LISTEN AND LEARN

  Another way to spend time with successful people is to take advantage of the amazing books, podcasts, and videos produced by successful people—learning their proven strategies and becoming inspired by their success. Here are some that I listen to and highly recommend to you:

  The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes

  Eventual Millionaire with Jaime Tardy

  The Tim Ferriss Show with Tim Ferriss

  Find Your Amazingness with Veera Markkanen

  Extreme Productivity with Kevin Kruse

  Girlboss Radio with Sophia Amoruso

  Getting Things Done with David Allen

  The Science of Success with Matt Bodnar

  The Creative Empire with Reina Pomeroy & Christina Scalera

  Entrepreneur on Fire with John Lee Dumas

  Also, go to player.fm/podcasts/Success-on-the-Internet, where literally hundreds of podcasts are listed, and many are focused on specific populations such as success for women, solo entrepreneurs, small business owners, startups, real estate investors, farmers, and crowdsourcing fund-raisers.

  INTERVIEW SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

  There are also successful people all around you from whom you could learn—you just have to look for them and take the first step to reach out to them. Most people, however, will never take that first step—which is why most people still struggle to reach success.

  I was once asked to speak at a sales meeting for a company that manufactures optical lenses. I asked, “How many of you know who the top five salespeople in the company are?” Almost everyone raised their hand. Then I asked, “How many of you have ever approached one of these top five salespeople and asked them to share their secrets of success with you?” Not one hand went up. Seriously!

  So why don’t people take advantage of an amazing resource that is just a phone call, a cubicle, or a lunch conversation away? The answer for most people is that they fear rejection. They fear that the person will say, “No, I don’t want to share that with you.”

  Well, as I already revealed in Chapter 9 of this Workbook, you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain by asking. If they say no, you’re no worse off than before you asked them. You didn’t know the answer then, and you don’t know it now. Your life didn’t get worse. And if they say yes, you have the chance of learning some valuable information.

  Think about some of the successful people around you (at work, in your family, in your neighborhood, in your club, in your church or temple, or in your civic groups) that you could reach out to and ask.

  SUCCESS THROUGH LEARNING FROM OTHERS

  When Emile Labadie became an agent for the Wilson Learning Corporation selling management training programs, he was new to sales. However, he had one particular, rare trait that led him to success—and wealth. He was on the phone almost daily with the most successful salespeople in the company. Emile would ask them how they were selling a new program, or how they overcame specific common objections, or how they were able to reach a decision-maker at a client company who was in a higher position with greater buying power.

  But Emile didn’t just take: He would make sure that he was giving away his discoveries and best practices to the others at the same time. Emile made himself into a valued resource to the most successful—and the not–so-successful—people in the business. Besides learning from those who were selling the same products as he was, he would also reach out to people working in other companies that were related in some way to find out what was working for them. He worked as hard at helping others be successful as he was at helping himself. (Well, almost.) He always wanted to be at the top of the sales ranking, make the most money, and win every sales contest. Most of the time, he did.

  If you are going to be successful, you have to start spending time with successful people. You need to ask them to share their success strategies with you. You need to try out those strategies and see if they work for you. Experiment with doing what they do, reading what they read, thinking the way they think, and so on. If their way of thinking and behaving seems like it might work for you, adopt their mind-set and actions and see what happens. If not, keep looking, experimenting, and paying attention to the feedback to find what works for you.

  DISCOVERING MORE ABOUT YOU:

  Your Current and Future Groups

  Evaluate Your Current Group

  In the space below, list the five or more people you spend the most time with and evaluate their benefit or hindrance to your progress and success.*

  In the second column, place a “+” if the person is a positive influence, a “0” if they are neutral, or a “–” if they are mainly a negative influence.

  Name How She/He Contributes to My Success How He/She Hinders My Success

  Emily M. + She runs her own social media marketing company, and she is always so positive and willing to offer ideas.

  Mike C. – He appears professional, but I have seen him be dishonest.

  With Whom Would You Rather Spend Time?

  Now that you have identified those who contribute to your success—and those who don’t—you have the opportunity to revise your list of those with whom you want to spend time. After all, this is your life and your success. In the space below, list those with whom you would like to spend more time. They can replace those you identified above who tend to hinder your success.

