In my keynote, I talk about casting your show – choosing the people who are in your life the most.
Even if you weren’t born into a family that has success and degrees galore or that inspires and challenges you to be a better person, that doesn’t mean you can’t be influenced by other accomplished, giving, intelligent, compassionate individuals. You can, you just have to be more intentional about it.
That’s why I have created Mastermind meetings with gentlemen I respect and trust who live and work near me, and I would highly recommend you do the same.
The concept of a Mastermind is based on the idea that when one mind is solving a problem or brainstorming a new idea, you have the power of one brain at your disposal. But when you bring multiple minds together, the brain power in the room multiplies, so that it is even greater than the five or six minds combined.
Some Masterminds are created purely for the opportunity for professional advancement and using the other people at the table to improve your ideas and your chance at success.
But I think the most valuable Mastermind groups are about so much more than that. At my meetings, we create a judgment-free zone where we can discuss what we struggle with as men, where we can talk about our families, marriages, relationships, and our children in an attempt to help one another to be better husbands, fathers, and men.
It’s an open forum for whatever is on our minds and hearts, where competition is left at the door and we know what we tell one another will never leave the table. It’s a refreshing change from the networking and power lunches that we often find ourselves at, and it’s honestly an environment that is very hard to come by for high-level professionals, an environment in which none of us are trying to get something or prove something to one another.
At my Mastermind, I include one best-selling author and leading content marketing strategist, one highly-successful financial planner, one innovative marketer who is continually putting a new face on a centuries-old industry, one talented singer-songwriter and recording artist, and one forward-thinking digital and app-developing expert.
As you can see, our interests and areas of expertise range over a wide variety of fields. By bringing together a financial planner with a singer with an app-developer, we have the opportunity to learn new skills from each other and to receive wisdom from someone coming at a question from a completely different perspective.
Being a part of or initiating a Mastermind group does not have to be intimidating or a huge commitment. I reach out to my group once a month to invite them to breakfast or coffee, and we spend an hour or so bouncing ideas off each other, sharing advice and opinions, talking about our struggles, and encouraging each other to jump off the cliff every once in a while.
If you’re not sure where to begin gathering your Mastermind group members, look on LinkedIn, your company directory, or even around the classroom at the next Meet the Teacher night. The members of your group don’t have to be the leading experts in their field – they just need to possess an opinion and perspective you respect.
Who would be in your dream Mastermind? Who are a few influential figures that you respect and would like to grab breakfast with? Write them down or share them with me – a Mastermind group can change your life, the lives of the other participants, and the people you care about.
*Image courtesy Avid Hills
As a speaker and author, Curtis Zimmerman has impacted over one million people with his life-changing messages and award-winning programs. Curtis is an expert at transforming organizations by inspiring individuals to live their lives at performance level.
Want to be inspired? Check out his podcast The Next 24 Hours.
