Themes discussed in this episode

• What are mastermind groups
• How mastermind groups have changed my life
• Rules of Mastermind groups
• How to find a mastermind group

Episode Highlights

Timestamped inflection points from the show

1:30 – What are mastermind groups? In mastermind groups, you surround yourself with like-minded people who are either at your level or above your level regarding business success. These groups hold you accountable and help you reach your goals.
3:00 – How mastermind groups have changed my life: They helped me through a divorce, reconnect with my mother, write a book, and launch my company.
4:00 – The rules of mastermind groups: To be the most effective, groups need rules like committing to coming to every meeting, no cross-talk, and keeping the group conversations private.
8:30 – How to find a mastermind group: There are many ways to find mastermind groups.You can start your own group; search for free groups on Meetup, Eventbrite, or LinkedIn; or join paid groups like JB Glossinger’s Morning Coach group.

Top Quotes

2:45 – “One of my favorite projects and dreams I never thought I would achieve was writing a book. That first mastermind group inspired me to take that project all the way to the finish line.”
4:30 – “There was no cross-talk. People say, don’t yuck on someone else’s yum. So we wouldn’t criticize what someone else was up to. We might ask questions to help them think more thoroughly about an idea or offer them support.”
6:00 – “Everybody talks about what they want to commit to that day, personally, professionally, and then the mindset. You write it down. Then the next morning, you come back and report. How did you do the day before? And what are your personal and professional commitments and your mindset for that day?”
9:00 – “They will amplify whatever you’re doing, escalate your career progression, and help you reach goals that you’ve never thought you would reach.

Links

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Transcript

1:00
Hello, everybody. I’m Lori Jo Vest, the host of Work Mom Says, Don’t Be an Idiot. Thank you so much for joining me today. I am going to be talking about masterminding. If you’re one of those goal-oriented people and trying to figure out how to get where you want to go and reach your highest, loftiest goals, masterminds are an amazing way to do it.

And if you’ve never heard of the concept, I would encourage you to look it up. It’s all over the internet, and people use it in both personal and business contexts. How I like to explain masterminds is you surround yourself with like-minded people who are either at your level or a little bit above your level when it comes to success in business, or maybe they’ve written a book or they’ve done some, you know, big, consequential thing that you really want to emulate and you feel really good about who they are as human beings, invite them to create a masterminds group with you.

2:00
One of the best ways to do this is to reach out to people in your life who you know will support you in living your dreams. And that’s how I got involved. I had a friend, Sean Duparin, back in the day. Oh my gosh, I think it’s been 22 years now. I think my son was three years old.

She invited me into a mastermind group with a bunch of her friends, people who were really interested in living their best lives —some she knew well, some she didn’t. We were in that group for about 13 years, and it made a huge difference in my life.

One of my favorite projects and dreams I never thought I would achieve was writing a book. That first mastermind group inspired me to take that project all the way to the finish line. I did it with a co-author from the group, so that was kind of awesome.

3:00
So anyway, I was in that group for about 13 years. It helped me through a divorce and helped me through getting into a better relationship with my mother. I hadn’t talked to her in 10 years probably, but I was able to rekindle and at least create some sort of relationship with her. It may have been non-traditional, maybe not what others would expect out of a relationship with their mom, but it It was a productive time in my life when I was a part of that group.

People kind of evolved in and out. Some people would stay for six months or a year. Some people would stay for a couple of weeks. Because with the masterminds group, you have to have some rules. Our rules were that you had to be on time and commit to showing up at every single meeting. And we had two meetings a month.

And that commitment had to stand strong. If somebody was getting married or you know you were having a baby or your daughter was having a baby, of course, you could get away, you know, not come to masterminds. Still, everyone knew it was best to make a solid commitment to their schedule, so that was one of our rules.

4:00
Another rule was that nothing that was said in the group was ever to be repeated out of the group, so it gave you a sense of privacy, and you know you could be more vulnerable. And let’s see what else. There was no cross-talk. People say, don’t yuck on someone else’s yum. So we wouldn’t criticize what someone else was up to. We might ask questions to help them think more thoroughly about an idea or offer them support.

We had two meetings a month. We met on Saturday or Sunday, usually for three hours, and everybody got a big chunk of time there. Plus, we would have time to get to know each other and engage socially, which was a really important part of it.

5:00
And then, alternating two weeks, we would have a quick breakfast at a little diner restaurant. Those breakfasts were a check-in. What commitments did you make? Because that was the final part I’ll tell you about: At every meeting, we would make a commitment that we would have to keep in order to, you know, come back and feel really good about ourselves at the next meeting.

It was an accountability group, and it’s really important to set one up for yourself if you want to have long-term, sustained success. I did that for 13 years.

Since then, I’ve been in several groups. I’m in an accountability lab that meets every morning with Jan Griffiths and several other people. We meet at 7:07. It’s not a mastermind, but it’s kind of got a piece of the mastermind process, which is the accountability piece. We get together at 7:07. Sometimes, there are two of us on the call. Sometimes, there are six.

6:00
Everybody talks about what they want to commit to that day, personally, professionally, and then the mindset. And you go through that, you write it down. And then the next morning, you come back and report. How did you do the day before? And what are your personal and professional commitments and your mindset for that day?