  Name How She/He Could Contribute to My Success or Growth How Will I Approach This Person? By When

  Will E. He has his own successful coaching business and could give me advice. I could ask Sasha to introduce us via email or phone. 2/23

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  Your Ideal Mentors

  Create a list of at least 10 people you can think of, or unknown people with specific skills, from whom you could learn the most.

  Name What I Want to Learn from Him/Her By When

  Karen G. She launched a podcast, and I could ask her how she was able to get noteworthy people to be guests on her show. 12/11

  (Unknown person) Find someone who has published an e-book to learn about the tools they recommend for formatting a book. 12/11

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  Groups to Explore

  No matter where you live, there are probably groups meeting nearby that could benefit you and contribute to your success. Some may offer support and/or expertise. To locate groups, try a Google search, or view lists of meetings at Meetup.com. Fill in your answers below.

  What Would Be Helpful to You? Local Group to Check Out and Maybe Join By When

  Improve my ability to speak to groups Toastmasters 2/7

  How to start a podcast Local Meetup about podcasting, listed at Meetup.com 2/19

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  Make an Appointment

  Each day this week, call one person on the list above and ask if they would be willing to share their knowledge and experience with you. Schedule a meeting time with each person who agrees.

  Name When We Will Meet

  Karen G. She said yes! We will meet this Friday at her home office—and she will show me her recording setup, too!

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  Add to Your Life Success Journal

  Turn to Your Life Success Journal and complete the exercise for this chapter.

  Chapter

  15

  Start a Mastermind Group and Work with an Accountability Partner*

  The Mastermind principle consists of an alliance of two or more minds working in perfect harmony for the attainment of a common definite objective. Success does not come without the cooperation of others.

  NAPOLEON HILL

  Author of Think and Grow Rich

  One of the most powerful tools used by successful people is the mastermind group—a close-knit alliance of five or six people who meet regularly to help each other succeed more quickly and more easily. How? By brainstorming solutions to each other’s challenges and problems, sharing valuable resources with each other, encouraging each other to stretch and grow, keeping each other motivated, and holding each other accountable to taking those actions they’ve committed to pursuing.

  In this chapter, you’ll learn how to locate, evaluate, and join the right mastermind group, or create one of your own. You’ll also learn the six-step structure for efficient and effective mastermind group meetings that will ensure everyone gets maximum value from the meetings—a factor that ensures the group will stay together because all the members are getting a benefit. You will also read a step-by-step outline for successfully conducting your first and subsequent mastermind group meetings.

  In addition to joining a mastermind group, I also recommend you work with an accountability partner. This is a trusted colleague who agrees to hold you accountable to the daily tasks and longer-term goals you’re working on. Knowing you have to “report in” to someone you respect is a potent motivator for avoiding distractions, eliminating procrastination, and maintaining your focus on completing those specific tasks that will lead to the achievement of your most important goals.

  If you want to go fast, go alone.

  If you want to go far, go together.

  AFRICAN PROVERB

  YOUR MASTERMIND GROUP

  A mastermind group is a structure for accelerating both your personal and professional growth, as well as the achievement of your goals.

  A mastermind group is made up of people who come together regularly—weekly, biweekly, or monthly—to share ideas, thoughts, information, feedback, contacts, and resources. The group can focus on business issues, personal issues, or both. For a mastermind group to be powerfully effective, people must be committed to tell each other the truth about what they want to accomplish, where they are stuck or challenged, and what their needs are. Some of the most valuable feedback I have ever received has come from members of my mastermind group confronting me about overcommitting, selling my services too cheaply, focusing on the trivial, not delegating enough, thinking too small, and playing it safe.

  Members must also be committed to play full out with each other in terms of sharing their best ideas and resources, and also maintaining the confidentiality of what one shares in the group.

  HOW TO ASSEMBLE A MASTERMIND GROUP

  Choose people who are already at a level where you’d like to be in your life—or who are at least one or two levels above you. You’re probably wondering why they would want to be involved in a group with you. The answer is because they are not in a mastermind group, and you are the one organizing it and putting it together.

  Although the size can vary, the ideal size I have found for a mastermind group is five or six people. That way, each person will be able to have a chance to ask for and receive the support they need at each meeting, yet the sessions will still have a reasonable duration—usually one hour. If the group is any smaller than six people, if one or two people are sick—or unable to attend due to travel or a family emergency—the group loses its dynamic power.

  If you do not want to start your own group, consider joining an existing group. To find a local group, search online for “mastermind group” plus the area where you live. You can expand your search using the keywords “business networking” instead for organizations that may also offer mastermind groups. You can also search at Meetup.com for local meetings. If you prefer an online option, you can search using similar keywords, without a location.

