Brilliant thinkers and the Mastermind Groups that propelled them to success
The idea of bringing many minds together into one 'master mind' has a long history. From ancient times to now, mastermind groups are a powerful tool used by the world's most successful people. If you're on the fence about joining a Mastermind group, consider some of these famous masterminds. – Sharidyn Rogers
In the autumn of 1727, 21-year-old Ben Franklin desired to connect and learn from his friends in various fields as a group rather than meet with them one on one. With 12 friends, he formally started the Junto Club, also known as the Leather Apron Club. For the next 38 years, the club met Friday evenings to discuss issues of morals, politics or natural philosophy. Franklin devised a list of provocative questions to bring about productive conversation. Thanks to the success of the club, it produced proposals for the creation of the first lending library, the Union Fire Company, the University of Pennsylvania, volunteer militia and Pennsylvania Hospital among other public projects. Club members attributed their success to the support they received from each other.
The four vagabonds – Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone and naturalist John Burroughs – set out to improve the travel experience and safety of America's roads. They embarked on a series of summer camping trips that carried on for over 10 years. The trips were well organised and equipped and usually lasted two weeks. This provided an opportunity for the group to unwind and learn from one another. Several heavy passenger cars and vans carried the travellers, household staff and equipment. Ford Motor Company photographers also accompanied the group.
A modern example is Pixar, which started experimenting in the 1990s to see if it could reinvent animated movies. The studio executives passed compulsory notes to directors for years that were meant to ensure success but often turned out as bland formulas. As a result, they threw out the traditional system and formed an internal Brain Trust of writers and directors who gave notes on each other's projects in a peer-to-peer form. The directors could pick and choose the advice to follow. However, they had to rehearse based on feedback and return regularly with new drafts of their storyboards that resolved the issues the Brain Trust had identified. Through this system, Pixar directors were led to create stories that were unusual but still appealed to a mass audience.
If you are in a peer group, you are in good company! Other famous people who have said they have benefited from a mastermind group are Bill Gates, Andrew Carnegie, Richard Branson, Oprah, Warren Buffett, and Charles Schwab.
Read also:
For more information, click here.
Loading…