We hosted a challenge The Alliance Connection, our free Facebook group. This is the first of a 3-Part Series for our "What the Eff is a Mastermind?" Challenge

Let’s talk Masterminds!

I’m not going to share my whole Mastermind story with you right now, but I will tell you that masterminds solve this BIG, gigantic problem in the Self-Help / Personal Development world, and I’d love to know if this has ever happened to you:

• Have you ever read a book, have you ever listened to a podcast, have you ever went to a seminar and had things hit you like, “OH... That’s a good idea!”?
• Have you ever had something that you read, and you thought “Oh I should do that!"
• Have you ever been to a live-changing thing or an event or something and you come home and you’re like, “Oh man, I really want to all of this action!”

Do you FOLLOW THROUGH on what you learn at Live Events?

We get so excited, like “Oh my God, I’d like to do that”, but then there is LITTLE OR NO FOLLOW THROUGH! Right?! It’s happened to me more times than I can count, and this is my big beef with the self-help industry!

There is no way for you, for me, for any of us who seminar and read and podcast to really take what we learned and really apply it with accountability, to keep ussurging forward, and creating even more momentum. 

Some people might say that’s a coach, some people might say that it’s friends that you met at the event. That works. But there just nothing really out there right now that helps you create that consistency in a way that really surges forward really super positive momentum.

We talk coaches and group coaching and things in another post, but for right now, I just think about, “Oh my goodness, how many times have I done that? And how awesome it would be to have something where that was never my problem anymore.”

What if you DID everything you KNOW?

Implementation can be totally overwhelming.

It sounds like... "How the heck do I apply all this? There are so many things and now I just kind of don’t want do to anything."

Sometimes we get so excited that we just take on too much and we just don’t want to do f******* anything! I’ve done it too. Many, MANY times.

It’s time for you for you to see the results.

You know that result that you really, really want that you just haven’t been able to get there yet?  It’s time for that one. It’s time to get there.

Even if it’s just finding your “happy” at home. We get addicted to events and we’re super happy at events and then we come home and we’re not.

Now that isn’t everybody, but we do live on a high with our community and then we come home and it’s like, “Wait.. hmmm. Could I be happier? Maybe?”

How do we act and live in that peak state at home?

This is why I mastermind. It’s my heart and soul.

It pisses me off and it also breaks my heart to see so many friends work so hard, go to so many events, listen to so many podcasts just on repeat and they’re not getting the results because they don’t have a peer group supporting them, believing in them, kicking their a$$ when they need it.

Meet the peer group you wish existed.

I lead a mastermind called The Alliance.

My goal with this [3-part video series / blog series] is not to pitch you my mastermind. My outcome is to help you understand what’s a good one, what’s a really good one, what’s an outstanding one, and then what’s not a mastermind.

The word is being thrown around in a lot of different places and it's getting confusing. 

First, let’s talk about what a master mind is not.

1. Masterminds are not a Facebook group.
   • Facebook groups are often put together by really well-intentioned, awesome people who want support.
   • They post “Hey! Who wants to be in my mastermind?!” and then you get like hundreds of comments and add them to a Facebook group. Then they organize with something like... “We’re going to go live on Saturday for our Mastermind!” 
   • Maybe the facilitator knows a bit about what they're doing, or maybe they don’t. Different people show up every week, and most people never show up at all.
   • There’s like 300 people in this group and only 12 show up to the call, usually unsure how to prepare. Hot mess!
   • That’s not a mastermind. It might be really good for accountability especially for the one leading it, but it’s not a mastermind.
2. A mastermind is not a group coaching program.
   • In a mastermind there is no one person who is like the “guru”, or the coach, or is the one that you look to for all the answers.
   • It’s a peer group. There’s no hierarchy of one person is better than the other person. It’s like you’re all in a similar place and you all come together, and you all raise together.
   • Group coaching is FREAKING awesome! It’s incredible! Usually you get access to really high-level content, but at a lower price point because you have more people on the call. Group coaching is great, but it’s not a mastermind.
3. A mastermind is not a live guest speaker series.
   • Guest speakers are great. Live series with guest speakers are great. It’s like a pod cast, but we get to watch you live; I get to ask you questions on the air. It’s amazing!
   • It’s not a mastermind. Getting to learn from group experts with the same 30, 40, 50, 100 people every other week. Cool! Not a mastermind.

I feel like I have told you guys all the things that a mastermind is not, and I hate dwelling on the negative so we’re going to what a mastermind IS!

So what IS a mastermind?

It’s a peer group of 8 to 10 people (we like to keep ours to 8) who grow, support, and become more together 

True masterminds are always vetted and curated. People don’t just get into the group.

There is always a professional facilitator to vet the group and make sure the group is harmonious.

This whole idea of masterminds came from the book, “Think and Grow Rich”. (That’s why we do a Think and Grow Rich mastermind). In the Mastermind chapter, he will tell you over and over and over again, the most important phrase is "spirit of harmony"!

1. Vetted and curated
   • People don’t just get in. This isn’t just something that you go on the website and sign in and that’s it. This is not warm bodies in seats.
   • You actually need to connect with the facilitator and then they are like, “Oh yes, you’re a great fit for this group!” or they are like, “No, you’re not a good fit, but you’re a good fit for this group.” That’s the power! Vetted and curated.
2. Professionally facilitated (always, always, always)
   • If people in the group are even a little bit concerned about leading the group, they won’t be able to BE in the group.
   • This is similar to Crewing for Tony Robbins. You know that when you’re crewing, you’re not attending. If you go to crew and you’re trying to attend, it’s just not going to work out. They are going to ask you to buy a ticket or leave because you’re there to serve.
   • And when you’re a facilitator, you’re really there to serve. There is no outcome that I as a facilitator come with other than helping you get your results.
3. Systematic. Has to be systematic
   • Why can’t we just like, ya know, hop on the phone and talk for an hour every week? Because that’s not how you get results, friends!
   • You need someone to guide the call with a framework, so you can come to the call knowing exactly what to expect. You need to come to the call having prepared something.
   • This is similar to Coaching. 
     • If you’ve ever had a “bad coach” before, they never ask you to do any pre-work. You show up on the call and they’re like, “Hey, what’s going on today?” 
     • If you have a good coach, they’re like, “You need to fill out this {f*****) form before the call and if you don’t fill it out, you’re in trouble.” That’s what a good coach does.
   • It's really important that it’s systematic so you can guide the calls, so you all have the expectations and also so you an track progress because how the heck are you going to know if you’re getting results if you’re not tracking your progress?

At The Alliance, we are all about helping you in your personal growth!

We fit the definition of a true mastermind.

A peer group of 8 to 10 people (we like to keep ours to 8) who grow, support, and become more together! 

What qualities of people would you like to see in your mastermind?

Please comment below!