I’ve been doing that for a while, and it’s really changed how I look at my business and how our business is growing. It got me off the sofa as a freelancer and into an office. We now have three employees, plus my husband and me as my business partners. And we’re doing great things. Accountability helped me get there.

If you have big dreams, accountability partners are huge. A mastermind is a really good place to find accountability and support all kinds of other things. So I don’t want to give you massive details on how to do it because there are lots of different ways.

7:00
I just joined another one. It’s a global mastermind group through Morning Coach, which is JB Glossinger’s group. If you’ve not heard of Morning Coach, I highly recommend you find his podcast. He does a daily podcast. He’s got a community, and it’s affordable if you’re just starting your career. He’s got a community full of resources, accountability tools, productivity, and great stuff. So I highly recommend you check them out.

But I joined his masterminds group, which is global masterminds. I think he’s got two of those with 10 people in each one. We’ve got people in Denmark. I know one is in Australia, and I believe all over the world. We bring ourselves and whatever we’re working on at that point to a weekly call. And then we stay together in touch on Slack with messages and check-ins, and there are health challenges.

There are some people that are going trying to go without drinking any alcohol for extended periods. Others that are making commitments to health or something like that. So I made a commitment to get this podcast recorded. So I thought, why not do this podcast about masterminds? Because they’re such a wonderful tool.

8:00
If you don’t know how to start one or go look on Google, you’ll find instructions. If you want to start one with a group of friends and you want to set your own rules and maybe they’re unique to that group, go for it. You have to start somewhere. It may not be perfect at first. It may have to evolve. You’ll see people come in and out before our group settles. So there may be some tumultuous times at the beginning.

If you can’t start your own or you’re not interested in starting your own, then I would suggest you go to places like Meetup, Eventbrite, or LinkedIn and look for groups that you can join. Then, search online to find out if there are mastermind groups that you can join as a paid option.

There are individuals out there who run mastermind groups. You can find them on the internet. You go meet them, see if the goals for their mastermind program are similar to what you’d want to get out of it. And if so, give it a try. Don’t sign anything permanent. Don’t make it a year commitment, but try it for 30 days and see if it’s a fit.

9:00
There are tons of different ways to do masterminds. They will amplify whatever you’re doing, escalate your career progression, and help you reach goals that you’ve never thought you would reach.

I never thought I’d be running my own company, and I certainly didn’t think I would have full-time employees and have to pay taxes on them and all those crazy financial things. I’m a creative person, so it’s been really interesting running a company, but I’m doing it, and I’m really enjoying it. I have support all around me in the form of the groups that I’ve set up that really share my passion for making things happen.

10:00
So that’s what I’ve got for you today. It’s a little short, but keep listening and visit my website at WorkMomSays.com. I have a contact form there. I’d love to hear from you. If you have an idea for a guest or you would like to show up on the show yourself, please contact me there.

I’m also an open networker on LinkedIn. I would love to connect. Just message me with your connection request, indicating that you are responding to having listened to the Work Mom Says podcast.

And last but not least, please leave me a rating or a review. Podcasters live on our reviews. We’d love to know that you’re listening, that you’re enjoying yourself, that we’re giving you valuable, useful information. So that’s all I’ve got for you today. Thanks again for listening. See you soon.

Who is our ideal listener?

This podcast is for young professionals, so they can learn to play the emotional context sport of business and experience less drama and more success.

The ideal listener is anyone struggling on an emotional level in the workplace. Work Mom Says it helps you learn to be strategic at work. This means you can look at the big picture without getting lost in the weeds. How can you be more logical and less emotional? Be strategic, and Work Mom Says can help you.

“I tell people to back up, put down the magnifying glass, and look at the big picture when you’re responding to something,” said Lori Jo Vest, Work Mom. “In doing this, you will understand that what’s really upsetting you right now will be something you don’t even remember next week.”

 

What value can people get from listening to this podcast?

Listening to Work Mom Says can help you grow your mood management skills, grow your ability to reframe situations, and look at things from a strategic point of view. This makes it easier to go into a work situation and get the most positive results.

On Work Mom Says, we also offer tips and tricks for creating connected positive relationships that last over time. People will want you on the team if you can create connected positive relationships and work environments. You become an asset, and you will be more successful when you’re an asset.

“I also like to talk about developing traits like optimism, persistence, tenacity, stick-to-itiveness, sticking with things, and approaching every project with a curious mind instead of a fearful mind,” said Lori Jo Vest, Work Mom

                                                                                                     

Why do I do this? A few more words from Work Mom

I do this because I naturally fell into the Work Mom role when I worked in the ad agency business and had so much fun with it. I also realized I had made just about every mistake there was to make. I don’t hold myself as a stellar example of truth and how you should be. I hold myself out there as someone who has been bruised, battered, and beaten up and learned some important lessons. I’d love to share these lessons with young people, so they don’t have to make those same mistakes or be the idiot I was.

I also want to help young professionals realize that many things our culture prioritizes aren’t really important. We talk a lot about what should be important and how to present your best face at the office so that you can succeed.

I’ve learned so much throughout my career, and it’s gratifying to share that with young professionals and help them avoid some of those mistakes and get to that success sooner.

Episode 26 – “The Origin of Work Mom Says (Plus a Sneak Peek at My Upcoming Book)” appeared first on Work Mom Says.