Mastermind Groups are all about commitment. Some would say, no: Mastermind Groups are all about results!, … no networking!, … or masterminding. All true.
But without some true commitment, nothing really works .
Not the group itself, nor does your life.
“80 percent of success is showing up.” – Woody Allen
If you or your fellow members get into the habit of not showing up, it’s basically over. You can as well discontinue the group and start a new one, or find something else that works better for you.
When your Mastermind Group is not handled with discipline and fun, you are missing out on the best part. Not showing up every time is like brushing your teeth once a week, or working out every 12 weeks for an hour. The effect is approaching zero. You can as well let it go completely. But it gets worse. As the old Zen saying goes:
“How you do anything is how you do everything”
There’s a chance you are handling your goals, and probably many parts of your life, in the same way. You only get going when you’re desperate and when it’s convenient.
What can you do when you notice that one of your Mastermind Group members is obviously decommiting, and not showing up?
Well, there could be many reasons for the no-show. Maybe the person is heavily distracted, or deluged by work, or even sick, or there are issues in the family life. Maybe the group doesn’t deliver (anymore) for him or her, maybe the member is even ashamend that there is no progress to show to the other group members.
Or maybe it’s just plain laziness. You name it.
First, as a group member, or as the organizer or founder of the group, you want to understand why the member lacks commitment. Was there a commitment made in the first place? Does the person understand that it’s about commitment and keeping at it?
If private or business problems are keeping the member from showing up, can the Mastermind Group help in any way, shape or form? I would expect my group to at least think about it.
If it doesn’t work, let it go
I want to make a point here that it’s better for the member as well as for the group to formally decommit from the group and let it go. It’s better for the member to get their act together somehow, and maybe re-join later, when a true commitment can be made and promises can be kept. It can be immensely debilitating if you keep making promises to the group (’I will be there’), and you don’t keep the promise. That doesn’t serve anybody.
It’s also better for the group, because no-show and non-commitment are highly contagious. If you want a group that is powerful, energetic, impactful, and lively, there is simply no place for people who lack commitment. Think about a Mastermind Group as being similar to an Olympic Team, or a music band. Once even one members becomes unreliable and volatile, it spoils the fun for everyone else. There’s always an awkward thought about the missing person, it’s like a chink in the Team Spirit. Don’t tolerate it!
One caveat: life cylcles
If you weren’t born yesterday you know that life goes in cycles. There is time for hard work, and there is time for leasure, there is time for your career, and a time for being powerful, and a time for letting it flow. You probably know the Byrds’ song
“Turn, Turn, Turn (to Everything there is a Season)”:
To everything, turn, turn, turn There is a season, turn, turn, turn And a time to every purpose under heaven A time to build up, a time to break down A time to dance, a time to mourn A time to cast away stones A time to gather stones together
There is a season to everything, and fluctuations in how much you will add to the group and get from it are normal over the years. Nothing to worry about. Some common sense must be used to understand where a low-key season ends and a lack of commitment starts.
The Group Contract
It makes sense to create a contract when you start a Mastermind Group. It’s a document everybody has to accept when he or she joins. Put stuff in it like “What is spoken in this room stays in this room”, defining confidentiality, and basic agreed upon rules that everybody will stick to. And also put in when a membership ends. What degree of no-show will the group tolerate? This saves you a lot of awkward discussions should a member later tend to decommit. The clearer the rules are, the better. Also define a process for how a member can be voted out of the group for good reasons. It’s never nice when these things happen, but it’s better to be prepared than to be sorry, and have the group go down the drain.
I have recently set up a mastermind group and I have found your website truly valuable. Thank you for all your very knowledge advice. I You mention having a contract between members and I wonder whether you have any format for this? If so, would it be possible to get a copy? Alex.
“Thank you for all your very knowledge advice. I You mention having a contract between members and I wonder whether you have any format for this? If so, would it be possible to get a copy? Alex.”
How much is it possible?