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I have formed my own Master Mind group. If you are interested in joining or starting your own read this.

WHAT IS A MASTER MIND GROUP?

A Master Mind group meets on a regular basis to help each other achieve their own personal and business goals. The beauty of Master Mind groups is that participants raise the bar by challenging each other to create and implement goals, brainstorm ideas, and support each other with total honesty, respect and compassion. Master Mind participants act as catalysts for growth, devil’s advocates and supportive colleagues.

When many minds concentrate on a single point, the activity generates a power over and above the sum total of each of the individual minds. It is as though an invisible force joins the group and provides additional insight. As a result, the group members accomplish more than any one person could have accomplished individually

HISTORY

Andrew Carnegie first coined the "Master Mind" term. He mentored Napoleon Hill who in 1937 formally introduced the concept in Chapter 10 of the timeless classic "Think And Grow Rich." Hill was part of a Master Mind himself called the Chicago 6 - which included Andrew Carnegie, Charles Wrigley, William Hertz and Henry Ford. Below are excerpts from Think and Grow Rich:

The 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.

ANDREW CARNEGIE

The Master Mind principle, or rather the economic feature of it, was first called to my attention by Andrew Carnegie, more than fifty years ago. Discovery of this principle was responsible for the choice of my life's work.

Mr. Carnegie's Master Mind group consisted of a staff of approximately fifty men, with whom he surrounded himself, for the definite purpose of manufacturing and marketing steel. He attributed his entire fortune to the power he accumulated though this "Master Mind"

Analyze the record of any man who has accumulated a great fortune, and many of those who have accumulated modest fortunes, and you will find that they have either consciously or unconsciously employed the "Master Mind" principle. Great power can be achieved by no other principle!

HENRY FORD

It was a well-known fact that Henry Ford began his business career under the handicap of poverty, illiteracy, and ignorance. It is an equally well known fact that, within the inconceivably short period of ten years, Mr. Ford mastered these three handicaps, and that within twenty-five years he made himself one of the richest men in America. Connect with this fact the additional knowledge that Mr. Ford's most rapid strides became noticeable from the time he became a personal friend of Thomas A. Edison, and you will begin to understand what the influence of a mind upon another can accomplish.

WHY A MASTER MIND?

Such a group helps us stay on course when everything seems to be pulling us in different directions. A Master Mind group consists of people who work together in absolute harmony to achieve diverse goals. It is the focusing of each mind on a common issue that triggers thoughts not readily available to one mind. Those in the group draw upon their unique experiences and specialized knowledge to help each other.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

  • A sense of shared endeavor - there are others out there!
  • Experience, skills and confidence
  • Real progress in your business and personal life
  • An instant and valuable support network

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

People who:

  • Have a similar skill and/or success level
  • Have the desire and inspiration to make this year extraordinary
  • Want a supportive team of Master Mind partners
  • Want to reach or exceed their goals
  • Are ready to move outside their comfort zone
  • Are committed to making the shift from settling for an ordinary life to one that fulfills them on new levels
  • Are ready to let their desire to be passionate about their life and work overcome their fear of change
  • Want to explore specific topics and diverse views within the context of a group
  • Are willing to support, and provide privacy and safety, when others share what truly matters to them

HOW DOES IT WORK?

In a Master Mind group, the agenda belongs to the group, and each person’s participation is key. Your peers give you feedback, help you brainstorm new possibilities, and set up accountability structures that keep you focused and on track. You will create a community of supportive colleagues who will work together to move the group to new heights.

SUCCESS GUIDLINES:

