16 Ways To Improve Loyalty

How to Build a Mastermind Group That Lasts

Have you ever read a passage in a book that was like a blueprint or done-for-you strategy? 

I found 16 ways to improve loyalty for building a mastermind that lasts, from Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book, “Leadership In Turbulent Times.” 

It’s like it was written for me, and all I have to do is execute it. That made me think of you, because if you follow these principles, you can also build a mastermind group online that lasts.

WHY FOCUS ON LOYALTY?

You might think loyalty occurs naturally, so long as you’re polite and kind to people. That’s a start, but for online mastermind groups, it won’t cut the mustard.

I think back to my early days as business coach to drive this point home: the mastermind business is value-driven. Anytime you set up shop as a “people builder,” you’d better have some strong character to back it up.

Let’s also take an illustration from a healthy marriage. A husband or wife might get away with being polite and kind, but have you ever heard the expression “Good, not great?” That kind of attitude could lead to disloyalty, and it’s a sign someone isn’t doing their homework.

16 WAYS TO IMPROVE LOYALTY FOR ONLINE MASTERMINDS

Here’s how you do it.

• Gather firsthand information, ask questions. Your members need to know you care, before they care enough about what you know, to the extent they’ll pay for it.

• Find time and space in which to think. If you’re running a business mastermind, you need to delegate as many tasks as possible. We’ve created a tool to help you do this called The Mastermind Playbook.

• Expect disagreements. There’s no sense avoiding issues, as I’ve re-learned during these last five months.

• Take full responsibility for big decisions. Once you declare your intent to do something, you need to follow through.

• Acknowledge failures, change direction. If your actions fail, it’s okay to change directions if you can own your part in the failure.

• Talk it out before acting unilaterally. Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors, they succeed.

• Understand the emotional needs of each member. Some members process things differently from others. It’s better to expect a different angle than a similar one.

• Set a standard of mutual respect and dignity; control anger. We tell the truth in ISI, but we won’t do it angrily or with contempt.

• Refuse to hold grudges. Forgiveness, mercy and grace … what kind of Christian life coach would I be without them? You have to set this tone when people offend you.

• Maintain perspective in the face of victory and defeat. It’s tempting to become prideful when you’re riding high, and gloomy when you’re riding low. Neither one is good.

•  Find ways to cope with pressure, maintain balance, replenish energy. I model and teach members my morning routine, because it’s a huge part of where I get my energy!

• Keep your word. This is so critical in ISI, our members have to answer it on their weekly accountability tool. Do what you say you’re going to do.

• Know when to hold back, when to move forward. I always tell people I’d rather say “whoa” than “go,” and knowing when to pull on the reins comes with experience.

• Be accessible, easy to approach. The members of your masterminds online won’t want to talk to you if you’re as prickly as a cactus.

• Put ambition for the group above self-interest. I’ve found members of our mastermind groups take good care of me, when I put their growth and development at the front of my agenda.

• Shield members from blame. When a member makes a mistake where word could spread quickly, you must confront them privately, while publicly taking responsibility.

This is a list of skills and attributes of President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. They’re why he commanded such loyalty from his cabinet and the Union army. 

The most interesting part is plenty of the people who worked under Lincoln disagreed with him sharply. Some of them had previously insulted or humiliated him, including his secretary of war, Edwin Stanton.

Many military generals he promoted failed him by making poor decisions on the battlefield. This was fascinating - Lincoln actually kept a drawer full of letters he never sent them! They were letters of reprimand, but Lincoln used them to unpack his frustration, like stress balls.

THE MASTERMIND THAT LASTS

If President Lincoln were alive today, would you like to be in a mastermind group with him? I know I would. Yes, his knowledge was incredible, but when you look at a list like this, you just know that man had character.

Now, you need to develop character if you’re going to lead a mastermind. But there’s one thing you can get that President Lincoln could only dream of: The Mastermind Playbook. 

Just imagine how much better his cabinet meetings might have gone, if all the members had been reading the same book and answering the same questions to help each other grow!

Imagine how many more letters Lincoln could have written and never sent to people, if he’d had a virtual assistant to type them for him!

Those are the jobs we teach you to avoid with this tool, so you can focus on the 16 ways to improve loyalty and build a mastermind that lasts.