The Success Alliance Blog

The core principle of a mastermind group is trust.

One way to enhance that trust among members is to have everyone sign a non-disclosure agreement.

A non-disclosure agreement (also known as a confidentiality agreement) is a written agreement among the mastermind group members that all conversations, ideas and document shared among members will remain strictly private and will not be shared with anyone else, including spouses, co-workers, etc.

According to Wikipedia, a non-disclosure agreement has these elements:

1. It’s in writing

2. It’s signed by all parties

3. It outlines what can and cannot be discussed outside the group

4. It restricts what materials each party can use in public

5. Exclusions for what is not confidential, if any

6. Length of agreement

For mastermind groups, this type of agreement goes a long way to ensuring that everything said and shared in meetings is kept private. In personal mastermind groups, it means that all your thoughts and feelings will remain confidential. In business mastermind groups, it means that any documents you share with the group members, any brainstorming you do around a new business idea, and any discussions around particular problems or challenges will be kept confidential as well.

Some mastermind group facilitators feel that confidentiality agreements are too draconian. But most mastermind members I’ve queried say that they’d prefer to have it in writing, especially with a new group where the members don’t know each other well. It also helps members feel more secure should a member leave the group, that they are still bound by the same non-disclosure agreement.