A Mastermind Group Is Critical To Your Success.

Let's get right into it — You need to join/start a mastermind group. Here are the facts: WHAT is a mastermind group?

Four to seven people in the trenches just like you, who work on their business/career, and who want to learn and grow. Each member offers their current resources, tactics 
and tools that work for them — 
plus they give you support when you need it.

WHY start a mastermind group?

It's a structure that will literally pull your business forward:

• You don't get sidelined when bad things happen.
• You don't get distracted, because you’re building a critical support system.
• You have a comfort zone of success you’re accustomed to and can measure your performance.
• As you break through each ceiling, you'll need partners to pull you up.

WHO should be in your mastermind group?

Optimally, you play better tennis with people who play better than you. But I feel that diversity is the real power of your mastermind — get members from many areas/industries, age groups, etc. Surprisingly, you will all have the same issues, with subtle filters personalizing them to your business/career.

WHEN should you meet?

Usually you meet on a strict, regular schedule — bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Attendance should be mandatory — your mastermind will only work if everyone is invested in its success. They run 3-8 hours, depending on the number of members, frequency of meetings, and the general 'antsyness' of each attendee.

FACILITATOR - Yes or No?

Yes — if you find your mastermind strays off course frequently and resembles a coffee klatch. The minute it becomes disorganized, unruly or off-course, you need a facilitator. I can help.

No — if you have dedicated members who recognize the power of your group, stay focused, and share in the responsibility of facilitating, developing topics to discuss, etc.

WHAT is the PAYOFF of a mastermind group?

• Exclusive Community — it involves dedication, communication, and a true willingness to succeed.
• Not On Your Own — the feeling of being alone goes away. You get committed business/career advisors.
• Grow Your Network — you get to connect with people you never knew existed.
• Learn — bring your skills & experience to the group. Other members will have a solution for you.
• Refer — once you are true colleagues, it's easy to refer business to one another.
• Unbelievable — masterminds infinitely impact your morale, business and career.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

We think our business/career security comes from making a lot of money, having a big title, or a checklist of major clients, but we're wrong. The greatest source of our security comes from close relationships with trusted friends.

To learn more about masterminds and how they can affect your business/career — let's talk.

Ethical Leadership — You Need A Mastermind Group.

In Napoleon Hill's bestselling book, Think & Grow Rich, he introduces a practice called The Master Mind Group. As an executive who wants to succeed, you should regularly assemble a grouping of professionals who will help you learn, understand and grow.

They could be an attorney, an accountant, a financial planner, a marketing/pr consultant, etc. At the end of the day, you need a grouping of smart individuals who know their areas cold and can help you with any problem, situation, or opportunity that might arise. You meet with them on a quarterly basis, off-site, usually for a full day (you also pay them for their time).

Let's look at this idea through a lens to pursue a highly ethical leadership style: Can you use this Master Mind Group practice to help you maintain (or regain) your high ethical standards? Yes, you can.

Look at the makeup of the group. You need highly reputable professionals that abide by ethical standards in their respective vocations. Now we all know that there are some miscreants who buck the system ethically (we are not talking about them) — we want the best, the brightest, AND the most ethical.

Choose an attorney, accountant, or financial planner of the highest ethical standards . . . Why? Because they will steer you straight ALL THE TIME. Adopt a 'Definite Purpose' as an objective to be attained by the alliance, choosing individual members whose education, experience and influence are such as to make them of the greatest value in achieving that purpose.

There isn't any use in forming a Master Mind Alliance just to have someone to chat with. Your Master Mind will fail if you don't have a strong motive behind it, and it's up to you to plant that motive in the minds of the group members. Your allies for this group should be chosen for their ability to help you get to where you are going. Do not choose people simply because you know them and like them.

You want the hard truth — you want these members to steer you straight and give you valuable advice.

When you have established rapport, you will find that ideas will flow into the minds of each of the members and likewise into your own mind. When the Master Mind is in effect, it produces ideas that would not come to your mind alone. I have had that experience many times when sitting in on the many groups of which I am a member on a consulting basis.

