Category: Mastermind Group

Having a stable and predictable agenda for Mastermind Group meetings builds trust and facilitates communication. After the first few meetings all participants know what they will be facing in each meeting and are prepared for it and this creates an important comfort zone for everyone.

But sometimes a little adventure is needed. To periodically incorporate something unexpected that forces everyone to rethink their role and, ideally, face something new and unknown.

Here are some ideas to break the routine in your Mastermind Group:

Launch a challenge for a month

A Mastermind Group forces all participants to be responsible for what they say. Why not make the members commit to a big and bold goal that has to be achieved within 30 days? The challenges for 3 months can be frustrating for a busy group of professionals. What if we limit it to just 30 days? What if we add daily accountability checks? To be truly motivated, it is important that the winners get a great reward for their efforts. Or perhaps, if the group is open to these alternatives, an exemplary punishment for participants who do not succeed.

Organise a weekend retreat for the participants

Do you feel that the meetings are too short and that the creative process of the Mastermind Group has to be interrupted? One option is to book a full day or a weekend and find a place away from the usual environment where you can work without having to keep an eye on the clock. This can also facilitate the fraternization between the participants by being able to interact during leisure time, during meals or with other activities that the whole group does together during that time. Additionally, couples or companions can be incorporated and it can serve as a socialization event.

Do 10-minute Hot Seats

Imagine the energy that is created when each participant only has 10 minutes to present their most important problem and get the best possible feedback! Be very clear and brief both when presenting the problem and with each group intervention. There is no possibility of a second round. You have to be extremely strict with the time and order of participation.

Choose a book to study and implement with the group

If there is an issue that concerns most participants and there are no experts within the group, an alternative is to seek that expert knowledge outside. Surely there is a book that can provide valuable solutions for everyone. If you identify this type of situation have your Mastermind Group look at and vote on a book and decide on a timetable for reading it (perhaps one chapter a week). At each meeting spend some time brainstorming the concepts covered in the book according to the calendar since the last meeting. This will force people to keep up with the reading. Make sure that people who can benefit from it commit to implementing some of the actions and monitor progress.

Organize master classes

Have each member volunteer to present a topic they have mastered for 30 minutes at each meeting. Allow members to choose the topic they prefer to present. It should be a topic that benefits everyone in the group and the presentation should be adjusted to the level of knowledge of all participants. Everyone knows tools, techniques, ways of working that can be beneficial to others and that would naturally never come up as a need to be solved by the Mastermind Group.

Define the group’s mission

Treat the Mastermind Group as an organisation in which everyone participates and leads. Have all participants brainstorm what the group’s mission and vision is. What is the purpose of the group? What are its core values? Where do you see the group in one year… or in two years? What profile would be good to incorporate into the group? Any other questions about how to improve the group without abandoning the principles of a Mastermind.

Create subgroups around a specific topic

If there are problems that only some of the people are interested in, it can be frustrating for those who don’t have that need. Part of the meeting time can be spent working in smaller groups focusing on specific topics. When you return to work with the whole group you should share the commitments made and the results achieved. All members should have a place in one of the sub-groups and it is advisable to set a maximum number of meetings where these sub-groups will be held.

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These are just a few ideas. There may be other ways to make the meetings more dynamic. Participants may be warned or they may be surprised when they are already there. It is highly advisable to vary the routine of the sessions periodically to introduce diversity and take note of the results achieved to keep the group motivated and to obtain the best results for all of them.

There are inspiring stories of people whose lives have been changed by your Mastermind Group. Professionally and personally.

Unfortunately, there are also scary stories: from Mastermind Groups that undermined the trust of one member, to many others that simply become a waste of time.

If you are in a Mastermind Group, or lead one, pay attention to the following signs that may indicate that things are going downhill.

It becomes a chat room

Has your Mastermind Group conversation turned into a social chat session?

When one or more members start talking about irrelevant topics, everyone loses focus and the quality and value of the Mastermind Group degrades. If members want a coffee chat, let them meet in their free time after the meeting or at another time that suits them.

