Eben Pagan’s Blog

Master Your MasterMind

Posted in Business, Communication, Psychology, Success by ebenpagan on January 9, 2009

Possibly the most important and profound action you can take to create change, transformation and success in your life is to build and participate in a “MasterMind.”

What is a MasterMind, you ask?

A MasterMind is a group of people who have common interests and goals, who get together on a regular basis to support each other in growth and development toward actualizing those interests and goals. It’s a dedicated group of people who share at least some values, perspectives and objectives in common, who understand that the power of the “group mind” is exponentially more powerful than the sum of the individual minds from which the group is composed.

The first person I know of that explicitly described the concept in detail is Napoleon Hill (in his book “Think And Grow Rich”).

Hill said that no individual can achieve great power with out a MasterMind. My experience (and the experience of every powerful person I know) confirms this idea.

To me, one of the most “magical” powers of the MasterMind is that it affects you on a subconscious level… without you having to “do” anything.

We humans are programmed by everything that happens around us. We tend to be MOST programmed by what we see, hear, and experience others doing.

Not what we read, not what we think, not what we feel. We’re influenced by the OTHERS around us. We literally become those that we surround ourselves with.

Want to know how much a person makes per year? Find their five closest friends and average their incomes. That’s the answer.

Want to know how healthy a person is? Find their five closest friends and average their health.

Want to know what a person’s aspirations are?

You get the picture.

So how does one create a MasterMind group, and how does one make sure that they’re doing it “right”?

Here are a few pointers, based on my experience:

  1. Make sure most of the people in the MasterMind are FAR beyond you. At least 3-5 years down the road you’re trying to travel. 5-10 years is even better. This isn’t a non-profit organization or a charity event, so don’t treat it like one. You’re in this to GROW. (All the while knowing that if you grow to your full potential, you’ll be able to do much more effective charity work later in your life.)
  2. If you do allow others who are behind you on the road to success in your chosen area, make sure that they have MASSIVE POTENTIAL. You’d better be feeling in your gut that they’re a super-star, and it’s only a matter of time before they pass you.
  3. Meet regularly in person. If you are located in different geographic locations, it’s fine to meet by phone often. But get together live, in-person regularly.
  4. It’s great to have a few different MasterMinds for different parts of your life. A physical-health based MasterMind can be just as valuable to you personally as a financial MasterMind. Again, just make sure that the members are beyond you.
  5. Make sure that the people you invite to the MasterMind can add massive value to the OTHER MEMBERS. Remember, you’re inviting people who are beyond you. They’re going to get a lot more value from the group and the other members than they are from you. Carefully select members who will get value from each other. Keep yourself out of the equation mentally.
  6. Be the “hassle remover” for the group. Handle the schedule. Handle the details. Do the annoying administrative stuff that noone else wants to do. You be the one to set up the teleconference bridge meeting line, or the meeting space reservations. You be the one to walk next door and tell the neighbors to be quiet because they’re disturbing your meeting. You be the one to go out and get more drinks for the group because everyone is thirsty.
  7. Remember, the value to you isn’t the tangible things you’re going to get. Don’t focus on material gain. What you’re going to get is the personal GROWTH that comes from being around evolved beings. Let the others have the perks and material rewards of the group. You sit back like the “dumb fox” and allow your mind to receive the higher-level transmissions that are coming from the others around you.

Here are some questions I got when I Twittered about creating a MasterMind, with my answers (I tried to answer many of the questions I got above, but here are a few that will help fill this out a bit):

Q: How do you build or “fill up” your group?

A: Start with one or two people that you think would be great “anchor” members of the group – people you might know or have some influence with. Once you get them, tell other members that you’re inviting about these anchors – and connect up the benefit of MasterMinding with those anchors. Again, keep yourself out of the equation. Use the power of each individual you attract to attract others. Be patient. Wait until you have a good core group before starting. Don’t just let people in because you’re in a hurry.

Q: How do you conduct the meetings?

