Success, From a Simple Master Mind Group

19/02

A good colleague of mine engages annually in a bit of a ritualistic meeting with his business colleagues. They meet in early Spring and reserve the whole day to be together. Their topic is their business/career. Here is how the meeting goes. Each topic is addressed by every person, going round the room sometimes, just jumping in sometimes, but everyone addresses only the topic of the moment. No one is to take notes until the end of the day.

Start

  • One or two things I would like to achieve today, and, what gaining these one or two things will do for me/my business (everyone speaks)
  • My present moment level of trust within this group and what I would like more of or less of, in order to increase my feeling of trust in you and your trust in me (again everyone)
  • One or two things that kind of bombed for me since we last met and the effect of those on me and on my business/career
  • One or two things that went well, maybe even amazingly well and the effect of that success on me and on my business/career

Coffee or lunch break, walk around, chat, relax, contemplate the coming parts of the Agenda

  • One piece of wisdom or advice that I recommend to the group (what I have learned) and why I believe it is wisdom
  • One helpful thing that I would truly appreciate receiving from this group
  • My take away from our meeting today and how I will use that going forward, with a prediction of what this will do for me and for my business/career
  • A statement of completion, very short, could be a word, something that will put a ribbon on the gift of the day for myself

End

Drinks and food and conversation and, now, note taking as you wish

The process again, is that everyone speaks to just the topic on the floor at the time. One or maximum two, comments keeps things tight and most relevant. As they go around the room, every person is asked to dig deep and provide at least one response in each round, though if someone really must pass, that is OK though a pass ought to be rare. The greatest value arises when each person gives a useful response, even if hard to find. Including the effect of events reported or asked for, keeps the speaker on point and keeps things results focused. Saying ‘I don’t know the effect’ is not accepted. The group waits if need be. For questions that have two parts, the last part substantiates and clarifies the first. The last part is to ensure that the speaker and the listeners, fully appreciate what has been said. Asking for clarification is encouraged.

This is important. It keeps the group together, on the topic, and ,with the person speaking.

Everyone now knows what others might need and why those things are valuable to them. They have also clarified what they themselves need. The tendency is to offer help, now that we know what people need. That help might not show up that day, but the list is in everyone’s mind, so just the very thing could come into someone’s awareness next month, or whenever.

No note taking until after the completion question at the end. The idea is that if I am not taking notes I am more present to the speaker and more contributing to what they are saying, rather than taking pointers and thinking about myself. This day is a present moment style of meeting. The person speaking has my attention. I’ll get my turn too. For now, they get as much of my mindshare as I can give them. “I feel like people are really listening to me and I find myself more able to deeply listen to them”. Take all the notes you want at the end, probably helped by seeking people out and asking them for more clarification about what they said. This is very good.

Note your own feeling about sharing your truth in response to the topics, especially the one about trust. We ask for what we want. We help each other. We all get stronger.

This is but one way to operate a Master Mind group. This group meets once per year. The experience could easily be held once per quarter.

Many variants are possible.

Joseph Seiler MCC