It goes off topic

Remember that members join your Mastermind Group because they have goals and want to focus on specific challenges.

If you have chosen a topic for the session or you are going to discuss a specific issue that concerns one of the members you need to check that the conversation is focused on getting answers related to that specific topic. If the conversation wanders, everyone will feel that they are wasting their time. Pay attention to the progress of the conversation and when you detect that you are losing focus, quickly bring it back to the main topic of the meeting.

The original topic may in some cases give rise to other ideas that are as or more interesting than the initial one. But still check with those who have proposed the topic that they agree to abandon the main topic in favour of the new one or if it should simply be postponed to a later meeting.

Some members give and don’t get in return

The aim of a Mastermind Group is to share: to give and receive. It must be a two-way flow. If some members feel that they are always contributing to others but their issues or concerns are almost never addressed by the group they will soon lose confidence in the group.

Often this is because there are people with different levels of experience and the more experienced may be able to resolve many questions from those who are less experienced, but the group provides few solutions for them.

As a facilitator, you should be watching how each member feels, making sure everyone is getting value from the group. Look out for any imbalance before it becomes a problem. Otherwise, you risk losing the most valuable members.

It becomes a festival of complaints

One of the biggest advantages of joining a Mastermind Group is to feel positive and energetic after the meetings, but what happens when the meeting turns out to be a meeting to complain about injustices and a competition to see who suffers more misery? At the end of the meeting, members will feel exhausted and depressed.

Who wants to spend an entire meeting building a list of frustrations and not finding solutions? Your Mastermind Group is a safe place to vent and share problems, but you have to know how to cut through it properly and move on to the creative part of the conversation should be, “So what can you do to fix that and move on?

There are members who do not participate

Members cannot expect to join a Mastermind Group and then show up when it suits them. They have to commit to participating actively and promptly in discussions. There can be no casual bystanders sitting on the sidelines of a Mastermind Group meeting.

As a facilitator you have to demand a level of commitment and participation to be part of the Mastermind Group and if this is not met you have a pre-established mechanism to deal with it.

The facilitator has its own agenda – and it’s not serving the group

Having a personal agenda has everything to do with the ego, and the ego has two very specific goals in mind: to be well and to look well.

As a Facilitator, you must remember that the group meeting is not a showcase for you. (That’s why you are called a “facilitator” and not a “leader” of the group). It’s not about you and how smart you are, the topics you want to cover, or the direction you want to take in the conversation.

It’s about the members and how they help each other find the solutions they are looking for. The focus is entirely on them.

Keep in mind that a Mastermind Group is not a class or a group consultancy, but a learning programme and a peer exchange experience. The facilitator can share your experience with the group, but will always do so after everyone has shared to avoid conditioning the rest of the participants and to avoid becoming the star of the meeting. If you are the Facilitator, leave your ego layer at the door and enjoy being part of the creative (and much more productive) experience of many minds working in harmony together.

That said, having a Mastermind Group agenda for each meeting is crucial. But it’s the members’ agenda of what they want to explore and brainstorm, not yours.

Members come to meetings unprepared

If members want valuable help from other members, they have to explain their situation clearly and ask the right questions. It takes time and preparation to ask them.

When members present themselves without clear issues they want help with, it will be very difficult for the group to provide adequate assistance. Improvising your Hot Seat preamble on the fly leads to superficial and confusing Hot Seat discussions and poor decision making. The right goals will not be set or met, and responsibility goes out the window. Things will not get done and this leads to disappointment and frustration for everyone.

The facilitator does nothing about these problems

The most difficult part of being a Mastermind Group facilitator is that you have to pay intense attention to every detail of your group, both during and between meetings.

Are you aware of whether any of the above situations are occurring in your group?

Even if you are not aware, your members are, and will complain or leave if they are not happy.

How to create a successful Mastermind Group

These problem points need to be given continuous attention, members need to be asked how they feel about the group process and problems need to be addressed as soon as possible.

Don’t wait for the problems to go away on their own. It works the other way around. If they are not addressed they get worse.

