I Do Not Have Time for This!
All week, I’ve been attacking your fears about joining or creating a mastermind group. Today, I’m writing about what could be the number one “fear” about working with others.
Resistance Fear #4 – It’s not worth the time
Reading my messages this week listing all the benefits of forming a group, you may have been thinking, “That makes sense, but I don’t have the time.” Or “I wish I could join a group like this, but I’m too busy.”
But once you realize all that you can gain from a mastermind group, I know you’ll be able to make the time. (Plus, I’ve found that meeting with others can actually increase productivity.)
First, it gives you the opportunity to pool your resources with someone else. We each have different resources – be they books, research resources, computer programs, notes from a seminar, etc. Not only that, but we can also draw from each other’s experiences and knowledge.
Also, you never know what someone else will do for you. If you’re stuck on a project, they can give you ideas or tips, or maybe they’ll even volunteer to help. Of course, you would probably want to offer them a fair wage or offer to return the favor. Remember, groups succeed with an attitude of give and take.
Also, mastermind groups give you a forum for networking and self-promotion. Now, you have to strike a balance here … again, it’s give and take. You need to want to help others, and you have to be willing to ask for help.
With that said, if a member of the group has too much work, she can refer a client to you. Or if your friend focuses on a specific niche, he may refer you to clients outside of his niche that have contacted him.
Lastly, the group can be a great place for collaboration. This could be done in the meeting itself, or you could ask specific people to help you on a project outside of the meeting.
Working with another person often speeds up work and increases the quality. This is especially true if the other person already has an idea of the project you’re working on, which would be true in a mastermind group.
I hope that clears things up. Working with a group of your peers is definitely worth the time it takes. You can’t afford not to do it. Have you already been working with a group of your peers? If so, please share your experience with me by posting a comment below.
Of course, group dynamics can be tricky. So tomorrow I’m compiling some tips for having a positive group experience. You’ll really want to read these … they’ll help everything run smoothly for the group you’ll be forming.
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Well, my first thought at a lot of marketing items I get is "I don't have time," but sometimes I glean a bit of info from them. As for a group, I live in a very small town, and my business (an online news source) has mostly print competitors, one of whom I can speak to, because we agree on things and share items, but a group is not in my future as long as I live here. I do a lot of networking at meetings, however, and get side writing and proofreading jobs to support my online "newspaper." :-)
MAM – September 8, 2011 at 4:34 pm
MAM,
Remember, groups don't have to be in person. And as I mentioned in previous articles, they don't all have to be about work either. In our digital world, we can form groups across the planet quite easily. Even something as simple as a Linkedin group can provide direction, clarity and aha moments to move you forward.
Sean McCool – September 8, 2011 at 5:23 pm
An interesting thing seems to happen in 'groups' peer or otherwise, someone always steps in and puts their concerns on the table preventing others from sharing as it is not 'on topic'. Presents a bit of a dilemma.
Pauline – September 9, 2011 at 1:01 pm