not in one, find one facilitated by someone you would like to emulate. And if you're already in one, maybe join another. As many heads more than one as possible to bounce ideas off of and get positive or constructive feedback from is a must for an entrepreneur heading up any sized business at any point in the business lifecycle.
Hope you had a good Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays to you!
EvanCarmichael.com is the world's #1 website for small business motivation and strategies. Evan also runs a series of successful Mastermind Groups in Toronto for entrepreneurs.
Guest Contributor: Julia Wert-Marrocco