If you are in a Mastermind Group that is going downhill, talk to the person leading it and let them know that it is not working for you. Hopefully they will be willing to make some changes. If not, maybe it’s time to start looking for a better Mastermind Group.

Nowadays it is relatively easy to find groups of entrepreneurs and business people. There are Mastermind Group organizers all over the world. Also having the possibility of connecting virtually makes it much easier to access any of them.

The question is how do I choose the right one for me?

These are some guidelines to take into account when choosing the Mastermind Group that best suits you.

What do you expect to get?

It is important to have a clear objective in mind that justifies the time, money and effort you are going to invest in the Group. Try to always keep it in mind and verify that the rest of the members have a similar objective.

Are you looking for help to create ideas to launch your business? To validate your own ideas? To help you with their experience to avoid mistakes? To meet new colleagues with whom you may be able to establish a business relationship? If other members have different goals probably there will be a mismatch between them over time.

Who is the group for?

Pay attention to who the audience of the group you are considering is. You should look for a group that has similar goals, business or professional situation, levels of experience and knowledge to share.

A start-up group would not be good for an entrepreneur with 20 years of experience, and a group of CEOs from large companies is not the place for a new startup founder.

Who is the facilitator?

The group facilitator is vital to the Group’s success. The facilitator makes sure that discussions are productive, that the agenda is respected, that time is properly used, and that everyone participates and benefits in a similar way.

The facilitator may or may not participate in the group. In many free groups, it is normal for one of the participants to play that role or to alternate between the participants.

The facilitator may or may not also be an expert in the general theme of the group. If he or she is, it can be good for the group because he or she will quickly understand the content of the discussion without having to clarify the concepts. In any case, it must be clear that the facilitator is not a trainer who will carry the weight of the discussion. The concept of a Mastermind Group is that the participants unite their individual minds to create a larger entity. It is a totally different concept from working with a mentor.

How many participants are in the group?

In a small group you will be able to present your own problems in depth and frequently, but on the contrary there will be less input from others than in a large group.

In a large group the situation is the opposite. You may get a lot of ideas, but you may have a lot of sessions that you don’t get a chance to participate in.

Also, in a large group, responsibility is diluted and participants may feel less pressure to participate and to fulfill their own commitments to act on what is discussed in the meetings.

Can you speak freely?

Participants in a Mastermind Group need to feel fully confident that what is discussed in the meeting is confidential. If there are potential competitors in a group participants may tend to keep certain issues, ideas or opinions to themselves for fear that they may be used by others.

Similarly, personal relationships between members may make people uncomfortable about expressing their thoughts.

The group may or may not decide to sign a confidentiality agreement but, in any case, it is important that all members feel free to speak in front of the group as if it were an extension of their own mind.

Are the participants really committed?

If you join a Mastermind Group you expect it to help you improve your ideas of professional growth and to act upon them. If there are people in the group who repeatedly miss meetings or don’t take action on what they have committed to in front of the group it is very likely that the whole group will start to lose momentum.

One of the first functions of each group is to define the rules for belonging to the group, which should include aspects such as attendance, punctuality and fulfillment of objectives. Every group must allow a certain margin for possible specific problems, but a group that is not strict on these points shows little commitment that will make it lose its value over time.

There is no formal definition of how many participants there should be in a Mastermind group. In fact any group of 2 or more people working together can be considered a Mastermind Group.

So how do you find the ideal size?

Let’s skip the theoretical definition for the moment and focus on the results we want to achieve. A Mastermind Group should be a group of people who work together to help each other achieve their personal or professional goals.

Theoretically, the more people in the group the better, because the more people there are, the more experience is provided and the more ideas can be achieved.

But on the other hand, we must not lose sight of the fact that we work with people and there is an important psychological component to how they behave. When a group is too big it becomes a crowd and the commitment of each of the participants is blurred.

You should ask yourself three questions before deciding how many members there should be in your Mastermind group:

How much total time is available at each meeting?

Meetings should start and end on time, and those longer than 90 minutes can be exhausting. Over time the energy level will decrease significantly.

