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Here's Why You Should Develop Your Own Exclusive Mastermind Group
Learn from a skeptic turned advocate about how to make the most of it when you do
Dave Kline
August 23, 2023
Read Time: 3 minutes 15 seconds
"What masterminds are you in?"
I had no idea what she was talking about.
"What the hell is a mastermind?" I asked.
She, in this case, was a long-time friend and CEO.
"YPO. EO. Vistage." I tried to see past her subtle disdain as these did nothing to help me understand. Fresh off of a 20-year corporate career, these names were meaningless to me.
"Google 'Ben Franklin Junto,' and you'll get the idea."
So I did. I Googled "mastermind" while I was at it. Those names, too.
They all seemed to have similar ingredients:
A smallish group, say 8-12 people
A common interest or mission
A regular meeting cadence
A commitment to help
A desire to learn
And just like that, the Frequency Illusion revealed itself.
Buy a red car.
See red cars everywhere.
Everyone should have a Personal Board of Advisors.
Here’s how to build one (and use it):
— Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom)
12:12 PM • Mar 28, 2022
How had I been so blind to these groups?
Their power, in hindsight, is obvious.
One person making mistakes is slow. Ten people making mistakes and sharing them for others to avoid is 10x faster. And because of learning compounds, it's even faster than that.
And while the internet marketing pyramid scheme crowd might have tainted the term “Mastermind,” I tend to think of them for what they are:
Peer Groups
And not just peer groups but peer groups with a purpose.
So, over the last couple of years, I've built versions of this:
Leaders pushing each other in my MGMT Accelerator program
Creators helping each other ship at a higher velocity
Writers critiquing each other into storytellers
In fact, I'm on a plane to one today.
I didn't create this one, but I'm thrilled to be a part of it. I get to spend the next 4 days with people playing the same (sometimes lonely) game as me, many of them much further down the path.
How do I plan to make the most of this time?
If You’re The Average of The 5 People You Spend Time With…
…Why not raise your average?
Join me and 50 leaders from companies like Amazon, Uber, Pfizer, and more in the last MGMT Accelerator for 2023.
Together, we will build out their tailored management systems to help them achieve more while doing less.
We cap enrollment so that leaders can make genuine connections. And because we offer 1:1 coaching with me to every leader.
Be Interested. Not Interesting.
Our instinct when meeting people for the first time is to try and dazzle them. Have the perfect joke ready. Break out that well-crafted story.
But the real trick: Be Interested
People love to talk about themselves. They love it even more if you listen. And there are easy tactics to show them they have your attention:
Use their name
Maintain eye contact
Say what you heard back to them
Ask them to elaborate on an interesting point
Do Your Own Research
Want an instant trust builder?
Break out a fact about the person you dug up.
Bonus points: Find one that is obscure but relevant to your group.
By committing your time in advance to knowing someone, you're signaling respect from the first interaction.
The good news is that the more exclusive these groups get, the more likely there are facts about them readily available.
Send Your Advance Team
Before you meet, drop each member a personal note or text. It doesn't have to be elaborate, but you want to hit three keynotes: