Ten Reasons to Join a Mastermind Group
Mastermind groups were touted by Napoleon Hill as a key to success. Hill, long thought of as one of the founding fathers of the field of personal development, believed in regular meetings with a group of 2 or more committed individuals who shared a common goal of success. He formalized this idea in the 1920s and 1930s. He said, “a mastermind is the coordination of knowledge and effort in the spirit of harmony between 2 or more people for the attainment of a definite purpose.”
Napoleon Hill did not develop this idea on his own. He learned about it from Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie amassed one of the largest net worths in history (in today’s dollars it would be about $310 billion, compared with Bill Gates’ net worth of $79 billion) by creating of the most famous business mastermind groups in the steel industry in 1899. Carnegie stated: “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 mastermind. It is not my mind, 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 mastermind in the steel business.”
Today, with the advent of a plethora of technological tools at our disposal, mastermind groups can be personal, virtual, or both. Regardless of format, mastermind groups have not lost their appeal nor their effect. And although there are numerous reasons to join one of these communities, here are ten that immediately come to mind:
The Power of the Third Mind: People coming together in the spirit of harmony, with a definite purpose in mind, and adding together their brain power is what Napoleon Hill calls the power of the third mind. And the way he said it was “no two minds ever come together without creating a third, invisible, intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind.” It’s synergistic and more powerful than normal math. 1 + 1 doesn’t equal 2. It equals 3, 4, 5, or more. Mastermind groups allow you to expand your skills. Drawing not only upon the experience and knowledge of others in your group, but also oftentimes upon talents within you of which you may not even be aware, you may learn new techniques or polish old ones.
Creativity: These collaborations encourage creativity, new ideas and may unleash the Muse in you. A well-functioning group will temper realistic expectations with non-judgmental approaches to thinking outside of the box.
Clarity: Multi-tasking and the rapid shifting of attention is not always a good thing. Sometimes, to succeed in life and in business you need to learn how to concentrate and hone in on specific objectives, goals, problems or ideas. Moreover, not only will a mastermind group teach you to focus on the task at hand, it can help you determine whether you are clear on your direction you won’t drift off course. In addition, group members will share different points of view. They will ask questions and offer different perspectives with you that may help you gain the clarity you need to move forward with your ideas.
Blind-Side Avoidance: We all have blind spots. Sometimes, unless someone points a blind spot out to us or we get burned by it, we don’t even realize we have it (hence the term blind-spot). The group can be your blind-spot patrol, alerting you to potential pitfalls to help you avoid disaster.
Brainstorming: They are forums for brainstorming. Perhaps it goes without saying, but a mastermind group can be an example of a brainstorming session at its best. You can get unstuck because you have the creation and innovation of the third mind. You begin, the lights come on, and you don’t simply move forward in little steps. You move forward in huge leaps.
Focus Group: They can act as a cheap yet effective focus group. Have you ever conducted or participated in one of these? Oftentimes a dog-and-pony show with refreshments, snacks, sometimes even payments to participants, the focus group may be informally replaced with your mastermind participants in certain situations.
Honest Feedback: They are great for challenging your ideas and make a great sounding board for you. In an atmosphere of mutual respect, yet with direct interaction, members of your group can be excellent for telling you what they believe, rather than acting as a bunch of sycophants. You are surrounded by folks who are committed to moving forward and who have their own experiences to draw from to help you.
Relationships: They are terrific places to make new like-minded acquaintances and friends. Sometimes relationships forged in a mastermind group outlive the community itself.
Collaboration: They are sources to find potential business partners and joint venture participants. You might find a kindred spirit or a congruent one. Fellow members can also review your work and possibly provide referrals for you.
Accountability & Support: A mastermind group led by a trained and proficient facilitator is like coaching on steroids. What would be possible if the people around you refused to let you fail? What happens with a mastermind group is that you get a better plan to be your best you, and you get better results.
Greater Levels of Success: What Napoleon Hill found many decades ago is still true today. For all of the above reasons, you can’t help but move towards higher levels of success!