A: A good starting format would be to create a group with 6 members. Meet weekly for 60-90 minutes on the phone or in person. Each week, ONE of the members is the “focus” of the meeting. Start off by having that member share: 1) Their biggest challenge, 2) Their biggest opportunity. Next, the other 5 members of the group brainstorm to help that person reduce or eliminate their biggest challeng, and take advantage of their biggest opportunity. You, as the “organizer” or faciliatator, makes sure that no-one hogs the mic, that everyone is heard, etc. Key here is all 6 minds focused on ONE person’s situation, challenge and opportunity.

Q: How do you keep your MasterMind members motivated and involved in the group?

A: If you have to motivate and involve them, then you’ve probably chosen the wrong members. Let them go, move on, and find members who are self-motivated – and who have a natural bent toward contributing and being involved. Trying to change people who don’t want to be changed is hard, unrewarding work. There are enough super-stars in the world that you’ll have no trouble finding them to be in your MasterMind.

In the “final analysis” there’s nothing more important to your growth in life than having intentional MasterMinds – and there’s no skill more valuable than the ability to create MasterMinds, facilitate them, and nurture them.

For more on the topic, I highly recommend Napoleon Hill’s book “Think And Grow Rich” – and get the newly-published “Original Version”. It has many important elements that were removed from later versions. (This is the one to get: Think And Grow Rich – Restored And Revised)

Now do everyone a favor, and leave your best ideas for creating, building, and facilitating a MasterMind below in the comments. Please don’t just write “good post” or “I like that”… instead, add some value and contribute to this conversation with an insight, a practice, or a resource that we can all use to create, bu9ild, and faciliate our MasterMinds. Thank you!

[You can also follow me for free on Twitter HERE.]

31 Responses

Subscribe to comments with RSS.

  1. gerry said, on January 9, 2009 at 2:37 pm

    Just a point, why does everybody in a group believe that all members will grow to the level of the strongest? History has shown repeatedly that often the group descends to the lowest common denominator. But there is a way to prevent this !

    http://www.gerrysavage.com

  2. croz said, on January 9, 2009 at 2:42 pm

    Thank you Eban

    I created a mastermind group for a young lad that I mentor. It is the most powerful part of his journey.

    We always say that the mastermind is a spiritual character that is created during the meeting that links knowledge from all paticipants, thus creating a mind that is thinking with all minds combined. This then gives the formula that the results of the meeting produce a total of knowledge that is more than the single participants combined knowledge. If that makes sense.

  3. Kevin DaSilva said, on January 9, 2009 at 3:00 pm

    Hey Eben,

    Great Post! Additionally, to everything that you already mentioned, the thing that I find so “Powerful” about having a Mastermind is for Business People/Entrepreneurs we are always coming up with new ideas, products to create, etc.

    And if you work from home (alone in thought), by having a Mastermind it makes your ideas and products to create “Real”. By telling others in the same market (your Mastermind Team) and seeing the reaction they give you, it will either STOP you from making a product you see is not appealing to others and it will PUSH you to create the ones that others agree will be valuable.

    The list goes on and on but this to me a “profound” and you will soon see the power in this if you take Eben’s advice…

    Kevin Da SIlva

  4. Michael D. Walker said, on January 9, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    Eben,

    Thank you for the post about Mastermind groups.

    I do have a question that never seems to get addressed by anyone who urges people to get into a Mastermind group. Perhaps you can offer your insights into this:

    How do you convince people to join who are “are FAR beyond you. At least 3-5 years down the road you’re trying to travel. 5-10 years is even better”?

    You did say to be the hassle-remover but is that enough to address the question of
    “What are you bringing to the Mastermind?” other than being the secretary/book-keeper/drink fetcher?

    I’ve never seen anyone address this especially when the second piece of advice for a successful Mastermind group always seems to be: Don’t Mastermind with people who are not at or above your level of achievement.

    Just curious as to how you’d address this….

    Thanks!

    Michael

  5. David Turnbull said, on January 9, 2009 at 3:29 pm

    Great post.

    I recently finished high school and I luckily already have two good friends in a mastermind group with me. Not as organized as you’ve layed out as 1/3 of the group has to work lots of shifts at his job, but we still manage to share ideas and help each other out etc.

    🙂

  6. Andrew Murray said, on January 9, 2009 at 3:44 pm

    Great points Eben. Very concise, and well thought out.

