048: How to Create and Run a Mastermind Group | Interview with Jonathan Milligan [Podcast]

Mastermind groups are the magic bullet for success. I have found the only people who do mastermind groups, and continue to do them over time, succeed. But, over the years I have struggled to find good groups. Most people do not want to commit or will bail out soon after we start. But, I have now found the secret - or at last the person who has the secret formula. In this interview with Jonathan Milligan, he will uncover how he runs a mastermind group that not only keeps going, but prospers.Click to Listen*NOTE: If you are reading this in email, you will need to go to Itunes or my blog to get access to this show.Topic of the Week: How to Create a Mastermind GroupIn this interview Jonathan shares how he got started in mastermind groups and the steps he has taken to keep the group working.Step 1 - Find the Right Group of ProspectsJonathan shares about how he went about methodically finding the right group of people. Like minded people, not only in their business objectives, but also in the values.Some of his key questions in finding group members:What values do I want the others to have. For Jonathan he was looking for people who wanted to grow a platform the correct way, who had a spirit of giving, and who had Christian values.What objectives should they have?Jonathan felt it was key to look for a set of people willing to share and learn from each other. He wanted to avoid those people who only want to be in the group to advertise their product or services or to dominate with their purposes.Now with this information in hand, he searched for places where these people hang out. Jonathan searched forums to find his right group. He found that forums in which you had to pay to be a member worked best.Step 2 -  Qualify the ApplicantsOnce he had some ideas of where to find people, he posted a call. In it he was clear about what he wanted to do, and asked people who were interested to fill out a quick form answering questions about where they were professionally and their goals for being in a group.Then he did  a phone interview. The purpose of the interview was to see how that person might fit in and understand their own objectives.Jonathan was clear that not everyone who expressed interest was let into the group.Step 3 - Set the Ground Rules and ExpectationsEveryone should know what is expected in time and commitment. And, while being flexible, a set of ground rules will help. Jonathan asked us to vote on a set of Mastermind Guidelines. These guidelines stipulated some very important issues we all needed to agree on or at least discuss if we did not agree. These included:Group purposeRole of each memberWhen and how (where) our group will meetAttendance expectations (we do 9 out of 12 over 90 days is a commitment)Group etiquette and dismissal guidelines. Two key things in this are tearing each other down or sharing content outside of the group.This document is only one page, but makes it very clear how we operate.Step 4 - Keep it FreshThe group periodically explores some different focus areas. We might explore a book or a strategy together, but we do something to keep things fresh and moving forward.How to Manage Your Mastermind GroupHaving worked with many groups and seen things fail, a good management plan is key. Here are things that our group - under Jonathan's guidance - does.Quit on time - Our group meets for 1 hour weekly. While we might go ove

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