In 1927, Benjamin Franklin gathered a group of tradesmen and formed the “Junto Club” (sometimes known as the “Leather Apron Club”) to meet on Friday nights and discuss politics, philosophy, morals, and other relevant issues of the time.
The group was purportedly one of the first masterminds on record. In case “mastermind” is a new term for you, (also known as a peer-to-peer group), it’s a group of people aligned around a common purpose who come together for brainstorming, learning, and knowledge-sharing, with a goal to improve.
The Junto Club was (presumably) led by Franklin, and to which he asked thought-provoking questions for the benefit of the attendees, such as:
“Have you met with anything in the author you last read, remarkable, or suitable to be communicated to the Junto? Particularly in history, morality, poetry, physics, travels, mechanic arts, or other parts of knowledge?”
Or, “Have you any weighty affair in hand, in which you think the advice of the Junto may be of service?”
I spent a recent weekend immersing myself in a mastermind led by Dorie Clark, with 12 colleagues, none of whom I knew, and all with the common goal of growing our businesses.
Partnering with people I don’t know is important to me. According to Adam Grant’s research, time with your “strong ties” – people in your inner circle – provides you with redundant knowledge. Time with “weak” or “dormant” ties can open up whole new perspectives.
Unlike Ben Franklin and his entourage, we did not discuss poetry, physics, or mechanic arts, nor did we birth grand initiatives such as the University of Pennsylvania, the lending library, and the concept of a volunteer militia (which the Leather Apron Club in fact did!)
We did, however, share our business models, strategies, goals, hopes, dreams, and challenges, with the intent of learning with each other, so we can put our own great work out into the world.
The questions put to us were more relevant to today’s business environment vs. what Franklin asked his group above. They included, among others:
- What’s whispering to you?
- What do you need to prune?
- What can you extract?
- Where can you diversify?
The questions created a pattern interrupt which provided an opportunity to pause, reflect and be more intentional about what I’m creating.
And so, with commitments made, inspiration in hand, and hugs given and received, I boarded a plane back home, my brain swimming with ideas and buzzing with excitement, and my heart full of gratitude.
Now it may not have anything to do with higher education, reading, or reservists, but participating in a mastermind can yield other amazing outcomes for you too. Some organizations offer them to employees. Many do not. And don’t let that stop you from creating your own.
Whether it’s a small and intimate group of colleagues, or a more expansive coming together with people you don’t know well, there is tremendous benefit in getting out of your normal day-to-day. It’s hard to grow if you never leave your comfort zone.
If reading this has now sparked in you a desire to participate in a mastermind, the internet is rife with information on how to go about it. Here’s my take on quick steps to create your own mastermind:
- Decide on your goals. Participants don’t all need to have the exact same goal. If the group is aligned broadly, that works. In my case, everyone is interested in growing their business. And everyone has different types of businesses or business structures. It still works.
- Talk to people. Get a sense of what colleagues or friends are working on and see if they have a shared or similar goal. Ask for intros to others who might be interested in joining forces with you. If you can connect with “weak ties” – this can substantially increase your learning.
- Agree on the structure. Identify the meeting day, time, length, and cadence that works best for the group. There is no one “right” way to do this. Note that the more people you have, the more diverse perspectives you’ll be exposed to, and the more time you may want to allocate for discussions. For instance, 90 minutes could be enough for six people to get air time, but probably isn’t enough if you have 12.
- Create your meeting format. Determine up front if the group will be led by an individual or co-led by the group as a whole. Reflect on other format options. Does everyone get equal time to speak? Do only those with a specific need for support get to share? Do you want to do a check-in at the start of each meeting to ground everyone in the process? What’s most important to the group that’s gathering?
- Craft group agreements. Think through how you want to handle things like confidentiality, accountability, attendance, managing air time, potential conflict, or anything else that is important to participants.
- Set your intention and match your mindset. Decide in advance what you hope to gain from participation, what you can offer to the group and the mindset that enables you to maximize your learning.
- Have fun. ‘Nuf said.
Masterminds work because when done right, people have the commitment, support, and accountability they need to achieve their goals and be successful.
Doing this creates connection, which is one of the components of the Leadership Fluency Framework, the system I use when working with ambitious leaders to create sustainable, high-performance without sacrificing health, relationships, or family.
Did you know that there are also people out and about in the world that run masterminds? If you’re a woman in leadership with 10+ years of experience and think you might be interested in a mastermind experience, please hit “reply” and let me know. Or click here to grab a few minutes on my calendar.
