Mastermind group
Where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts

A mastermind group is a set group of people who form an alliance, all of whom dedicate themselves and their time to a specific goal.

The mastermind group was first defined by Napeleon Hill, the author of Think and Grow Rich, as a coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.

The concept and implementation of the mastermind group have grown and evolved to become a key tool for individuals who have achieved great levels of success, ever since the publication of Think and Grow Rich in 1937.

There are many benefits to using a group for this, one of which is that, quite simply, you have a large group of people who are there to support you. Each one of these people are attending these sessions because they all have the same motive - to succeed - and of course, everybody can help one another.

Within these group sessions, you will encounter different perspectives, different feedback, and have numerous inputs. This can be in the form of logical discussion and brain storming, but may also take the form of different members of the group bringing different resources and utilising connections that everybody else may not have had access to.

Lastly, there is inspiration and accountability from the members, which allows you to keep a clear focus on achieving goals - which are amongst the most important factors in allowing a business to grow.

Your group does not have to have huge amounts of members, but nor does it have a limit. It can have as few or as many members as you see fit - as long as you can maintain an ability to control and produce productive ideas that can be communicated easily amongst members.

There are two types of mastermind groups. First of all, we have the group that focus on the potential success and ideas of one individual. This could be used for an entrepreneur who plans to start a business, with perhaps previous colleagues, friends of family members willing to help in the ideas, research and development process.

Then there is the mastermind that focuses on helping everybody in the group. Generally these would be used in a well -business, institution, organisation or even government agency. These kinds of mastermind groups are usually implemented to improve group skills, team work skills, or even to improve individual motivation or efficiency for the sake of both the business and the employee.

Creating a mastermind group isn't as hard as you might think. If you are aiming to set aside time dedicated to helping you achieve personal goals, you may simply need to speak to those people around you, like family and friends. Even colleagues within your professional network. You can consider these people who you've chosen for their expertise, as your own board of directors. Explain what you need everybody to do, and simply arrange a time to meet. The mastermind session will no doubt be incredibly helpful.

Resources

• Resources for your Mastermind group