Also, as meetings get longer there may be people who can’t spend as much time on it, so they may exclude themselves from a group that does very long sessions.

A basic principle is that all participants should be able to participate in all sessions, ideally with similar time for all participants. Occasionally, a session can focus on a specific problem of one of the participants, but it should be avoided that a participant has to go through several sessions without being able to be heard and mentored.

Bearing all this in mind, the first thing to be decided is how long each meeting will last.

How long should each member be in each session to talk about their problem, challenge or decision?

Members need time to first verbalize their situation before planning can begin in earnest. Some members are quick and can summarize it in five minutes or less. Others need 10-15 minutes just to set the scene. It will also take additional time to brainstorm after the presentation of the topic.

The usual time for each participant should normally be between a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 30 minutes. Depending on the group dynamics, it could be set at more or less within that range.

What other topics are on your agenda?

Remember that every meeting usually includes some kind of opening and closing. There may be a review of the results of what was achieved during the week, commitments for the next one, introduction of new members as well as possible guest speakers, training or other events. Leave time for those on your working group agenda, and then plan accordingly.

So what is the ideal group size?

The ideal size of a Mastermind group is usually between 4 and 6 participants. Less than 4 is feasible but the contribution to supporting each of them can be quite low (there are only 2 people contributing new ideas). More than 6 means that the session must be extended while little time is spent on deepening the problems or challenges of each participant, which can be perceived as a waste of time for the participants.

Is it possible to make larger groups?

Of course, but then the dynamic changes. You will probably need half-day sessions or more. They should include breaks, perhaps even lunch. In the professional environment this probably means that the frequency of meetings should be lowered. It’s possible to have half-day meetings with 10 or 12 people that include lunch, but then they usually turn into once-a-month meetings. It is, however, perfectly valid and possibly very useful for high level professionals whose availability is more limited.

The Mastermind group facilitator, as group leader, must establish clear guidelines on how the group should be managed.

It is important that these guidelines are established as soon as the group is formed, before any problems arise, to avoid anyone feeling unfairly treated. If a rule is improvised later because of a problem that has already arisen, the person concerned may think that it is introduced to penalise him personally.

What are the rules and expectations about the behaviour of the participants?

For a Mastermind group to be successful and lasting it is vital that a relationship of trust is established between all participants. The rules help to define how the relationship between the participants should be and to build that trusting environment between all of them.

Basic rules

Group policies must necessarily include the following

• Format (face-to-face or virtual), frequency and duration of meetings. Commitment of attendance of members (how many times can a person not attend each month or quarter) and maximum time of entry.
• Group purpose: what kind of topics can be dealt with
• How and when the main topic of each session is decided
• How often a participant can request that a particular case of his or her own be dealt with
• Basic rules of behaviour and respect in the sessions
• Channel and purpose of group communications between participants between sessions. If, for example, you decide to create a WhatsApp channel for communication it is important to indicate what kind of content can be published there
• How to add new members to the group and even how many participants are acceptable. Also how many existing members must approve any new incorporations

All these points should be raised in the first session and agreed upon by all participants. If any member joins later they should be made aware of and adhere to them.

If, with the evolution of the group, you wish to change some rule, it should be raised and treated in the same way: with a session to discuss the change and a consensus among all.

Sessions’ Agenda

It is advisable to define guidelines for communication during the sessions. A maximum time per person should be defined (depending on the type of meeting) to ensure that everyone has the possibility to participate in a balanced way.

It is also important to let the speaker speak without interruption so that he does not lose the thread of his thoughts and expresses himself freely. Agree on how and when to ask questions for clarification and how to give feedback or generate proposals for solutions to problems.

Anticipating problems

In any meeting of a group of people, conflicts may arise. Decide beforehand how these problems will surface when they do and before they become more important as they should be dealt with. A brainstorming session can be organised so that the same group decides what is, and what is not, a problem and how they want to communicate about it.

With this set of rules, defined by consensus with the guidance of the facilitator, the group will have a clear framework for dealing with interpersonal challenges that will allow everyone to get the most value from belonging to the Mastermind group.