Mastermind Groups: Practice Fields for Leaders (Updated 5/29/2020)

In 2017, one of the guests on my Year of the Peer podcast (renamed What Anyone Can Do in 2018 and Peernovation in 2020) was Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, professor emeritus at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute.  During our conversation, she told me the more that teachers collaborate with one another outside the classroom, the more effective they can be at building collaborative environments among students inside their classrooms. Countless leaders of CEO and key executive peer groups have said the same holds true in business. Essentially, leaders who do group work are more emotionally and intellectually fit to inspire superior teamwork inside their organizations. Let’s look at why.

To back up a moment, let’s distinguish between group and team. A group is one where people come together to help each other realize their individual goals. A team is a collection of people who collaborate in an effort to achieve a common goal. CEOs connect with other CEOs in groups because they believe that talking with peers who share their common challenges, yet who may come from very different worlds, will help them be better individual leaders and provide them with ideas and insights to help them grow their companies.  College athletes, on the other hand, who participate in a team sport, may aspire to win a national championship – a single goal that can only be achieved as a high performing team.

Think of mastermind groups as the “practice fields” for team leaders.  Groups are the perfect training ground for strengthening your leadership muscles, building your business acumen, and fine-tuning your emotional intelligence.  My guess is that you wouldn’t consider entering the IRONMAN, running a marathon, or cycling the Tour de France without training for it; yet too many organizational leaders attempt something equally difficult every day they show up to work without having stepped one foot onto a practice field.  You can argue that you can train in other ways. Fair point. You can read books, hire a coach, go to conferences, etc.  That said, here’s one thing (among many) you won’t get anywhere else except in a group – it’s called the Learning-Achieving cycle.

The Learning-Achieving Cycle, The Power of Peers (2016)

Dr. Darling-Hammond told me that we learn better when we learn together.  When we share our learning with one another and engage in deep conversation about a given concept, it not only helps us understand it more completely, but also provides group members the courage to ACT on that learning.  You might read something in a book that on its face seems like a great idea, but you’re unlikely to walk into the office the next day and implement it.  Within days, that idea joins the pile of other interesting things you learned that you never acted on.  Once you act on your learning (trial and error notwithstanding) and you achieve positive results, it inspires you to want to learn more.  This creates a reinforcing loop of learning, sharing, applying, achieving that becomes a force of nature of its own – a force fueled by a leader’s insatiable desire to leverage the group’s intellectual capital for his/her own personal and organizational ROI.

If you want to lead higher performing teams, find a place to practice – find yourself a mastermind group. That said, here’s my one disclaimer:  Mastermind group membership is not for everyone. If you treat it as a spectator sport, you won’t do yourself or your fellow members any good.  But if you dig deep, invest in yourself, and do the work, then you, your group members, and your organizational team(s) will be the big winners for it.

If you have a story about how your mastermind group helped you hone your skills as a more effective team leader, share it in the comments!  Thanks!

The Gift Of Feedback

When you receive feedback (positive or negative), see it as the gift that it is. Use it as fuel for reflection and continuous improvement.  Anyone who is great at anything is a product of people who were generous enough to provide them feedback along their learning journey.  We believed the message to be so important, we’re posting it a day early!  Enjoy!

Leo’s Workshops in the UK

Leo stops down in Kenilworth, England, as he nears the end of a two-week swing leading workshops for Vistage Groups in the UK.  In this podcast, Randy talks with Leo about what he’s learned and explores the implications for building higher performing teams in our organizations.

Debunking Myths

Here’s the link to the article, “Put Your Best Foot Forward” published by The Smart Manager, Jan/Feb 2019!

Want to ACHIEVE your New Year’s Resolution this Time?

Time to create a People Plan!  According to a University of Scranton study (2016), more than 9 out of 10 people fail to achieve whatever goal they may have set for themselves at the start of the new year.  When you consider that these are goals people choose for themselves and that they are more likely to be along the lines of losing 5-10 pounds than trying to qualify for the Olympics, it’s a sobering statistic.

I believe we can do better – much better.  To do so, however, will involve doing two things: 1) Be honest with yourself as to whether your resolution is an actual goal or just a wish.  Declaring it as a real goal will be the first step toward making a serious effort to achieve it; 2) Don’t attempt to achieve your goal all by yourself.  Left to your own devices, you’re likely to end up among the 92% of people who fail.  This is where creating a People Plan will make the difference.  Once you embrace the fact that self help doesn’t mean by-yourself-help and that making your goals public, engaging people who can encourage you, provide advice, and help you hold yourself accountable, is what you need to actually achieve your resolution, it will be a game changer!

Check out The People Plan infographic to get you started!   To learn why People Plans work and what they are all about, get yourself a copy of What Anyone Can Do: How Surrounding Yourself With the Right People Will Drive Change, Opportunity and Personal Growth.  Happy New Year!

Leo & Randy on the Holidays, Lessons From George H. W. Bush, and What’s Next!

As we close out the year and prepare for what’s next, Randy and Leo talk about the holidays, the many tributes to George H. W. Bush, and the importance of having a people plan in 2019!   Who you surround yourself with matters. Enjoy!

 

Drew Dudley on Courage

Drew Dudley is the founder of Day One. Drew spent 8 years as the Director of one of Canada’s largest leadership development programs at the University of Toronto and served as National Chair of Canada’s largest post-secondary charity, which mobilized 35,000 volunteers annually to support the work of Cystic Fibrosis Canada.

Recognized as one of the most dynamic keynote speakers in the world, Drew has spoken to over 250,000 people on 5 continents, been featured on The Huffington Post, Radio America, Forbes.com, and TED.com, where his “TED talk” has been voted “one of the 15 most inspirational TED talks of all time”. Time, Business Insider and INC. magazines have all included his talk on their lists of “speeches that will make you a better leader”.

Get your copy of Drew’s book, This Is Day One: A Practical Guide to Leadership That Matters

Connect with him on Instagram and at DrewDudley.com.

Leo & Randy on Thanksgiving

Hard to imagine a holiday that more clearly illustrates the importance of the friends and family who comprise our circle.  Take time today to thank the people who have made a difference in your life and consider how you will give more of yourself to others next year!  Enjoy!

Leo Bottary & Randy Cantrell on the Postseason (and other stuff)

Among others things pertaining to What Anyone Can Do, Leo and Randy talk about what we can learn from the postseason and the teams who earned the right to be there!

Christina Martini On Growing

Christina L. Martini is a practicing intellectual property attorney and partner at McDermott Will & Emery.  Christina focuses on domestic and international trademark and copyright law, as well as domain name, Internet, social media, advertising, unfair competition, and entertainment law.

In addition to Tina’s full-time practice and various leadership roles at the firm, she is a thought leader, author, columnist, and speaker.  Tina is the host of the Paradigm Shift Podcast, a podcast about the intersection of business and law.