  7. Maryam Webster said, on January 9, 2009 at 3:46 pm

    Great post Eben, I’m planning to retweet and trackback as Masterminding is a thing I not only encourage but provide for all of the classes I teach and communities I’ve created. I personally have a mastermind for physical fitness, another to support my writing, two for my business, and a final one just for local “Boomer Women” I network with. Can’t beat the power of a good Mastermind!

    What I’d like to see you deal more with is closure. As a psychologist, this is one of the areas I find we as a culture have little education in, and many have an active fear or avoidance of a supportive structure ending. Several MM’s myself and business colleagues have been involved with ended badly due to the fact that one or more people out of a larger list were just not ready or willing to let go.

    Perhaps I can help. Here is my take on:

    *** GRACEFUL CLOSURE ***

    Every Mastermind has an endpoint in its process. At that point in time, it’s my observation that it is rarely a 100% communal decision to end. Usually closure goes smoothly, but sometimes it doesn’t. And sometimes the closure alone can become bitter, obliterating all the good the group did during its active lifetime. Masterminds can be addictive. Not always, but occasionally one or more members will want to hold onto the good vibes and growth they’ve experienced and either simply not get that the group has now run its course, or become covertly involved in parlaying the meetings out as long as possible.

    In the first case, education – respectful education – of the clueless member is called for. Usually the rest of the members have caucased among themselves, decided to end things, and the Clueless One (or two) have been left out of the conversation by mutual decision. Perhaps that person is even a part of a problem in group process. In either case, when this happens, the person closest to the Clueless in the group is usually the best person to broach the subject at the next group meeting.

    One way this can go is to open dialogue: “A few of us are feeling that the group has reached a natural conclusion and it’s probably time we all moved on. Let’s discuss it.” This way the Clueless are not embarrassed by being called out directly, and are educated seamlessly in following the group’s closure process.

    Realize this may be a shock to these oblivious members and react accordingly…even if they have been a pain in the posterior. Grace and compassion are always the best ways to do closure. Take the high road and leave everyone with a great feeling about the good times you’ve shared.

    The second case is a bit more rare, where a member is actively involving themself in parlaying the meetings out, and perhaps involving group process and everyone’s time and energy by attention seeking. A variation of the above technique can be useful. The rest of the members decide to have a closure meeting that opens with “Hands up who thinks we’re just about done here?” and subsequent though unemotional confrontation of the problem member with observation of their delaying tactics or other behavior.

    In all cases, such personal observances need to be kept respectful and compassionate. After all, these people want the group to continue because they’re getting real value, which, dear MM members, is a compliment to you.

    Again, even if the Delayer/s have been a pain to deal with in the past few meetings, take the high road and leave the meeting with grace and dignity for all. These are people you may call upon for a reference in the future. Hopefully all leave the meeting with such a positive feeling for each other that you’re JV’ing with many of the members for years down the line.

    If you’re in a group that has such closure issues, as Eben points out, YOU be the one to be the Smoother of the Way for others in the group. Be the Peacemaker, the Ease Facilitator, the Bliss Bringer. People will remember that years down the line. There’s no greater credit in the social capital bank like fond memories of a good sport and graceful facilitator.

    Maryam Webster
    http://maryamwebster.com
    twitter: @maryamwebster

  8. Dave Doolin said, on January 9, 2009 at 5:19 pm

    More points from my experience:

    * You have to commit to the commitment. I host a monthly party, with the 36th one coming up in January, 3 year anniversary in Feb. I have a ning.com group, my own website for it, an aweber email list, and moo.com cards. I am committed to this event, as are the 4 co-hosts. Typically, about 9-10 people come, but always someone who hasn’t ever been… sometimes 5-6 people new. I have had as many as 18, as little as 6 (last Christmas Day!). I won’t post the links because I am not trying to promote it here. Committing to the commitment means I promise to be at my own party, even if no one else shows up. Even if I am all by myself, I will be there and have a good time. While this isn’t a typical “mastermind” group, it shares a lot of the same characteristics: committed people sharing common interests.

    I totally recommend having a regular purely social event for anyone not having the experience organizing groups of people! A work-type group can flow out of this naturally.

    * I have organized a group that could be considered a mastermind group which meets a local pub on 2d Tuesday’s each month. We have been doing this for about 18 months now. Shoot pool, drink a beer, get ourselves square with work, with women etc. (We’re all men). The key to this has been committing to the commitment as well.