  How to Conduct Your Mastermind Meeting

  As you start your mastermind group, keep in mind these proven guidelines as you plan for your first meeting.

  All members should attend all meetings.

  Meetings can be conducted in person, over the telephone (using a service, such as FreeConference.com or UberConference.com, that features screen-sharing) or using a videoconference service such as Zoom or Skype.

  Most people find that meeting every two weeks seems to be the optimal time. These meetings must be held as a top priority by all the members.

  The ideal length of time is 60 to 90 minutes. Set a time and strictly adhere to it at each meeting.

  Each meeting should have a designated timekeeper. It is vital that everyone gets his or her allotted amount of time and that you stick to the schedule. This is important if you want your group to last. Otherwise, meetings can drag on, and members will eventually lose interest and quit.

  As each member joins the group, he or she should familiarize the others with their major goals, current situation, and their current opportunities, needs, and challenges. This will allow the other members, in future meetings, to better ask the right questions and effectively brainstorm ways to support them. During the first meeting of the group, all the members should do this.

  Each member needs to agree to play full out—to openly share ideas, support, contacts, information, honest feedback, and anything else that will help advance the individual and group goals. This also means that every member should come to each meeting prepared to share his or her current challenges and requests for help—which occasionally are highly personal.

  One last guideline: If everyone has only 10 or 20 minutes to be the focus (depending on how long you have chosen to meet for), avoid the trap of spending too much time detailing the problem or the request, and make sure to leave enough time for brainstorming and suggestions.

  RECOMMENDED AGENDA

  Here are the best practices for conducting the actual meeting (together with the recommended time limit for each).

  Step 1: Invocation (1 minute)

  If the other members agree to it, start your meetings with an invocation—asking whatever Higher Power you believe in to be present and guide everyone to be fully present, ready to play full out, and to say and do only that which is for the highest good of each member in the group. You could also start with a prayer, an inspiring story, or an inspirational quotation. It is best to rotate this function to a different member each time and to let them do it in their own way.

  Step 2: Share What’s New and Good (1 minute for each person)

  Start by having each member share something positive and good that has happened since the last meeting. This can also include reporting on any actions they committed to take at the previous meeting.

  Step 3: Negotiate for Time (a total of 2 minutes or less for the group)

  Each person should ask for a certain amount of time to discuss their issues. Usually you can agree to divide the available time equally, but there may be times when certain members feel strongly that they need more time for an important issue or emerging crisis they are facing. Also, if not everyone wants a turn, they can allocate their time back to the group so each person needing time can have a bit more.

  Step 4: Individual Members Speak While the Group Listens and Then Brainstorms Solutions (7 to 10 minutes for each person)

  Each person has the amount of time negotiated and agreed to. They spend the first few moments of their time sharing the matter at hand for them—their problem, challenge, opportunity, need, or request—followed by asking for specific support such as ideas, solutions, resources, introductions, or something else. For the rest of their allotted time, the individual listens to the ideas and suggestions presented by the other members. It’s best not to spend too much time describing the challenge or the need so that there is enough time to hear possible solutions. It is also a good idea not to argue with the suggestions. Just listen and take notes.

  Step 5: Make a Commitment to Act (30 seconds or less per person)

  Each member commits to one or more actions they will take by the next meeting—based on the feedback and suggestions they’ve received from the group.

  Step 6: End with Gratitude/Share Appreciations (2 to 3 minutes total for the group)

  The meeting ends with each person sharing appreciations and acknowledgments to the people who contributed solutions. (For example: “Joe, I really appreciate your willingness to introduce me to the president of the bank. Jolene, I really appreciate your two ideas on how to handle that difficult client.”)

  The Last Step: Make sure everyone is clear about and committed to the next meeting time before you get off the call.

  MY MEETING PLAN FOR MY MASTERMIND GROUP MEETING*

  ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERS

  Having an accountability partner is one of the most powerful ways to ensure that you actually take the actions—especially the uncomfortable ones—necessary to achieve the successes you want, such as achieving the big Breakthrough Goal you set earlier in this Workbook.

  When you have an accountability partner, the two of you agree to talk regularly by phone or videoconference to hold each other accountable for taking the actions you need to take, meeting your deadlines, and accomplishing your goals. Use texting only as a last resort.