The power of one can be great, but the power of a select few accelerates your success exponentially! Joining or creating a Mastermind group of like-minded individuals can be the UpwardAction®that takes you to your next level of success.
I am a member of a really fantastic Mastermind group that continuously supports me in clearly defining tactics for executing various strategies, provides a sounding board for new idea, serves as a cheer squad for my accomplisments and motivates me to stay on track if I start to lose momentum.
Napolean Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, defined the Mastermind Principle as, “[t]he coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony. No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind.”
I recommend that you start your own Mastermind group of carefully selected partners. When selecting mastermind partners, invite people who you like, respect, can depend on and share similar values and sense of purpose. You also want to select members who you know will add value to the group and be committed to the regular attendance of your mastermind meetings.
A Mastermind group is a particularly great way for entrepreneurs to stay connected, share ideas and resources, learn new information, create accountability and check-in with a “collective mind.”
For maximum effectiveness, it is imperative that your Mastermind group meets on a regular basis.
Jack Canfield offers these suggestions when creating a Mastermind Group, Dream Team or whatever else you want to call your “Business Support Team“:
- Groups should be 4-8 people, with 6 being ideal
- Meetings should be at least 1.5 hours
- Start meetings with something inspirational: a quote, an invocation, etc.
- Sharing openly is imperative to your success!
- Start the meeting with each member sharing a small success that happened since the last one
- Appoint a timekeeper to make sure everyone gets equal time to discuss a challenge they are facing
- Close they meeting with a sharing of appreciation to the help you received
I offer the following additional suggestions that I’ve found invaluable when working with my Mastermind group:
- Create a meeting structure for your group (e.g., 30 minutes to focus on each mastermind partner’s individual business needs and 30 minutes to discuss a specific topic. This equals 3 hours for a group of 5 members).
- Schedule enough time between meetings to implement what you discuss (e.g. my group finds that bi-weekly meetings work best).
- Create an online meeting place to archive powerful information that is useful for all members and upload files and templates that your group is sharing with each other. I recommend BaseCamp and CollectiveX.
- Consider adding a video component for groups that meet by telephone. My Mastermind group uses OoVoo.
If you need help developing a Mastermind group or finding partners, let me know! This is such a powerful way to accelerate your business success - I’d love to help you!
I’d also love to hear your Mastermind stories in the comments section.
Until Next Time, Expect the BEST!
T.C. Coleman
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