Create a Mastermind Group to Help Your Career

Dorie Clark

August 13, 2015

Getting to the top of your field is a challenge, but it s easier with the

support of a strong peer network. A group of trusted colleagues often known

as a mastermind group can provide honest feedback, help you refine your

ideas, and share insights and leads. They can also inspire you with their

successes and support you when you face setbacks. Most of us have some helpful

professional contacts, but if you want to be part of a community of people

focused on helping one another, you ll likely need to take action to create it.

In my new book, Stand Out, I profile Kare Anderson, an Emmy-winning former

journalist who has started two mastermind groups that have been running

continuously for over 20 years. Few endeavors these days can boast such

longevity, and Anderson says the impact on her personal and professional life

has been profound: You look back on notes you ve taken, and it s a way of

realizing how much we ve evolved, she says.

Here s how she structured her groups to be a positive force in their members

lives for more than two decades.

Identify your ideal group makeup. Start by making a list of the people you d

most like to have in the group. Depending on your preferences, it can be a mix

of people from different professions (which gives you access to cross-industry

insights), or folks in the same industry (who can trade knowledge and

experiences). In the latter case, it s important not to invite direct

competitors into the group, to ensure members feel comfortable speaking freely.

Whatever you decide on, says Anderson, Extreme diversity within that framework

will make it much more valuable, and you re going to grow more.

Choose members wisely. Don t rush into offering a group membership to someone

you haven t fully vetted firing someone once they re a member can be

extremely awkward. It s fine to target people you don t know well as possible

members, but go slow and get to know them as individuals before issuing an

official invitation. Invite them out for coffee or lunch to see them in

different situations. Finally, host an informal gathering of several potential

members to see what the social dynamics are like. If one person dominates the

conversation or creates a contentious atmosphere, perhaps he s not the best

fit. Depending on how the group is structured, the founder may have exclusive

say on who joins, or as in Anderson s case once someone signs on, they may

get an equal vote on future members.

Set ground rules. It s important for members to know exactly what they re

getting into. Stating the group s goals and values up front will enable

potential candidates to make an informed decision about whether they d like to

participate. After all, you want the group to be a commitment they re making

for the long term. Anderson s groups have three key rules: confidentiality, no

referral fees if members send each other new business (to avoid making the

relationship transactional), and if you make a commitment to another member,

you keep it. Group members strive to be on the lookout for ideas and

opportunities for their colleagues. You ask yourself, Am I giving as much as

the others are? Anderson says. It sets a standard. It s not a quid pro quo,

but there s an expectation that members will contribute.

Other groups may choose to emphasize different ground rules. For example, some

may not need to focus on confidentiality if the topics discussed aren t

personal, or referral fees may be encouraged as a part of the group s operating

model. The key is to provide clarity around the purposes you d like the group

to serve (emotional support, business leads, sharing best practices, joint

revenue opportunities, etc.).

Develop a structure. Anderson s groups meet monthly not often enough to

become a burden on members time, but enough to keep up with developments in

each other s lives. When you re meeting monthly and you continue to do so, you

know so much, you talk in shorthand, she says. Together, we can bounce ideas

more clearly off each other because we know each other so well and give candid

feedback. Each meeting has a specific structure. The group connects via Skype

and members speak in the same order each month, mentioning something they need

and any help they can offer to others. The other members chime in if they can

assist ( You ve said you need a new accountant, and I know a great one, or

You need advice about speaking to an insurance company, and I m very familiar

with the industry ). But when something important comes up, like a new job

opportunity or a family upheaval, the group is flexible enough to abandon the

typical structure and spend the entire call supporting the member in need by

listening, offering advice, and sharing resources.

Anderson has benefited professionally from the group in many ways, from

learning about new technologies that improve her business to staying abreast of

industry trends. It s also put dollars into her pocket. When she was being

considered as a keynote speaker for a conference and had little experience in

the industry, the conference organizer was willing to take a chance on hiring

her purely on the basis of two people from her group vouching for her. She

believes the biggest benefit of the group, however, has been the personal

growth that s come from cultivating deep, long-term professional relationships.

It s scalable, not in terms of more [group members], but in the ways we know

to help each other. There s a record of witnessing each other s lives, she

says. It s made me a better person because of the mutuality at the center of

it.

The public conversation around networking is often about the quick hits: how to

shake more hands and grab more business cards. But creating a longer-running

mastermind group, whether you want it to last a few years or a lifetime, is a

testament to the value of depth over breadth. In a fast-moving world, having

people in your life who have watched you grow and progress can be a powerful

touchstone, with lasting results.

Dorie Clark is a marketing strategist and professional speaker who teaches at

Duke University s Fuqua School of Business. She is the author of Reinventing

You and Stand Out. You can receive her free Stand Out Self-Assessment Workbook

or follow her on Twitter.