    * I have just started something I am calling “stirfry startups” with some friends which is definitely a mastermind group in the exact sense of this post. We are meeting on Friday evenings to teach ourselves how to create websites. Since I have been doing this on my own for the last year, having people to collaborate with will be easy. I am already committed.

    * People far beyond in skills: As Eben said, you have to offer value. I am helping run the web site for http://opensocial.weekendapps.com/ which is run by very talented social media software developers. Websites are a low grade hassle, and I am only too happy to handle these chores while learning new skills with this group.

    * With respect to Maryam’s observations, I also can share the experience that consensus-based groups run at the speed of the member who says “no.” That is, the power in a consensus organization is held by the person who must be pleased or mollified in some way, as they hold all the power to stop everything. So be careful of attempting to accomplish anything in a consensus-based group. Can lead to great pain and suffering!

    * People below your level may be amenable to being mentored. Having taught at university level, I know that teaching is a phenomenal way to learn something.

    * Above all, commit to doing something, even if it might not be the “right” thing.

    * Personal growth is paramount! Tangible benefits *will* emerge organically!

  9. Maryam Webster said, on January 9, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    Hi Dave,
    I absolutely agree with your point on consensus based organization. Those that I have been involved in, mostly boards of professional groups where peers are trying very hard to respect each other’s process, have been the slowest to come to decisions.

    Re: the member who says “no” – the masterminds where this happened that I referred to were few, and the behavior observed came (thankfully) at the very end.

    But extending the metaphor and posing a question: Masterminds are often consensus run groups, even though there may be some formal organization.

    How then can respectful process when problems arise, best occur?

    I agree with your comments on mentoring Dave, and with Eben’s observation that the majority of members either need to be at or beyond your level. I made the mistake once of being the “top dog” in a group of lower achievers. I only found out several months in that this was the case. Never again. Now I interview mastermind members thoroughly before I agree to such a venture.

    The solution as you’ve said was mentoring, though not in the usual one-to-one sense that I think you meant. I turned this situation around by stopping my participation in meetings three months in, and offering to group coach the rest of the members. This turned out very satisfactorily for everyone concerned and turned a potentially unpleasant situation into one where all remained on good terms and were comfortable with their roles. If anyone else is in a similar situation, this is one way you can extract yourself with honor.

    Good conversation, thanks everyone. 🙂

  10. Chuck Bartok said, on January 10, 2009 at 7:54 am

    Thank you Eben for substantiating what I have been teaching for almost 50 years.

    Regarding Think and Grow Rich.

    Just released a very intense 35 page Bound
    Workbook (not an E-Boook), as a Companion to anyone
    Studying T&GR

    Think and Grow Rich Workbook

    It is the Pivot of our Money back guarantee for The Focus 40 Now Personal Training System

    You have been a beacon of Correct Direction on
    this Internet Medium. I find it refreshing

  11. Val Fujii said, on January 10, 2009 at 8:54 am

    Always a pleasure and mind opening when reading your post Eben.

    The reason I joined a master mind group was to align myself with like minded, positive and influential people to get ideas and to help them with thier challenges and offer solutions which is so easy to do.

    I have a lot of ideas, but the biggest reason I joined was to be accountable to the group on taking action on my ideas.

    You see, we have a lot of ideas and being in a master mind group will even generate more and better ideas. But my challenge is getting things done. Taking action!

    So, one added benefit and a prerequisite of having to be part of a master mind member I believe is to take action on the solutions to the challenge that the group has come up with for that individual focused on as Eben describes above.

    Just my two cents (=

    =VF

    “Nothing Happens, Until Something Moves”
    -Albert Einstein

  12. Ingo said, on January 10, 2009 at 10:38 am

    Eben,

    I bought this one:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1585426598/ref=s9subs_c1_14_img4-rfc_g1_si1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1SVDXR3DKQ5P70YBEH99&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383351&pf_rd_i=507846 – it is the deluxe edition. Its ok if I read this one? do you think is the same one? or should I buy the one you say?

    Thanks!

