How to Run Your Own Mastermind Group
Deliberately seek the company of people who influence you to think and act on building the life you desire.
-NAPOLEON HILL
Are you feeling stuck or not making the progress you want in your personal or professional life? Are you looking for a supportive community of like-minded individuals who can help you achieve your goals? Consider joining or starting your own mastermind group.
A mastermind group is a small, collaborative group of individuals who come together to support each other in achieving their goals. By sharing knowledge, resources, and experiences, members of a mastermind group can help each other grow personally and professionally. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a team leader, or just looking for a supportive community, this post will help you get started on forming and running a mastermind group that works for you.
A mastermind is … the coordination of knowledge and effort between two or more people who work towards a definite purpose in a spirit of harmony.
-NAPOLEON HILL
In this blog post, I will discuss the benefits of joining a mastermind group. I will also provide a step-by-step guide on how to form, run, and maintain a successful mastermind group for your personal or professional goals.
If you want to start your own group, but need a startup guide to help you, check out my Mastermind Startup Guide, complete with 10 tools and templates that you can use or adapt for your own Mastermind.
Benefits of a Mastermind Group
Participating in a mastermind group can offer numerous benefits for personal and professional growth. Here are some of the key benefits:
Collaboration: A mastermind group allows you to collaborate and brainstorm with like-minded individuals who share your goals and challenges. By exchanging ideas and experiences, you can gain new insights and perspectives that can help you overcome obstacles and achieve success.
Accountability: A mastermind group provides a level of accountability that can be difficult to achieve on your own. When you share your goals with the group, you're more likely to follow through and make progress.
Networking: A mastermind group can be a valuable networking opportunity, allowing you to connect with other professionals in your field or industry. This can lead to new opportunities, partnerships, and collaborations.
Support & Encouragement: A mastermind group provides a supportive environment where you can share your challenges and successes without fear of judgment. The group can offer encouragement, feedback, and guidance to help you gain confidence and stay motivated.
Personal & Professional Growth: A mastermind group can be an amazing catalyst for personal or professional growth. By discussing your opportunities and barriers, and receiving feedback, you can learn fresh insights, find new resources, and make meaningful progress.
Forming Your Mastermind Group
Forming a mastermind group requires careful planning and preparation. Here are some steps to consider when starting a mastermind group:
Set group goals and objectives: Determine the purpose of your mastermind group and set specific goals and objectives. This will help you stay focused and ensure that all group members are on the same page. Some common goals for mastermind groups include career advancement, personal development, and business growth.
Identify potential members: Consider inviting people who share similar goals, values, and interests. To ensure that everyone can contribute and experience the benefits, consider including around 8-10 group members. Smaller groups of 4-6 can also be successful. You may want to consider inviting people from diverse backgrounds who can bring unique perspectives to the group.
Establish a schedule for meetings: Decide how often you will meet and how long the meetings will last. Mastermind groups typically meet once a month for 2-3 hours, but the frequency and length of meetings can vary depending on the group's needs. As you determine the group’s schedule, you should also consider how to set expectations for group member attendance and related questions:
Will group members only be allowed to miss a certain number of sessions?
Will the sessions be recorded so group members can tune in later?
Coordinate communication channels: Determine how you will communicate with your group members outside of meetings. You may want to create a group chat, form a group on social media, or use an email list to keep everyone updated and informed.
Once you have identified potential members and set goals and objectives, it's time to invite people to join your mastermind group. Since many people have never experienced a mastermind group, make sure they understand how the group will work and how the group will benefit them. Be clear about the purpose of the group and let them know what they can expect if they decide to join. It's also a good idea to develop and share a written agreement that outlines the group's goals, expectations, and guidelines.
