What have these famous people all have in common?: Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Dale Carnegie, Harvey Firestone, Charles Wrigley, William Hertz and Graham Bell, they were all members of a private mastermind group. Every two weeks or so they would go away together for a day or two and exchange ideas and help each other with business solutions. Each one of them turned out to be a household name, so what can a mastermind group do for you?
Are you familiar with the old saying?, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear?"
If you are then let me tell you that I believe it over and over every time I hear it. You see, I resisted forking out to hiring a business mentor back in my early years. Reflecting back that was the biggest mistake of my life. Since making the leap of faith, I've never looked back. Each time I invest time, energy, and money in learning from a mentor, my business and personal development skyrockets. That's why I am constantly travelling around the world and learning from other mentors and coaches. I believe in this principle, and so should you. Let me explain the one group you need in your life today.
Questions I Get Asked
I hear from entrepreneurs and FTSE leaders who are seeking strategic advice, one of the most common questions I get asked: "What is the most important thing for me to do if I want to become a successful leader in my organisation or within my industry?". Do you think Henry Ford and Thomas Edison and the rest of their mastermind group all waited for opportunities or did they create their own opportunities to make it to where they are today?
Mentor or Mastermind Group
You would think the answer was obvious, won’t you? But, 9 out of 10 times I end up replying, "Get yourself a good mentor or join an appropriate mastermind group to achieve your goals."
Having a mentor or joining an appropriate mastermind group has always led to the biggest breakthroughs in my personal life and for my business. “You are the average of the 6 people you surround yourself with” who are the six people you mostly spend your time with and are you the average of the 6?
My Mentors
Tell me a book you have read and you were inspired to take action in your life or in your business. In the cases of my early mentors, the relationship was simply through Jay Abrahams, Tony Robbins and Jim Rohn’s audiobooks or newsletters. In my later years, I started travelling to America attending events and then learned the power of mastermind groups. My current list of mentors includes Dan Kennedy, Rich Schefren, Dan Sullivan, Dr Wyatt Woodsmall, Jay Abraham and a few more depending on my needs. In order to grow personally and in business you need people around you who can pull you up to their level people brighter than yourself, don’t be afraid start growing today.
I Don’t Know Everything
To tell you the truth, I don’t have answers or solutions for everyone because I am not an expert in everything, but what I do know is a list of experts in each field that I can pay and hire as mentors to help me when I need help and guidance in a given industry or subject. I can only grow by the average of the six people around me, in my case my mentors and mastermind group members.
New Business Start-Ups
Working along sides James Caan’s and Lord Young’s start-up initiative to start 25,000 new businesses in the UK (20,000 already achieved) is a great business model to see each new startup is appointed a mentor for at least 12 months and even more if needed. The only danger is there are mentors and mentors, to find such a large number is a difficult task for any organisation especially if you are looking for voluntary ones without paying anything. Well done to all those volunteers, I bow to you all for your all your support. If you have a business or are thinking about starting one, then I would recommend you join a mastermind group in order to grow exponentially with minimal risks by learning from members of the mastermind group.
Technology
With the internet and the high speed of broadband, you can have a mentor anywhere in the world and not necessarily on your doorstep. Distance learning is and always will be a good way of finding experts from around the world. I have clients who fly in from around the world to seek strategic advice or to provide a solution for an organisation and others who consult with me via Skype this is the world we are living in today, making better use of technology is great for everyone. Now you can have a mentor from anywhere in the world to be able to help you with your needs and wants.
Start With Investing In Yourself & Your Future
Let me give you an example, I invest over $70,000 a year in myself(the reason for $ rather than £ most of my coaches and mentors are in America) on mentors, coaches, seminars and events in order to stay at the top of my games, even paying to go to my competitors events and I have competitors attend my events to see what I am doing. This just goes to show we all need training and constant learning in order to grow, that’s how winners are made. No matter what level your business is it can always be improved with the right mentor or joining the right mastermind group.
Who Is The Expert In Your Industry?
Maybe there is an expert in your industry who you would like to emulate, someone who inspires you the most. My best advice to you would be to sign-up for their newsletters via their website, buy their products, attend their seminars, and read their books. As you do so, don't just study the material, but also take note as to how it is delivered, how the expert makes his/her customers feel, and how the follow-up communication is presented. Learn by trying to understand,what’s the thinking behind all the free and paid materials you are getting from the expert who you are trying to emulate.
Knowledge Is Powerful
For those of you who know me you will see, I'm surrounded by business partners, friends and mentors who I've simply met over the years while attending seminars, mastermind groups, doing deals, and even by attracting them into my life. One thing I can tell you is that as a mentor, you continue to learn as much from your students and clients as you do from your mentors especially in the mastermind groups. The more you increase your mental inventory of knowledge the greater chances are you will see solutions and opportunities when everyone around you sees problems. Just like Henry Ford and his fellow members of their mastermind group.
Make A Start Get A Mentor
By starting with mentorship-at-a-distance, you can then move on to a one-on-one formal mentorship, often by investing in yourself, and then you grow powerful, personal connections with mentors as you get to know more and more people who come to know you through your accomplishments. Or you can start your own mastermind group.
Do What Makes You Happy
I'm also lucky and blessed enough to be working with FTSE 100 leaders who helping them with strategic advice and mentoring such great leaders, you have to understand these leaders are already successful people running successful multi-billion pound organisations and employing 10 if not hundreds of thousands of employees around the world. In most cases, by working with great leaders I am always learning at the same time and providing valuable solutions to their problems.
What Do You Really Want?
When looking for your mentor, first identify what you want to achieve in your business and your life. Look for a respected person in your community or industry who shares the same values as you will help you a long way.
Let me know if this article has been of help to you so far by posting your comments down below.