  13. Dave Frees said, on January 10, 2009 at 2:10 pm

    Eben: Wise and well said as always. I am a member of several mastermind groups – mostly focused on business. But, I get lots of broader life benefits as well and many seem, as you say to happen almost “automatically.” I also like your idea of different mastermind groups for different areas of your life.

    In addition to ongoing mastermind groups, I sometimes organize groups of executives or business owners for a two day event. These once and done masterminds lack the long terms relationship aspects of a more formal version but when the participants get it, and share, they can be really powerful.. There is a pressure to give and get in that short time that when combined with trust and camaraderie can really produce results.

    David M Frees III
    http://www.twitter.com/davefrees
    http://www.successtechnologies.com/blog

  14. David said, on January 11, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    I had the same question like Michael D. Walker above.

    Example, I’m venturing into the affiliate marketing arena only recently – I have paid for services of a few webmasters and got involved in a few forums. So, based on past paid service, I guess you could say they would have some sort of goodwill for me.

    I have since acquired friendship with them. There are two super affiliates that I am aspiring to be, and would want to have them in a Mastermind Group that I’d create if that’s possible.

    I don’t mean to brag but I have a decent paying day job compared to most of my peers. I have the capacity and the energy to learn but I’m a noob when it comes to Affiliate Marketing. I do believe though, given the right mentorship, I’d also attain the level of success of these super affiliates.

    I like to think I have a MASSIVE POTENTIAL to make it big in AM – but it eludes me still as to how I could best try to sell this idea to them. I don’t suppose a humanitarian reason could trigger them to agree to this request from an Emerging Market Blogger?

    Regards,
    day-time corporate banker
    night-time affiliate marketer (3 months old)

    Thanks

  15. Mathieu Tanguay said, on January 11, 2009 at 9:56 pm

    Hi Eban,

    I originally read an e-mail from Bob Proctor suggesting a way to run such a group. It really inspired me and I started a Mastermind Group with a buddy with whom I went to UPW with. It’s been running for about 6 months with 6 members now.

    Here’s what I realized from your post:
    – The guys in my Mastermind, except one, are not really ahead. I decided to commit to creating a 2nd Mastermind Group composed of ONLY people way ahead;
    – We never met in person and this is important to create a bond between members.

    Here’s what I would add, from my experience:

    – It really helps to have others hold me accountable during the week on Action Items I set out to accomplish;
    – We used a shared Google document to follow-up on the meetings;
    – We used the following structure: 1 min round to state our Life Mission and Positives, 4 min round of Wants, Hidden Problems and Action Items – including feedback from others. So that’s a total of 5 minutes per person. We add a 10 min free-for-all at the end to discuss what we didn’t have time to finish or other suggested topics;
    – We’re switching to using Mind Maps (MindJet MindManager V7) to follow-up. Mind maps are a GREAT tool for following-up and taking minutes of the meeting because it is a hierarchical way of taking notes as you know and you only type trigger words;

    By the way, MindManager V8 offers Web collaboration, which is just pure gold. I’m using Mind Maps for just about anything, planning, creating, developing, organizing, brainstorming,… but that’s another topic.

    Hope that’s useful,

    P.S.: It’ll be a pleasure to Mastermind with you in a couple of years!

    Take care,

    Sincerely,

    Mathieu Tanguay

  16. Jon said, on January 14, 2009 at 5:12 am

    Unrelated – but maybe interesting to you:

    http://technology.sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/News/ContentPosting?newsitemid=humans-predators&feedname=CBC-TECH-SCIENCE-V3&show=False&number=10&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=True

    “Human consumption speeding up evolutionary change: study
    Humans are dramatically speeding up evolutionary changes in the plants and animals they hunt and harvest, according to new research.”

  17. Harry Mete said, on January 15, 2009 at 10:17 pm

    Hi Eben

    Speaking of evolution, growth and “Think & Grow Rich” do you think you’ll evolve towards telepathy? It is afterall in Hill’s book. What about spirituality?

    There’s been some interesting research on “the revival”. “The revival” or masterminding increases a hormone called oxytocin and it creates feelings of deep trust and connection. Oxytocin is also the orgasm hormone, the cuddle hormone, the love hormone and the spirituality hormone. I was first referred to this stuff by Dr Alex Benzer and I found out about him through you as David DeAngelo.

    Would be interested to hear your thoughts.

