In my last blog I spoke about the Power of Masterminding, now I want to focus on 10 powerful reasons to join a Mastermind group.
Success in business relies on us being able to lead ourselves and become the leader of our business. In order to do that we need to master being more focused. And stop the Entrepreneurial ADD activities that plague many business owners. And to channel our ideas, turn them into action. After all action is the key to success.
One of the best ways I have discovered to do this is to assemble a virtual board of directors for your business, consisting of inspirational people like yourself who can offer advice, help you set goals and feed back on your achievements. A mastermind group is one way to achieve this as it provides you with a different perspective on any business challenges and also provides accountability and support.
Here are 10 other reasons to join a mastermind group.
- You’re no longer alone. One of the major banes of being a business owner, especially a solo-preneur is working in isolation. At times this is a glorious way to operate, at others it can be immensely frustrating. So having someone to chat over your thoughts and hopes with – and more importantly, get valuable insight into things that may or may not be good for you – is gold dust. The Mastermind Group alleviates the Lone Ranger syndrome that I so often find in business.
- You have a reason to excel. There’s no more potent motivation than having other people rooting for you, checking your progress and importantly holding you accountable for your results. Create your strategy and goals and then ask for some feedback from the other Mastermind members. They will give you an incredible different perspective on the situation and will be there to support you in achieving them because at every meeting they will want to hear your progress. There’s no greater motivator than that.
- It’s an excuse to mine minds. Assembling a group of like minded people in the same place at the same time means you can genuinely indulge in a form of cerebral exercise that you just can’t get anywhere else. Think about it – up to 12 people, each hugely driven to make waves in the world through their respective ventures, capturing ideas and forming plans. Collaborating on the future. Collaboration – it’s the only way to do business today.And there’s no excuse not to, because with Mastermind Groups you can meet up…
- Anytime, anywhere. It’s motivating enough to tease us out of our comfort zones, so we make the effort. Technology and connectivity means your Mastermind Group can span different countries not just industries. You don’t just have to stay in your back yard any more. I used to be in a Mastermind Group which contained people from afar as LA and Sydney. Now co-ordinating a suitable time of day to connect at could be a challenge but the value of the diverse perspectives that I got was awesome.
- Develop your listening ear. We all love to talk about our business success but you’ll only grow when you hear what’s happening elsewhere. We have two ears, one mouth – use them in that ratio. Being in the company of inspirational people will help you understand the gravitas of that statement as you learn that listeningis the most powerful art of all.
- The value is priceless. A well constructed Mastermind group can help propel the success of your business beyond measure. Just imagine the power of having 12 people who genuinely care about your business success guiding you and giving you tough honest feedback. People who say what needs to be said, who challenge and maybe event irk you, but who say it like it is. After all “nice” didn’t serve anyone and I would rather get some tough honest feedback than have others agree 100% with what I say, how does that serve me?
- It works. Mastermind groups will change the way you do business, using tested and proven principles. Napoleon Hill kicked it all off with his idea of a virtual board derived from the research he conducted and documented in Think and Grow Rich. Its success relies on the power of the collective mind and that fact that 1+1 = 3. Gaining all these different perspectives on a situation results in you coming up with results that are greater than the sum of the parts.
- It’s Zen for Business. You give, you get back. This is the law of reciprocity and nothing feels better in the world than helping someone else. You can’t fail to raise an inner smile when you find your advice is making a difference to someone else’s life.
- Set your own agenda for change. The great thing about a Mastermind group is that the group sets the agenda and the facilitator does simply that. Just facilitates what needs to happen to ensure that all participants get an opportunity to show up in the hot seat and get feedback on their most pressing business challenge.
- It’s all about you. It’s about your success. Within a great structured group everyone has everyone’s interests at heart. You just can’t get the same level of focus on your business, anywhere else.
I’ve been sold on Mastermind groups since I participated in my first one back in 2009, and since then they have been an integral part of my business success. That is why I am excited to be launching the Into The Winners Circle Mastermind Group for 12 ambitious women who are sick and tired of trying to do it all themselves and who want to surround themselves with a group of other inspiring women and collaborate their way to success. Details are just being finalised so email me if you want to be on the priority notifications list.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
