What is a group's mastermind?

Mastermind groups: what they are and how they work

Modern tasks require modern solutions. This is what masterminds have become – a format for gathering people with similar views on a given topic, who can help each other in some way. Members of the group meet regularly, during which they exchange opinions, share stories on a given topic and jointly search for solutions.

Essentially, a mastermind can help with any situation. For example, if a person has lost his job for whatever reason, he can get a group of people together to help him write his CV and share useful contacts and acquaintances. It is also possible to solve personal problems, such as those that cannot be discussed with friends or relatives. Mastermind can be called a “mutual improvement” group.

The origin of the idea

The author is Napoleon Hill, who spent a long time studying the biographies of successful people such as Henry Ford, Theodore Roosevelt and others. He has had conversations with more than 500 people on how to achieve success and what the secret is.

Hill published two books, The Law of Success and Think and Get Rich, where he narrated his idea of helpful cooperation and support for each other. Mutual assistance of people who are close in spirit can solve any problem. He declared this idea in 1928.

However, it is known that the concept had been developed much earlier. So Benjamin Franklin in 1727 created his club, called Junto Club, whose members were 12 people. They met every Friday and had conversations on a certain topic. This is how the concept of mastermind groups was born, and still works today.

Functioning of the mastermind group.

How a mastermind works

First of all, you should decide on the composition of the group. It is not advisable to bring your relatives and friends, as this can affect the functioning of such a team. A person may find it difficult to share their thoughts, advice may be biased, etc. It is therefore necessary to involve people who are not familiar or familiar but not close.

Meetings can take place either in person or online. You can choose a cafe, office, co-working space or any other suitable venue for real meetings. If you prefer an online format, you can do a conference in Zoom, Skype or another messenger that supports group chats.

The meeting starts with an exchange of news. It is advisable to define a time limit for each person, e.g. 5-7 minutes. So participants talk about how things are going in their career, personal life, etc. Then the issues to be discussed are outlined. If it is not the first meeting, it is also possible to bring up topics that did not come up the last time.

Issues that can be brought up for discussion are:

  • Work and/or study;
  • Life strategy in a certain direction (personal, career, educational, etc.)
  • Domestic situations (cleaning, moving, etc.);
  • Romantic relationships;
  • Money matters;
  • Health (physical, mental), etc.

We should not forget about time limits. Each person should be given a certain amount of time to speak. You should also stipulate in advance how many hours the meeting itself will last. Questions that are not resolved in the allotted time should be left for the next time.

Each meeting should have a clear plan that is followed by all participants. This will ensure that the business meeting does not turn into a “farce” and that everyone can benefit from the discussions.