Mastermind Groups

Introduction

Mastermind Groups (MMGs) represent a form of peer coaching and mentoring group that has gained increasing interest in the recent years. Many success teachers and trainers, websites on success related topics, and publications recommend using a Mastermind Group to increase personal and business success. Next to mentoring one of the key activities supposed to be carried out in MMGs is mutual coaching. Since the members of these groups are not trained coaches in most cases, can the concept of Mastermind Groups deliver on its promise? What exactly constitutes a Mastermind Group? How can the quality of an MMG be raised and maintained? What roles can professional coaches play in facilitating and accompanying Mastermind Group sessions? This article proposes that the popularity of MMGs is linked to the development of the coaching profession.

The Origin and Development of the Mastermind Group Concept

The notion of Mastermind Groups was popularized by the author Napoleon Hill (1183-1970). Hill was commissioned by the American industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1908 to interview over 500 of the most successful people of his time and aggregate a general formula for business and life success. The project took Hill twenty years, and in 1928 he presented his multi-volume course “The Law of Success” [Hill, 1928] which was later distilled into the book “Think And Grow Rich” (also referred to as TAGR) [Hill, 1937]. TAGR has sold over thirty million copies to date and is regarded as a classic of the genre of success literature. [biographical details: Wikipedia/Hill, 2007]. The book suggests thirteen steps towards riches. Step nine is called “Power of the Mastermind” and describes basically what is known today as Mastermind Groups. The word mastermind is introduced for describing the synergies that can be created when several human minds unite to work towards a common specific goal, where the whole in terms of mental power represents more than the sum of its parts. The whole is viewed as an invisible, additional force called the mastermind.
Masterminding (i.e. the activity of working as and in a Mastermind Group), i.e. uniting several minds for a purpose, has probably been practiced since the beginning of mankind in some way. It was and is used in various shapes and forms and under various names. We can safely assume that it is commonly used in contexts like business, politics, education (universities), religion, military, etc.
Similar or equal concepts are e.g. known as “Brain Trusts”, “Business Peer Groups”, “Authenticity Circles” [Authenticity Consulting, 2003], “Mastermind Alliances”, “Quality Circles” [Robson, 1989], etc..
In recent years the term “Mastermind Group” has seen a revival. Several bestselling books have been published on the topic, e.g. Meet & Grow Rich [Vitale/Hibbler, 2006], The Success Principles [Canfield/Switzer, 2005, chapter 46], “Profit from the Power of Many” [Brecher, 2004], and others.

The Characteristics of a Mastermind Group

If Mastermind Groups have been in use for so long, albeit in variations and under different names, why is this specific concept gaining increasing support and popularity lately? What makes Mastermind Groups special enough to their users that they are seen as a rather new and exciting approach?
The next paragraph lists the most important specific characteristics of Mastermind Groups. In their sum they form a possibly unique set of features that differentiates MMGs from most or all of the other mentioned forms of similar groups and concepts. Not all characteristics are agreed upon by all contemporary authors who discuss MMGs. The concept in its modern form has also undergone some changes and received additions since Napoleon Hill has written about it. Essential for a feature to appear in this list is the fact that it is widely used within Mastermind Groups today and understood as a constitutive feature by most of the users of the concept (MMG members) and authors.

• MMGs typically consist of 3-6 members
• The members meet regularly, and the presence of each member is obligatory
• The meeting frequency is typically monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly
• The meetings (sessions) can be in person or virtual (phone, internet)
• The MMG doesn’t need to have one common purpose
• The purpose can be to support each member in reaching their personal goals
• In each session each member receives a time slot for presenting their current state
• All other members can comment on what was related by the member in the slot
• The one member can be asked questions and guided to a solution of issues at hand
• Other members can offer support and resources beyond the scope of the session
• Each member commits to actions to be carried out until the next session
• The members keep each other accountable
• The members not only talk about tangible aspects, but also about e.g. mindsets
• The task of each member is to learn, and to give and receive support
  Personal development is a declared expected benefit

Some of the characteristics have emerged with the advent of the internet and its virtual qualities; some are related to a growing understanding of how the success of individuals can be achieved.
There are several goals and methods that Mastermind Groups [e.g. Vitale/Hibbler, 2006] share with the coaching profession [ICA, 2007)]:

• Both are targeted towards supporting individuals in what they want instead of focusing on reaching a common or third-party goal
• Both are carried out in a sequence of sessions
• Both can be done over long distances
• Both regard planning and accountability as an important part of the process
• Both are action-oriented and solution-focused
• Both use listening and probing questions to create results
• Both build on confidentiality
• Both are working with mindsets and share a psychological approach rather than a pure ‘tangible world approach’. They also deal with mental issues that create roadblocks, and are interested in ways to mentally strengthen the individual

Given this similarity list, it becomes apparent that the tools and insights of the coaching profession have a place within Mastermind Groups. Moreover, the modern form of MMGs seems to be impossible to maintain without a sound knowledge of coaching. Therefore this article proposes that Mastermind Groups in their current form benefit heavily from the results that have been produced and delivered by the coaching profession over the last twenty years. Mastermind Groups are a form of peer coaching.

