The term “Mastermind Group” comes from the classic business book, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. In case you haven’t read it, Think and Grow Rich is an incredibly-researched blueprint for creating success and riches, and this is especially true when you are self-employed.
Mastermind Groups – The Backstory
The book was born in 1908 when Hill interviewed Andrew Carnegie – the Bill Gates of his time, the richest man in the world. Thereafter, Carnegie gave Napoleon Hill an assignment: To interview the most successful people he could find and get their formula for success. Hill completed his research 20 years later and eventually boiled it down into Think and Grow Rich. Having sold more than 30 million copies, it is one of the most successful books of all time.
One of the main concepts to come out of the book is the idea of a “Master Mind” group, as Hill put it. Carnegie attributed much of his success to such a group. Here how Hill learned of this concept:
During a newspaper interview with [Andrew Carnegie], I asked him to what he attributed his success. He replied:
“Well, if you want to know how I got my money, I will refer you to these men here on my staff; they got it for me. We have here in this business a master mind. It is not my mind, and it is not the mind of any other man on my staff, but the sum total of all these minds that I have gathered around me that constitute a master mind in the steel business.
I have been many years gathering these men around me and building this mind. Each man contributes an important part to the building of this mind. I do not always agree with all the men on my staff, on all matters, nor do they always agree with me. Perhaps some of us do not like each other from a personal viewpoint, but I know that I need these men and they know that they need me in the maintenance of this master mind that is necessary in carrying on this steel business.
Hill concluded that, “No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind.” Thus a Mastermind group could, he argued, geometrically increase each others success.
Modern Mastermind Groups
Today, Mastermind groups can be found in every industry and field of endeavor, and it is easy to see why, and why they are especially attractive to the self-employed. Mastermind participants challenge individual members of the group to be their best, to do their best, to brainstorm, to set goals, to achieve them, and create a powerful group mind. They offer each other guidance, support, ideas, expertise, feedback, and vision. They can be a sounding board, board of advisors, and mutual support system all rolled into one. And there is an energy and synergy that comes from working with like-minded people to achieve synergistic goals.
Keys to a Successful Mastermind Group
People who have found success with Mastermind groups say there are several keys to creating and working with a Mastermind group:
Be discerning over whom you let in the group
No, you don’t want a bunch of people who think like you because diversity of thought is a strength of the group. But that said, you do want people who share your values and vision for the group.
You want people who are willing to put in the time, who are passionate about success, who can take and give constructive criticism and feedback, who are committed to the group, and who have something to offer. Additionally, you probably want people who are, relatively speaking, at similar places in their career. A 23-year who is just starting out may not be able to add a lot to a group of 50-something CEOs.
Set up some ground rules
- How often, where and when will you meet?
- How many absences are acceptable?
- How will meetings be structured?
- Will you accept new members (most groups have less than 10 members, and many limit the number to around six)
- How will you set the agenda for meetings?
- Who will lead the group? Will it rotate, and if so, when?
Set a meeting agenda
One group sets its agenda thusly:
- Welcome
- Individual sharing
- Goals update
- Group problem solving
- Discussion of the specific topic for the meeting
- Overview of the next meeting
Meeting topics can be just about anything: Resources you find useful, business strategies, legal topics, marketing ideas– you name it.
The Group Mind
While the camaraderie is nice, for many participants, it is that unseen extra person – the group mind – that makes the time and commitment worth it. It is that communal effort towards helping you achieve your goals that really sets the Mastermind concept apart.
By ZenBusiness Team
