I have some strong beliefs about the role of a Mastermind Group Facilitator: It’s Not About YOU.
The job of a Mastermind Group Facilitator is to help the group to coach each other, teach them how to brainstorm effectively, help hold each member accountable for taking action, and facilitate discussions. A skillful Facilitator helps to create a harmonious group where everyone feels safe and respected, and everyone is attempting to work towards their highest potential.
I see too many mastermind groups run by “gurus” where the focus is on the guru. When it’s someone’s turn to be in the Hot Seat, everyone is waiting for the guru to tell them what to do or how to think. In my opinion, that’s not true masterminding. The focus of a mastermind group should be on each other, not on the guru or coach.
That’s not to say that the Mastermind Group Facilitator can’t or shouldn’t be an expert in something. It helps if they are. But the facilitator should be the last to speak, not the first. If your ego is bound up in “being the guru,” then don’t confuse people by calling your group a mastermind group…it’s more akin to ”group coaching” or a “training group” if everyone is looking to the leader for the answer, or at least, for the questions.
I don’t know who first said this, but my hat’s off to whomever did: You are the guide on the side, not the sage on the stage.
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2 Comments
Hi Karyn,
This is valuable advice; I am currently running a Success Team (based on Barbara Sher’s work), and I have been very lucky in that the people who showed up just naturally “got it” (understood the concept and principles of the group) and in that sense the group runs itself. However, I do have to watch for that tendency in myself to feel obligated to have the answers for people, so this is a good reminder.
I have a question though. I want to eventually run this or similar groups for pay. How do I justify charging people money for the group if I am on the sidelines, and others in the group are providing as much assistance as I am?
“Well, I took the initiative to organize the group” doesn’t seem in my mind to justify more than nominal fees.
Emma
Hi, Emma,
I agree, just organizing the group wouldn’t justify a few (though there can be a lot of administrative work associated with mastermind groups). Where I feel a fee is justified is when the Mastermind Group Facilitator is both an expert in the subject at hand and an expert in facilitating groups. I feel the Facilitator should speak at meetings, helping the group to see what they might have overlooked, getting them to work more deeply, helping them be more creative, and dealing with group dyamics problems as they arise. But the Facilitator should be the last to speak during each Hot Seat, not the first.