What Makes A Mastermind Group NOT Work, Optimizing Teams and Mastermind Groups to Survive and Thrive!

This article is written in the context that you have some background knowledge on the working dynamics behind teams and Mastermind groups. Mastermind groups and teams usually face one such problem, i.e., as time passes by, the synergy and energy within the group drops to low levels. Do you notice people skipping the Mastermind sessions? Or are members even leaving the Mastermind group, meaning to say the drop-out rate is high?

If all of the above or some of the above is happening, then it is perhaps time to review just exactly why. Should you make the mistake of dismissing the occurrences as yet another unavoidable aspect of any Mastermind group, then you are gravely wrong. It is better to nip in the bud now than allow it to develop into a situation that you are unable to salvage.

One of the reasons could be because some members are simply not committed. When you first moot the idea of a Mastermind group to these people, they tend to get hyped up and be very excited but after the euphoria has died down, you will notice them not starting to turn up for meetings. This offers some issues for you to consider.

Do you propose to end that person's stint in your Mastermind group, or do you speak to that person in private and try to get his/her focus back on to the group? To be fair, each group is unique and each individual's has his/her own way of handling conflicts, but a viable way would be to find out the reasons for that person's lack of commitment. Communication is crucial. Only through communication can you find out the real reason behind the no-shows, then decide whether to drop the person from your group or not.

Another possible reason could be because the group as a whole does not have a clear focus and the direction which it is heading toward is not specific. There is no proper agenda. Meeting to discuss ideas is one thing but meeting to generate ideas and take it a step further by the advocating of concrete action is another. There must always be an objective to be met, and failure to ensure that lead to the core of the group disintegrating. Everyone does not share the same vision, and that makes it impossible for the group to proceed. Therefore, before the start of any Mastermind session, always sit the group down to re-iterate the vision that everyone has come up with right from the start. This will serve to re-affirm the group's belief in the collective vision and goals and everyone will strive harder to make it work.

Last but not least, a high drop-out rate does not necessarily mean all gloom and doom. It could be because of the fact that they have achieved their objectives from participating in your Mastermind group and would like to focus all of their time and energy into their own projects! That has to be seen as positive! Perhaps an adjustment that could be made in the light of this would be to hold the Mastermind sessions less frequently, so that whenever the group meets, it will be more fruitful and more ideas will be exchanged and updates shared.

Through this article it is hoped that you will get to see the other side of the coin, i.e. instead of worrying how to make your Mastermind group work why not see it from the other point of view and understand what causes Mastermind groups to fail instead? It will allow you to implement steps to ensure that you have a sound Mastermind group in place ready to work towards achieving your common goals!

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Alex Cheong
Expert Author in the topic Mastermind groups

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Alex Cheong @ http://www.mastermind-your-way-to-success.com

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