But in the end, you want these professionals to keep you on the straight and narrow and to help you when you are pulled into shady territory by investors, the board, your peers, etc. You need a voice of reason to help you navigate these treacherous waters.

Top 3 Mistakes Made In Family Businesses.

I run Multi-Generational Peer Review Groups — and boy do we have fun discussing many issues inherent with family businesses — especially ones where the younger sons/daughters work for the older parents. And the parents have one foot out the door into retirement, yet they feel they need to keep active and still make decisions. Or they are still working 60-70 hours a week and never delegate key responsibilities to their sons/daughters (I'm going to use the term 'kids' for brevity). Here are some mistakes (and possible solutions) I see frequently:

1. Bad Communication.

Number one mistake made in multi-gen businesses. The parent is un-moveable, disruptive, or sticking to their guns and the kids give up on any sort of constructive communication.

Solution: "You're not going to teach an old dog new tricks." It's the kids job to stay patient (and professional) and encourage healthy communication first. Try to bridge the gap and work with your parent and if needed, wear your heart on your sleeve when speaking with them. It's also the job of the parent to also open their heart and mind to their kids' overtures.

2. Loss of Self-Esteem.

If the kids are constantly reprimanded or berated when they do something wrong by the parent,  not only do they shut down and get resentful, they begin to lose faith in their abilities.

Solution: The parent needs to understand that there is a difference between motivational instruction and berating mistakes. They need to acknowledge that you will make mistakes along the way and they are their not only to catch you, but to encourage you to succeed. The kids need to understand that what took their parents 30-40 years to perfect cannot be learned in 2-3 years. In addition, your parents might not be the best teachers, so you sometimes need to pull information, techniques, and practices out of them for you to grow. It will take time.

3. Allocation of Responsibilities.

As the parent slowly relinquishes certain responsibilities to their kids (hopefully!), how the kids perform their new duties might be different than what the parent expects. So the parent begins to hold back the allocation and then adverse situations result. This especially happens when the kids try a new direction for an old problem (i.e., growing their web presence and killing all phone book advertising) and the parent doesn't understand.

Solution: The parent needs to understand that the kids SHOULD be encouraged to do things differently or at least understand WHY their kids are taking a different tack to solve a problem. The kids need to move slowly and continuously bring their parents up to speed on the whys, whats, and hows of their strategy. You just cannot say 'trust me' - it will only inflame the situation.

Bottom line, they are not going anywhere anytime soon — so assess the problem, come up with solutions, and take action. Making believe that it will go away on its own is dangerous.

If you have any questions or issues with a multi-generational business, feel free to call me (203.500.2421) - would love to discuss and help you find a solution.

Open Your Kimono.

A number of years ago, I joined a powerful mastermind group comprised of seasoned professional women. As the only guy, I was a bit intimidated, but thankfully, everyone in the group were welcoming and excited to have me on-board. During our first session, I used the term, "Open Kimono" which in corporate-speak means, "To share information with an outside party." Unfortunately, or fortunately, my group couldn't stop laughing from the vision I was presenting — opening MY kimono or flashing them. It not only broke the ice in our mutual relationship, it deepened our respect for one another.

Today, I want to share a powerful quote I relate to almost all of my clients:

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." - Emerson

Too often, we ensconce ourselves with the guilt from our past and worry for the future. We forget the gifts we have within us to solve our current problems. We feel inadequate because of past mistakes and make up scary stories about the future.

Time to OPEN YOUR KIMONO and let everyone see what you really have to offer:

• Energy - how can you add just a little bit more pizazz to what you're doing?
• Ideas - you have a different way of doing something - let others know.
• Enthusiasm - kick it up a notch - you will infect everyone!
• Focus - most people today have no focus, show them what you can do.
• Hard Work - stay a little bit later or come in early.
• Experience - you have the knowledge - let it out!

EVERYONE has each of these things within them. You have to let them out and show the world you can change the world.