    Harry
    http://www.1stop4femaleorgasms.com

  18. Jill Reed said, on January 20, 2009 at 9:02 am

    When people come together with the same focus, there is clarity. Each person contriubutes more to the whole. Yet, each person must do their part. Most of us have the abiility to think, create, and produce. This is what happens in a mastermind. Each of us doing the same for the whole. Self leaders working together. It is virtually impossible to remain part of a mastermind, without doing those three steps, as well.

    All masterminds, gathering of more than 1, have to have these elements to survive.

    Thanks for the great blog.

    Jill Reed
    “Your Romantic Standard of Love for Life”
    http://www.ask4romance.com

  19. Christoph said, on January 29, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    Hey Eben,
    I love your products (including DYD). I am studying onlinemarketing for about two years now (since I was 15). I am currently 17-years old. I do not have ANY CLUE how to find a good mastermind group.
    I think I have a really good education on onlinemarketing but I did not have the time yet to implement the hole thing because I have many homework for my school to do. So I don’t have a list of prospects and think I won’t find a mastermind group.
    Any suggestions?
    Why don’t you found a new mastermind group where also the youth of onlinemarketing can take place?

  20. rina said, on January 31, 2009 at 10:52 pm

    Thanks for sharing all this info. Your post was so filled with powerfull information I feel I owe you a coaching fee. In all seriousness thanks for sharing this, it has helped me a lot.
    I am sorry I can’t add much of value at this point but I am just begining this master mind group arena, I was just considering putting a group together but had very limited knowledge of what to do. Once I get it going and have something of value I will share it with you.

    Thanks!

    Rina

  21. Cristinel said, on February 1, 2009 at 2:55 am

    Hi,
    I once read in one of Eben mails that true succes didn’t come for him untill he started beeing friends with guys that already had succes with women so he could see them act, talk…etc. Even though reading and listening to audio is helpfull, my improvements are rather slow. The thing is that I don’t know where to start finding these kind of people. I have what I consider smart and good friends and I tried to introduce them to books like Think and Grow Rich in order to have someone to share ideas with, but they’re just not interested. What I am thinking is this: Eben mentions his mentor Jerry Ballinger, what I have in mind is that if I could find ONE evolved person it would be a begining for me. And don’t get me wrong either, I find Eben an exemple to follow and also started sudying great, achieving men. What I would like is DIRECT CONTACT, where/how do I start. I if anyone has gone through this experience and would like to share I thank him in advance.
    yo voy por mi camino…

  22. Chris Gen said, on March 1, 2009 at 5:53 am

    Thank you for this great post!

  23. danielholmesdxb said, on March 5, 2009 at 6:25 am

    One of the main problems with most mastermind groups is there full…so what to do? You need a place to go where you can create you very own easily in less than 5 minutes.

    In this case there is 4 remaining spots left, but what if this not your niche? You need to find the right mastermind group that fits your need, right?

    Also, once you have decided you wish to start your very own mastermind group…you’ll need all the right mastermind tools and resources to get you up and running!

    Next you need other mastermind group members to begin – one of the best ways to do that is through social networking sites. That’s great if you’re looking for new friends and getting in touch with lost ones, but most of them are not going to much help in your mastermind group! You need likeminded people, mentors, peers, etc to help you in your quest for success!

    Walla – everything you need is ready for you to start right now, simply got http://www.imindlive.com to GROW your dreams now!

    Regards, Daniel Holmes
    info@imindlive.com

  24. Thomas O'Duffy said, on March 8, 2009 at 3:26 pm

    In Charles McKay’s book “Extraordinary Popular Delusions … and the madness of crowds” he cites examples of group consciousness events in World history and paints pictures of how, we as humans, are powerfully influenced by the group consciousness around us. He gives lots of examples of daft kinds of behaviour, and with the benefit of reading about historical events, it’s easy to see how some people seem to have lost their minds. Some careful consideration with illustrate that there are plenty of daft “group behaviours” now that most people go along with because everyone else does, but based upon other options, don’t really make that much sense nor yield much reward.

    I think that a Mastermind group leverages this principle, on purpose, for our benefit, in a smart fashion. The World has many potential complexities, and teaming up with successful others to navigate these increases our likelyhood of success.

