What is a mastermind group? Maybe you´ve heard this term from a friend or someone on the internet, maybe you have a vague idea of what it means or this may even be the first time you´ve heard this word.

But no matter how little or how much you know about this word in this article you´ll find the ultimate guide about masterminds explaining to you everything you need to know about them, including some essential rules you always need to keep in mind and the structure every mastermind needs to be successful.

Let´s begin!

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What is a mastermind group?

When we think about education or ways to educate ourselves, we think about books, classes, mentors, experts, educational institutions… But what about learning from our equals.

That’s where masterminds come in.

A mastermind is a group of people that join together their experience, wisdom, and minds to create a master team where, when there is a good synergy between the participants, magic can happen. 

It is a place where you feel encouraged and understood by people who are going or have gone through the same path as you. Mastermind groups will help you grow and develop yourself both personally and professionally, they will teach you how to be vulnerable as well as stimulate you intellectually and mentally.

In other words, a mastermind is a number of people (between 5-11 participants) that come together joining their experience and knowledge to form a group that encourages each other, stimulates themselves mentally and when needed will help you with the struggles and challenges you encounter with their experience.

As Napoleon Hill, the creator of mastermind groups or as he called them Master Teams, explained a mastermind is “the coordination of knowledge and effort in a spirit of harmony between two or more people for the achievement of a defined goal”.

Hill explains the power of being part of a mastermind by saying: “A mastermind is a set of coordinated or connected brains in a spirit of harmony that will provide more thought energy than a single brain”.

In his book “Think and Grow Rich”  he also expresses that “every mind needs friendly contact with other minds, for food of expansion and growth”. Hill saw mastermind groups as alliances and environments that nurture and support growth.

If you want to learn more about “Think and Grow  Rich” or the top 10 books every entrepreneur should read at least once in their life, click here!

This powerful tool is highly used by entrepreneurs, and in fact, if you examine the most famous entrepreneurs in history, such as Henry Ford or Andrew Carnegie, you will discover that all of them were part of a mastermind in one way or another.

Who can participate in a mastermind?

Literally anyone! There are no limits to age, job position, location, lifestyle… Anyone who wishes to participate in a mastermind can do so!

Essential rules and guidelines you can NEVER forget before, during, and after a Mastermind.

To ensure that the group gets the most out of a mastermind, there are a number of rules and guidelines that must be followed at all times.

These rules not only maximize the benefits of a mastermind, but also create a safe, respectful, comfortable, and non-judgmental space for the whole group.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAY speak from experience.

The first rule is to always and I mean ALWAYS speak from YOUR experience because you can only learn, develop and grow when you speak from experience.

This rule is mainly for two reasons:

The first is because in this way misunderstandings and discussions are avoided.

The second is because nowadays we are so used to giving advice to our acquaintances or relatives without stopping to think about what we are saying. Do we believe that this advice can really help them? On what basis can I share something that I have not even tried or tested? Who am I to give advice in a matter that I haven’t even experienced?

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned by participating in a mastermind is to speak from experience and to break the habit of preaching advice for situations that I have not lived.

We have become accustomed to talking for the sake of talking, but when you always try to speak from experience, our words acquire value because you are sharing something with the other person that has really helped us in life, that we truly believe can help the other person in their problems and struggles. When you speak from experience, your words acquire wisdom and meaning because you are sharing something valuable, rather than speaking for the sake of saying something.

If we look again at the definition of a mastermind, you will find that a mastermind is a group of people that join their wisdom and years of experience in this life in order to encourage and help each other out. 

This rule is the reason why during a mastermind session you should always speak in 1st person of the past tense.

Advice is a last resort

Asking for advice is an exceptional thing to do, a last resort if you are desperate, but remember that a Mastermind is not the place to give advice but to share experiences and wisdom.

Never, nothing, no one

I’m sure you’ve heard more than once the saying what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. Well, the same thing happens in a mastermind. 

A mastermind group is a safe place, that means absolute confidentiality. Never tell anything to no one about what you talk about inside a mastermind group.

Not with your partner, not with your parents, not with your friends. Never, nothing, no one.

Judgment-free space

Always remember not to judge others for their problems, difficulties, way of thinking… Your only responsibility is to open yourself up, be respectful of your group, listen and contribute with your experience to whoever needs it.

The structure of a Mastermind session

In order for everyone to get the most out of a mastermind group, the group needs to establish a structure since day one. This will help the group focus on the main purpose of a mastermind and avoid the big mistake of spending the whole session chit-chatting instead of sharing, growing, and helping each other.

A mastermind session is divided into seven parts:

The first part, i.e. the welcome, usually lasts about ten minutes and is the time for small talk. 

The next part consists of a personal update, where each person shares with the rest of the group the most significant events/experiences of the last two months. Each person has between 5-8 minutes to do their update.

In the first session of a mastermind or every time a new participant joins the group, each person makes a presentation where you share who you are, what you do for a living, your age, share a bit about your family, why you joined a mastermind and what expectations you have for it.

Next comes the selection of presentations, i.e. each person in the group has to propose a topic that he/she would like to discuss with the group. This could be an area where that person needs help or a problem/ obstacle/ struggle/ challenge they are going through. Once everyone has presented the topic, these are chosen by unanimity. 

In a mastermind session, the group usually discusses two topics and the rest are left for the next mastermind session.

Once you have chosen the topics to be covered in this session, you start with the first one and the structure is as follows:

First, the person who has proposed the topic explains in about ten minutes the problem in a concrete way. Then each participant has the opportunity to ask several questions in order to learn more about the topic.

Once the questions have been asked, a round of experiences takes place in turn.

Finally, the person presenting the topic shares with the rest of the participants what he/she takes away and what he/she has learned from the experiences. The rest of the participants also have the opportunity to share their thoughts.

The sixth part of the session is dedicated to defining new goals and objectives for the next two months as well as the evaluation of the previous goals and objectives. This reflection is then shared in turn with the group. 

And the last part, the closing, consists of a few minutes of internal reflection, where you can then share in turn the lessons you have learned and what each person takes away from the session.

Seen in an outline, a mastermind session looks like this:

When does a mastermind session happen?

A mastermind session during its first months of life is scheduled once a month. After a couple of months since its creation, they are normally celebrated once every two months, and the mastermind sessions are scheduled at least six months in advance.

Roles of a mastermind

In a mastermind group, there is always one person who will occupy the role of moderator.

The person in charge of this role is responsible for controlling that the times established for each part of a session are met and is the mediator during the presentations. He/she takes care of the calendar and the dates of the next masterminds and of course make sure that the mastermind rules and guidelines are followed.

You need to do this before EVERY mastermind…!!

Before any mastermind session, it is very important that each participant makes a previous preparation so that you can quickly focus on the main topics of the session.

This preparation can be customized depending on your priorities. Here is a sample structure:

First of all, write down the most important things that have happened, what impact it has had on your life, and how you felt in the following areas of your life:

-Business

-Family

-Community

-Personal

In addition to this, think if there are any successes or achievements you have had in the last two months that you would like to share and celebrate with the group. And if you were to share a challenge or opportunity you are currently facing, what would it be?

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Thank you so much for investing your time in reading this article. Now you what a mastermind is and have all the necessary knowledge you need to make yours succeed.

Have you ever formed part of a mastermind or would like to? Love to hear it in the comments!