Personal Assessment Wheel

The homework assignment from our first session was to complete this Personal Assessment Wheel. An interesting exercise for sure and a good opportunity to reflect on where I'm at and what areas of my life may need some attention. My two lowest scores were in the career and health & well being quadrants. What does your wheel look like?

Session 1: feels like the first day of school

Throughout the next couple of months I'm going to blog about my experience as I embark upon this mastermind journey. Because the conversations are confidential, I'll leave out many details of what is discussed and will instead focus on sharing my insights and ways that this group has influenced my path.

Today was our first session and it felt much like the first day of school. I was excited to see who would be in my class, energized by the possibility of the things to come, and a bit nervous. All of these feelings were quickly replaced by a sense of comfort and ease as soon as we began to connect.

We started out with some housekeeping and introductions. And then masterminding began. The process goes a little something like this. Each person has 15 minutes, during which time they present their challenge to the group and then it's open for discussion. The discussions are much like a mind map, where people build off of others insights, resulting in a conversation that ebs and flows, and is full of interesting nuggets. Specific pieces of advice are given (keeping your desk clean can improve your ability to focus on the tasks at hand). Suggestions are made for how you might approach the situation from a different angle (it’s not just black and white, be open to the grey area). Books are recommended that may help you get where you want to go. And resources are offered up (I'll send you a contact for that or you can borrow that book from my collection). After each person has had their turn, you go back around and everyone commits to what they are going to take away as homework to complete before the next session.

By the end of this first session it felt as though we had become a close-knit team all invested equally in each other’s success. This is going to be an exciting journey, that's for sure. And just like school, now that I've had a taste, I can't wait to get back into the classroom!

Recognizing top talent

With the economy what it is today, many companies are not offering salary increases to top talent employees. Many are asking themselves, how can I retain my employees, while cutting costs? Employees want recognition, and not necessarily in the form of salary. They want visibility, top projects and to be considered as a successor. A great form of rewarding these employees is to endorse them in a development opportunity. Give them training, a personal coach, external education, or better yet- give them the opportunity to have their own personal 'board of directors'. Enroll them in a Mastermind Group at Mastermind Headquarters. It will give them 9 other ways of looking at their challenges and opportunities, including the perspectives of two Executive coaches! Contact me to learn more.

Secrets of the Mastermind

We've received a fabulous offer from one of our extra special Mastermind Headquarters participants. She's planning on blogging her experiences of what it is like to be in the 'Power of Eight'. More to come soon!!