Business Mastermind Groups

Quite often you are cast in the role of leader of your mastermind group as the natural outcome of having started the group and issued the invitations to people to join you. Unless you say otherwise, that expectation may already be in place.

A mastermind group would have a hard time surviving if there were no point person to keep things on track.

Keep in mind that taking the leadership role comes with more responsibility and more work. Since you strive to be equal partners in a mastermind group, the leadership role is more like that of a facilitator who keeps the meetings running smoothly and on schedule yet is also a fully participating member of the group.

The leader/facilitator is usually the one who tends to all the administrative details as well, such as arranging the meeting space details or setting up the teleconference call if the meeting by phone.

Timekeeper

Keeping the time is hugely important to the success of a mastermind group and to keeping members. Not being vigilant about the time can lead to meetings that go on way too long, while some people are not getting heard and others monopolize the time. Strive to keep a good balance.

Although the role of mastermind facilitator is more about guiding and smoothing the process rather than directing it, the task of timekeeper can sometimes cause some tense moments.

Members are allotted an amount of time to talk about their issues and get feedback from the rest of the group. Depending on the size of the group and desired length of time for the meeting, it is usually 15-20 minutes.

The person whose turn it is usually has an awareness of how they are doing with time. The challenge is in getting the people giving feedback to stop when the time is up. There is a desire to solve the problem in one session. It is the job of the timekeeper to firmly step in, call time and move to the next person.

A good tool to help keep everyone on track is a timing device with an audible ring or buzzer tone when the time is up. A kitchen timer works well for this purpose. It is also effective for the timekeeper to give a 3-5 minute warning before the time is up.

Capturing Ideas and Goals

Another task that may be assumed by the leader is capturing the ideas that are flowing and noting the goals set. For every individual to take her own notes stifles the free-flow process of brainstorming and fully listening.

Another member may take on the role of goalkeeper and write down the goals everyone has set for accomplishment before the next meeting. Posting the goals summary in a group email within a day or two after the meeting is a great help in keeping track of everyone’s goals in one place and good for following up with other members to offer support.

A simpler solution is for members who wish to capture the session to bring their own small recorders to an in-person group. For long-distance groups, most teleconferencing services have a call recording option. Most important, though, is to get agreement from all members that audio recording is permissible.

Rotating Roles

Rotating the leadership role, or any other roles your group has decided on, can be a good alternative to having a fixed leader who shoulders all the responsibilities. If you are holding your meetings at different members’ homes, you can opt to have the host lead that meeting and choose an agenda. Some groups rotate the leadership monthly.

The leadership position should be determined and agreed upon in the first meeting when guidelines are established. In the end, it is good honest communication amongst all members that keeps things flowing smoothly.

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