For those not familiar with his mastermind principle, Hill described it as: “The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.”
He further wrote, “No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind.”
Almost three-quarters of a century later, mastermind groups are everywhere—including here for strategic communication advisors.
The Strategic Action Group that I’m hosting through Connect is a 10-week mastermind and mentoring group that helps strategic communication advisors develop the mindset, skills and follow through that leaders want.
The session that starts September 16 will be our third. And the recent survey Connect sponsored, Being a Strategic Communication Advisor, shows the value of a mastermind group. In particular, the more effective strategic advisors are spending more time building relationships inside and outside their organization, including networking, being mentored and getting coaching.
What makes a mastermind group for strategic communication advisors so valuable?
Strategic communication advisors are under such time pressures to deliver work that they seldom have the time, energy or discipline to reflect on how they can think and act strategically. As a result, they’re generally working against deadlines, rather than contemplating how they can be better strategic advisors and anticipate their leaders’ needs.
This mastermind group:
- Helps us set time aside to focus on key issues around providing communication counsel. We concentrate on the strategic rather than the tactics. We also explore how to identify and eliminate non-value add work so you can free up time to address strategic issues.
- Gives us permission to network with like-minded professionals. You’ll be working with a group of professionals who are motivated to improve their strategic communication counsel services. We’ll talk about how you can adjust your mindset to be a better advisor.
- Allows us to tap into the wisdom of the group. That way, we can validate what we’re doing, gather new ideas and get support from others.
When you participate in a mastermind group, you enjoy giving and receiving. You learn from others. At the same time, you share your insights, experiences and challenges, which benefit others.
The group also helps you grow personally and professionally. It provides you with an immediate sounding board and an ongoing network of professionals you can count on for support. Your fellow mastermind members also can serve as your accountability pals to keep you on the right path if you decide you need to adopt new habits and require some help to follow through.
You’ll take the skills and knowledge you learn back to your organization, which means they’ll benefit from your experience too.
Mastermind groups, such as the Strategic Action Group, are grounded in history, yet are incredibly vibrant and contemporary. (No worries, we won’t use the archaic Hill language!) The groups are very fluid, flexible and functional. As a result, they adapt to fit the members’ needs. There are no mastermind police or laws that govern members.
If you’ve never participated in a mastermind group, you should consider it. It’s one of the earliest examples of a smart mob. And it’s definitely one of the most effective.
What are you doing to leverage others’ brain power?
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