  1. Choose people who have specialized knowledge you lack. Enlist people with very different outlooks, strengthens, experience, skills and specialized knowledge. Contributions may not always be material. It may be increased self-confidence or "know-how." Though different they should also possess some similar qualities - action-oriented, high energy level, and have a strong commitment to follow-through.
  2. Make a time commitment and stick to it. Once or twice a month generally works best. When you make the commitment, don’t allow anything except serious emergencies to interfere. New groups often meet weekly to bond and gain momentum.
  3. Make an agenda. This creates a sense of order during meetings. Sample agendas might include open discussion at the beginning of the meeting, and then a focus on individual challenges for perhaps 20 minutes each or just one member’s challenge each meeting, with the others offering feedback or advice. Each member gets his or her turn to share. This is very powerful; each of us learns something from another’s challenges. We meet for approximately one hour; if there is time at the end, we have open discussion. I also like to have book reports of success or business related books, usually the reporter types and distributes key points.
  4. Have fun! Establish an atmosphere of excitement and expectation by opening with a brief motivational reading and sharing of our successes stories. Although groups are very serious about results, they become as much a social event as an educational opportunity.
  5. Keep it small and simple. Groups of three to six work best. If there are more participants, you may find two meetings going on at the same time.
  6. Discuss and decide on a policy for disclosure. Do this at the beginning. Groups openly discuss details of personal lives and companies with the understanding that our "inside secrets" are never discussed outside the group.
  7. Consider using a facilitator. This will help keep the group on target and on task. You learn to facilitate by doing it.

GROUP RULES & ETIQUETTE

Establish the group's rules and meeting etiquette in your first meeting, including picking a leader who will facilitate the conversation. Type up the rules for everyone to see (and to give to new members). Make sure you enforce the rules; don't get lax just because you get to know one another better. On the other hand, keep the rules flexible enough that the meetings are fun and not overly structured. Here are some things to consider:

Authenticity:

  • Inquire from a genuine desire to know and understand.
  • Listen fully, with the intent to truly hear.
  • Speak your truth from the heart, without attempting to make someone wrong.

Respect:

  • Speak one at a time; do not interrupt.
  • Avoid attempting to change someone else's point of view.
  • Avoid the impulse to "fix" a problem for someone; instead, simply listen and ask questions to help the participant create her own solutions.
  • All discussion will remain absolutely confidential.
  • Be tolerant of other people's point of view, even if you don't agree with it.

Thoughtfulness:

  • Speak only when moved to speak.
  • Take time to reflect before speaking.
  • Honor silence.

Inclusion:

  • Speak through the group for all to hear.
  • Allow time and space for every voice.
  • Make sure that everyone gets a chance to speak.

Openness:

  • Seek meaning, not closure.
  • Suspend assumptions.

Miscellaneous:

  • What topics are off-limits (such as politics or religion or any topic that will cause controversy in the group)
  • What time you'll meet and how long meetings will last.
  • Whether you'll meet in person, over the phone or on the Internet
  • The schedule of events for each meeting (schedule time to share success stories, challenges, new resources that each participant has discovered, and goals that people want to complete before the next meeting)
  • Master Mind Groups create a win-win situation for all participants. New friendships develop and everyone grows because of the support and encouragement of the Master Mind Group.

SCREENING APPLICANTS?

Because of the group nature, a commitment is required. Look for highly-motivated people who are willing to ask for help and support, and are willing to offer help and support to other people.

Before agreeing to let any new applicants into your group, it's important to screen them to make sure they'll fit into the existing group and that their commitment level is high. Decide in advance how many people should be in your group, and only allow new members into the group with the unanimous consent of everyone in the group. Applicants should answer the following:

  1. Do you have a personal or business mission or vision statement?
  2. What are your one, three and ten-year goals?
  3. Where will you find time to participate in the MasterMind Group?
  4. What is your commitment to moving forward in your business and personal life?
  5. Why should you be chosen to participate in this group? (Convince us that you're the kind of person who doesn't just talk about creating a better business or a better life for themselves, but instead you're the kind of person who DOES something about it! Convince us that you're going to commit to this MasterMind Group so that the rest of the participants know they can rely upon you.)

Even with a screening process your group is likely to run across people who say that they're committed but then don't participate or fail to keep the trust of the group. Be prepared to ask people to leave the group who are not participating up to the group standard and do it quickly once the poor behavior becomes evident. A slacking member will bring down the energy and fun level for the whole group.

Take Initiative!

Either seek membership in my Orlando, FL group or take the initiative to start your own group today! You will soon see the wonderful benefits of contributing and receiving ideas, which will propel you and the group to new levels of personal and professional success.

Simply Audiobooks, Inc.

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