Facilitating a Mastermind Meeting
Running an effective mastermind group meeting requires intentionality and planning. One of the most important decisions is to determine the format you want to use to support collaboration and idea-sharing. Although the approaches vary, many masterminds utilize a hot seat or spotlight approach in which time is allotted for individual group members to share a goal, scenario, challenge, or opportunity, and get feedback from other group members. It may not be possible for every group member to share in every session, but over time all group members will have the chance to be spotlighted. For example, if you are meeting for 90 minutes and have 10 group members, your meeting time could be divided as follows:
8:00-8:15 Welcome group members, and facilitate an opening exercise
8:15-8:25 Participant #1 shares, followed by feedback
8:25-8:35 Participant #2 shares, followed by feedback
8:35-8:45 Participant #3 shares, followed by feedback
8:45-8:55 Participant #4 shares, followed by feedback
8:55-9:05 Participant #5 shares, followed by feedback
9:05-9:15 Participant #6 shares, followed by feedback
9:15-9:30 Key takeaways, action items, and closing
If using this approach, it can be helpful if group members submit their challenges in advance of the meeting time so that the facilitator and/or other group members can preview the discussion topics and scenarios. If you don’t have enough content to fill each of the hot seat time slots, you can extend the individual feedback times, or the facilitator can prepare some questions for open discussion.
Here are some other tips to help you facilitate a successful mastermind session:
Use a facilitator: Assign a facilitator who can help guide the discussion, keep the meeting on track, and ensure that everyone has a chance to speak.
Start with a check-in: Begin the meeting with a brief check-in question or ice-breaker to encourage community building.
Follow an agenda and a timeline: Share a clear agenda in advance of the meeting which outlines the topics and issues that will be discussed. Stick to the agenda and avoid going off-topic. If one topic is particularly engaging, but the time is limited, you can suggest follow-up resources to consider.
Encourage participation and discussion: The facilitator should be prepared with strategies to encourage all members to participate and share their insights. For example, if meeting virtually, encourage the use of the chat feature, or if meeting in person, ask people to write down their ideas and do a round-robin approach to sharing.
Recognize and value different communication styles: Although a talkative group is ideal to experience the benefits of a mastermind, some group members may prefer to absorb information and share less frequently. Some group members may need more time before they are ready to offer their ideas. The facilitator should create an environment that values a variety of communication styles.
Wrap up with a focus on accountability: End the meeting by summarizing the key takeaways or any relevant action items. Assign accountability for each item and set a deadline for completion.
Maintaining Your Mastermind Group
Maintaining a mastermind group requires ongoing effort and commitment. Here are some tips to help you keep your group running smoothly:
Evaluate the group's progress: Regularly evaluate the progress of the group and make adjustments as needed. Consider whether the group's goals and objectives are being met and whether the meeting schedule and format are working well. Get feedback from group members through use of questionnaires or by asking for feedback directly in one of your sessions.
Provide value to the members: Ensure that the group is providing value to all members. Consider inviting guest speakers, providing resources and materials, and offering different types of support and guidance to meet a diverse range of needs.
Address conflicts and challenges: Address any conflicts or challenges that arise within the group in a constructive and respectful manner. Encourage open communication and active listening to help resolve conflicts and maintain a positive group dynamic. Update the group’s written agreement as situations arise that require reflection on and revision of group norms.
Maintain accountability: Hold each other accountable for the action items and deadlines established during meetings. Find ways to celebrate successes and acknowledge the progress made towards goals.
Facilitating a Mastermind in Your Workplace
Mastermind groups can also be a valuable tool for teams in the workplace. Team leaders can facilitate mastermind sessions to encourage collaboration, brainstorming, and problem-solving. Consider these questions to guide you as you plan a mastermind session for your team:
What is your purpose for the mastermind session? Provide clarity about the goals of the session to set your team up for success. For example, you could have a monthly mastermind to brainstorm new ideas to support customers. Each team member could be allotted time to share customer experiences and get feedback on how to improve the customer experience. Or if your team is faced with a difficult problem, you could turn a regular team meeting into a mastermind session where each team member is invited to provide their perspective and ideas to address the problem.
How will you create a forum for open and collaborative communication? Make sure that there is a facilitator established who is confident in leading a collaborative process. Encourage team members to listen actively to one another and contribute by either providing suggestions or asking open-ended questions. Consider setting a time limit for each team member to talk so that there is more equal participation. Establish ground rules for the session to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to speak and be heard.
What strategies help team members to participate? Create an agenda before the mastermind so that team members know the issues they will be discussing. On the agenda, develop a list of starter questions and a tentative timeline that you will follow. Be clear about how each team member should contribute.
What are the best takeaways from the session? Take notes throughout the mastermind session and end the session by summarizing the key takeaways and action items. Assign accountability for each item and set a deadline for completion.
