Inner Circle Mastermind

Kristen Marie Schuerlein writes a blog on designing a life that you love. Her recent post was on creating an inner circle or Mastermind Group to help you achieve the success you're after. Kristen notes:

None of us get to the top of the mountain alone. Why would we when it is so much sweeter up there being surrounded by friends?

She goes on to make 5 suggestions for people considering creating or joining a Mastermind Group:

1. Determine the size of group, and carefully select members

2. Decide 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.

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.

5. Forget everything I just said, and build your inner circle organically. While I believe in the power of having a group that meets monthly or so, and that is committed to one another, I also believe in the power of one on one relationships and selecting your team over time. Honestly, either approach works. Perhaps you decide to have both. The bottom line is understanding the power of surrounding yourself with people up to big things, and seeking to give to others. This is a secret to success.

Mastermind Group For Writers

Kayleen Reusser is a writer and keeps a regular blog to discuss her business and thoughts. She recently uploaded a post on Mastermind Groups that caught my eye.

After hearing about Mastermind Groups from a Toastmaster member who discussed Napoleon Hill's famous book "Think and Grow Rich", Kayleen picked up a copy and immediately set up her own group.

Getting together with people like that on a regular basis to share dreams and work towards them together, offering encouragement and advice, should help your goals be reached, according to Mr. Hill. Plus, the group will hold us to be accountable to striving toward our goals.

She founded a group with a few members of a local writer's workshop she attended.

We're meeting about once a week for a few weeks to share notes and information we've found about goal-setting, then we'll settle into a monthly meeting.

She's looking to build the group to a maximum of 8 people (also the maximum we use for our groups).

I would encourage new Mastermind Group founders like Kayleen to put some structure behind the groups. What is the weekly / monthly agenda? How long are the meetings? What is expected from each member? Who will facilitate the meetings?

Making sure you have a set structure in place will keep the group on track and allow it to keep going once the novelty of the idea has worn off.