Mastermind – Accountability Partners Together Is Better!
One of the greatest maxims associated with Benjamin Franklin is that “Well done is better than well said.” It may be easy to relapse after making considerable progress. It takes a friend or a group of friends to help hold ourselves accountable for our actions (or lack of action). Such a group helps us remain on track. This is one of the purposes of the mastermind group.
Ben Franklin was committed to self-improvement. Consequently, he established a mastermind group, he called Junto, to help him stay firm in his journey. The great industrialist Andrew Carnegie also believed in the power of having a mastermind alliance. Accordingly, his mastermind helped propel him to be the wealthiest person in the world in his time.
Join a Mastermind Group
Alone, it may be easy to get distracted and discouraged, but with accountability partners, you are bound to be more successful in life and business. A mastermind group should offer you a combination of peer accountability, brainstorming, as well as support in a group setting.
Benjamin Franklin had a hard time sticking to some of his 13 virtues of success. Such a long life-commitment does have its challenges! The Junto helped him sharpen his personal and business skills as well as his resolve continue working on himself.
Mastermind – a proven principle
Having accountability partners allows you to examine your previous actions from another’s point of view and in turn elevate your performance in the future. In his biography, Benjamin Franklin attests that the Junto helped him and his peers to achieve success. As a result, this association saw each member influencing each other to set powerful goals. And so, the junto saw its members following up with each other to ensure each member achieved their goals.
Napoleon Hill, one of the greatest success authors, was among the first people to write on the topic ‘Laws of Success’. Napoleon spent the better part of 20 years interviewing the most successful and not-so successful people of his day. These included Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. Based on his findings, he dedicated an entire chapter of his landmark book Think and Grow Rich to the establishment of a mastermind group.
Benefits of Having Accountability Partners
As the maxim goes, ‘two heads are better than one’. When it comes to accountability, together is better. Having a mastermind group gives you the following benefits
- Determine what you want your business and life to look like in a given period of time
- Overcome isolation by surrounding yourself with like-minded allies
- Access other’s knowledge and skills to help you get to the next step
- Improve your productivity and efficiency
- Brainstorming, advice, and support from your peers
- Concrete steps towards a better life
What does a mastermind group look like?
Your mastermind group does not need to be local. With modern technology it is easy to ‘meet’ with people from different parts of the world on regular intervals. You should explore such options as Skype, Facetime and Zoom to name a few.
Mastermind partners should be people who have something to offer the group as much as you are willing to extend your help to the other members. They should be like-minded and willing to support your goals.
Ideally, your mastermind group should meet at a set time every week. Creating this habit is important for consistent progress. Most importantly, each meeting should be run in a timely fashion. Each member gets an agreed upon amount of time to state their goal, needs or issues after which the group offers their advice and support.
Conclusion
One thing that holds many people back is in choosing the appropriate accountability partners or mastermind partners. The best group of people ought to hold you accountable as well as to offer advice to keep you on your path to success.