Advantages and Pitfalls of Mastermind Groups

[Authenticity Consulting, 2003] lists several advantages of peer coaching groups like Mastermind Groups, compared to one-on-one coaching, some of them are:

• It’s an easier way to offer coaching to more people
• Along with getting coached, members develop core skills in coaching
• Members often receive more diverse forms of feedback
• Members often receive support and networking
• The peer coaching group can be much less expensive

On the other hand, there is a list of things that can go wrong in Mastermind Groups. Many of them are related to a lack of coaching skills of the members:

• Members criticize each other in a destructive way and do not allow a positive, supportive atmosphere to be established and maintained
• Members do not know how to create awareness around deeper issues that are the reasons for actions not carried out by fellow members as committed to by them
• Members try to work on making fellow members feeling better about their past (therapy approach) in order to help them, instead of focusing on creating the best future outcome (coaching approach)
• A lack of mutual acknowledgement within the group can lead to an atmosphere of competition and feelings of inadequacy in the members, thereby hampering the learning and growth atmosphere
• Members don’t show respect for the goals and values of fellow members, thus invalidating instead of supporting them
• Members stray from being as truthful as possible because they fear the criticism or humiliation by other members
• A diversity of cultures among the members (e.g. in international groups) can lead to misunderstandings that are unexpected and therefore unaccounted for by members
• The group meetings are mainly used to only discuss things at hand instead of focusing on creating mutual support
• Members try to teach their fellow members how to do things instead of assuming the each members is the expert in their life and area of work
• The time of a meeting is not properly managed, therefore meetings tend to overrun or members don’t get their fair share of attention and support
• Arising conflicts are not being handled in a peaceful and nonviolent fashion
• Members unconsciously and unknowingly project their goals, expectations, and problems onto their fellow members
• Accountability is not enforced by the members out of fear to put somebody under pressure, therefore an important functions of MMGs remains not exercised

Establishing and Maintaining High Quality Mastermind Groups

In order to make a Mastermind Group work and to get the optimal benefits out of it, a certain group culture is necessary that incorporates elements and values like mutual respect, curiosity for the lives and goals of the other members, benevolent support, and a nonviolent, question-driven communication style. Apart from that there has to be the element that is known as “tough love”, because sometimes members have to be challenged in a way to help them move towards their goals.
In order to sustain or establish such a MMG culture, it is essential that the members are aware of the importance of the group culture, and that the necessary knowledge and skills are planted and grown during each of the meetings, as well as in communication acts outside of the actual sessions.
There may be some gifted or trained individuals in the group who bring these elements of culture into the sessions, or the members adhere to accordant guidelines. In case none of these factors is given, a trained coach can facilitate the meetings, or a subset of the meetings. A requirement for this model is that the members are willing to seek and accept feedback, reflect on it, and take responsibility for creating change. Then selfdirected learning is possible [Grant, 2006], and the coach can have a lasting positive impact on the group beyond the meeting when he or she is present.
The coach could moderate a meeting and act as the timekeeper to ensure that each member gets their time within the length of the session. Apart from that the coach’s more important mission is to convey what culture and style elements are useful and needed to make the sessions most beneficial for the participants. One way to do this is to actually demonstrate how an issue that a member has brought to the group can be dealt with. The other way is to subsequently explain what was done and how. Verbalizing and reflecting on the used methods can help the members to pick up coaching tools and thinking, and incorporate it into their way of acting within the Mastermind Group (see notion of Reflective Practice in [Cox, 2006]).

Conclusion

It can be concluded that Mastermind Groups only fulfill their promise of assisting their members in business and life if a supportive group culture can be established within the MMG. This culture comprises a nonviolent and inquisitive communication style as well as the use of results and tools developed, used, and promoted by the coaching profession.
In order to reap the most benefits from being in a Mastermind Group, members of a group are advised to study coaching tools and/or bring a trained coach into the meeting. The role of the coach is to demonstrate supportive ways of interaction and problem solving, and to subsequently verbalize what was done in order to provide a second way to mentally access and incorporate the demonstrated principles.

References / Bibliography

[Authenticity Consulting, 2001] McNamara, C (2001). Authenticity Circles Program Developer’s Guide – A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing Peer Coaching Group Programs. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Authenticity Consulting, LCC.

[Brecher, 2004] Brecher, N.D. (2004). Profit from the Power of Many: How to Use MasterMind Teams to Create Success (Cheetah Express Professional Achievement Series). Redondo Beach, CA: Cheetah Express.

[Canfield/Switzer, 2005] Canfield, J., & Switzer, J. (2005). The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publisher, Inc.

[Cox, 2006] Cox, E. (2006). An Adult Learning Approach to Coaching; In D. R. Stober, A. M. Grant, (Eds.); Evidence Based Coaching Handbook (pp193-217).Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

[Grant, 2006] Grant, A. M. (2006). Solution Focused Coaching; In J. Passmore, (Ed.); Excellence in Coaching – The Industry Guide (pp 73-90). The Association for Coaching. London: Kogan Page Limited.

[Hill, 1928] Hill, N. (2001). The Law of Success; Volume I & II – Collectors edition. Arden, N.C.: High Roads Media.

[Hill, 1937] Hill, N. (2004); Think and Grow Rich!: The Original Version, Restored and Revised. San Diego, CA: Aventine Press.

[ICA, 2007] (2007) Student Study Materials. Melbourne, Australia: International Coach Academy (ICA).

[Robson, 1989] Robson, M. (1989). Quality Circles: A Practical Guide - 2 Sub edition. Aldershot, Hampshire: Gower Publishing Company.

[Vitale/Hibbler, 2006] Vitale, J., & Hibbler, J. (2006). Meet and Grow Rich: How to Eas-ily Create and Operate Your Own “Mastermind” Group for Health, Wealth, and More. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

[Wikipedia/Hill, 2007] Wikipedia encyclopedia (online). Entry “Napoleon Hill”; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Hill . Last visited on October 24, 2007.