    Here are some tips I think are very useful in this regard:

    1) Get good at remembering peoples names. There are various books about how to do this. This is a cornerstone of social confidence.

    2) If you want to create a mastermind group, you have to be socially proactive enough to make this happen… meaning that you must overcome your shyness and get congruent about approach potential people for inclusion. Some coaching may be useful with making this a reality versus a nice yet improbable idea!

    3) I think inviting people to give talks to interested audiences is a good way to get to know them. I know a few people who have leveraged services like meetup.com to build a captive audience, and used this audience to invite speakers who were willing to share value, and who then became friends with them.

    4) Personally, I think it’s worth carefully evaluating the personalities of potential mentors and masterminders, vetting them for their desire to contribute and share in the spirit of the mastermind… and make sure you have a good intuition about them and stick to it.

    5) Developing an advanced skill in an emerging area may allow you to trade value with people who are highly developed in other areas. For example, right now, Twitter, is a hot topic though few people know much about it. If you studied Twitter in depth, for 6 weeks, you could become a relative expert, and teach advanced business people about Twitter and it’s implications, in exchange for mentoring and guidance in other areas, or at least to initiate a positive relationship.

    6) If you figure out exclusive venues in a city, often you’ll meet more successful people in those places. For example, in Ireland, there are a couple of hotel bars where many of the leading business men regularly drink and/or meet for lunch. There are various tradeshows and conferences where a high concentration of people who are advanced in a certain area can be found. Doing whatever is neccessary to get a good introduction is valuable and worthwhile, and it’s worth being mindful of chambers of commerce and other gathering places where you can meet interesting and successful folk.

    7) Social networking technologies makes it easier than ever to track down and meet people. Many companies have their Boards of Directors listed on their websites, often with email addresses. Many authors have some contact details available through their books.

    8) Helping people feel important is one of most valuable social skills (encouraged by Paul McKenna, UK’s best selling non fiction author, in his book instant confidence). How can you help potential mastermind members feel more important?

  25. […] a Mastermind Alliance, I highly recommend reading this piece from my mentor Eben Pagan… Mastering Your MasterMind addthis_url = […]

  26. maria morton said, on May 13, 2009 at 10:16 pm

    Doing something is better than doing nothing. My suggestion for those of you who don’t know how to start a group is to visualize it. Then go out into the world with the vision in the back of your mind and be open to opportunities. They will happen and you will be ready.

  27. Aziz Ali said, on June 9, 2009 at 10:12 pm

    Hey Eben

    I am a young entrepreneur, and am super motivated.
    I believe i have some disconnect.

    I have been looking to find or build a mastermind group but i dont know anyone who is SELFMOTIVATED.

    Do you know of any forum or place where i can find SELF MOTIVATED people to forma Mastermind group

    Right now I am getting motivation from Books, Audio Videos of seminars and ur
    programs

    Appreciate if you can help
    Thanks

  28. Aziz Ali said, on June 9, 2009 at 10:12 pm

    Hey Eben

    I am a young entrepreneur, and am super motivated.
    I believe i have some disconnect.

    I have been looking to find or build a mastermind group but i dont know anyone who is SELFMOTIVATED.

    Do you know of any forum or place where i can find SELF MOTIVATED people to forma Mastermind group

    Right now I am getting motivation from Books, Audio Videos of seminars and ur
    programs

    Appreciate if you can help
    Thanks

  29. Nikola said, on June 15, 2009 at 2:32 am

    Hi if anyone wants to form a mastermind group for implementing Eben Pagan’s teachings in daily life. Please write me an email on n.kostov @ mail.bg

    Regards
    Nikola

  30. Sherrie Rose (The Love Linguist) said, on July 31, 2009 at 8:21 am

    Eben,

    You wrote, “A MasterMind is a group of people who have common interests and goals, who get together on a regular basis to support each other in growth and development toward actualizing those interests and goals.”

    One of the things I like to do in a mastermind is have an inspiration article or video to kick off the thinking power of the group.

    Here’s a great example and you happen to be the subject of the interview:
    http://meetinnovators.com/2008/11/20/eben-pagan-from-hot-topic-media/

    Sherrie Rose
    The Love Linguist


Leave a comment