What Is Masterminding?

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Masterminding is truly about forming a team to help each other succeed. The key to successful masterminding is to surround yourself with the right people who can add value to you and your business as well as you adding value to theirs. That’s why it is a team – you are each a positive influence on the others. For so many designers who work as single practitioners masterminding is particularly valuable. You then surround yourself with others who not only add value but also can offer suggestions and assistance from the “team”.

Masterminding can offer the opportunity for learning and brainstorming as well as support and peer accountability. You challenge each other to not only set robust goals, but to accomplish them.

Having a facilitator who is has strong leadership abilities will get the group off to a strong start at each meeting and keep them focused, encourage effective discussions and guide the members to create success. You must also be sure there is an agenda to help stay focused.

For a successful mastermind group there must be a willingness to both share and accept advice and ideas and members must be not only agree not only to commitment to the group and the process but also to confidentiality. These are some of the key characteristics of members who understand the value of working as a team to help each other – they are not characteristics of all designers so be cautious in forming or joining a mastermind group to be sure that each member will respect and support each other.

A mastermind group will help each member to create goals and then to design a plan to reach those goals. Then, if your mastermind group is truly focused on the success of each of their members, you will encourage each other to go beyond just achieving your goals to establish effective habits and systems.

Being part of an effective mastermind group can also keep you aware of those key habits. Otherwise they may become effortless, done without thinking and thought that may seem like a positive, that’s when errors can intrude without our awareness – or you may be practicing habits that need changing or updating but if they have become automatic, you don’t even notice.

Members of effective mastermind groups hold each other accountable, stimulate creativity, offer support and can actually act as your personal board of directors. We can’t be experts at everything but when you have a team with whom to brainstorm and share, it increases every member’s knowledge base – and how satisfying to also have a team supporting each other and then to celebrate each of your successes. It is not only satisfying to have others celebrate with you but also to celebrate their successes.

Through the mastermind process you have the opportunity and will be more likely to encourage each other to regularly review and reflect on necessary changes to continue to grow – both personally and professionally.

Are you interested in forming/joining a mastermind group? Join us at Genius Exchange 2019, July 17-19 in Rhode Island for the opportunity to mix and mingle with other like-minded designers.