The Highly Effective Person’s Guide To Character vs. Personality

Why The Power of a Paradigm Is All In “The Shift”

 

How can you be sure that people in your mastermind groups move in the right direction?

 

You can’t “force” them to create their own pathway to growth. If you aren’t careful, you could even make progress more difficult. Nobody wants to do that.

 

Author Stephen Covey gave us a great insight in his landmark book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:

 

“The map is not the territory. A map is simply an explanation of certain aspects of the territory. A map is exactly what a paradigm is. It is a theory, an explanation, or a model of something else.”

 

You’ve probably heard the term “paradigm” before. It’s a way of thinking about something. You might have worked hard to change how you think about love, or success. You know the power a good paradigm shift can make for yourself, but what about the members of your mastermind?

 

In four decades of leading people, I think the most overlooked reason executives and high performers get paid like they do is their ability to communicate the right things well. Great leaders take all their insight, experience, maturity and wisdom … and merge it with the ability to talk, write and act on it well. That’s how other people begin to follow.

 

Leading others is made easier with the knowledge, tools, and strategies that are in The Mastermind Playbook.

 

Why Growth Won’t Happen Unless You Shift Your Paradigm

 

I started running masterminds late in my career, after over two decades as a member of one. But doing mastermind groups online presented some challenges.

 

I believed it would be difficult to get the same amount of engagement and camaraderie between members without “face time.” Well, if 2020 taught us anything about virtual meetups, my hunch was right. We lose a huge chunk of the spiritual connection we make in-person.

 

 As I explored this new territory (with a misguided map), those troubles seemed to find me.

 

Members didn’t connect…

 

Commitments seemed harder to keep…

 

And I began to worry.

 

It wasn’t until I took a good, hard look inward that I recognized the real problem. I’d worked with unique groups in different scenarios for years. I could have rationalized, and said the online format is “too new” or “too hard.” But at the same time, we were growing. People were finding us through digital marketing efforts, especially podcast interviews. The problem wasn’t the medium; it was the end user experience.

 

We had to ask: “What’s the difference between what somebody hears on a podcast, versus what they experience week after week in our mastermind groups?” 

 

Eventually, it hit me: my own paradigm needed a change. 

 

As soon as I did, it put the members at ease. They started making connections that went above and beyond anything I’d hoped for. They started making commitments to grow and serve. And I found new confidence and passion for everything I’d started.

 

We didn’t reinvent the wheel with how we carried out the sessions. It just took some fine tuning in how we thought about them. We discovered how little work we’d put to writing, explaining and communicating our values and vision for them as members. We “thought” they understood it from what we’d said … until we asked them, and found out they weren’t tracking us at all.

 

Do you see how important a paradigm shift can be?

 

Your next paradigm shift could happen when you absorb the information in The Mastermind Playbook.

 

Paradigms in Action

 

So how do you guide members through these life-changing breakthroughs? One way to describe this is the saying “You get out what you put in.”

 

If you start thinking about something a certain way all the time, it’s because you’ve embraced it as true. As far as your subconscious mind is concerned, that’s just “the way things are.” 

 

So if you hold a belief that life is set against you, or all rich people are thieves, or you’ll never find love, chances are your “map” will lead you to destinations that prove you right!

 

The good news is, the opposite is also true. When you believe you’re a magnet for success, you typically find your path blessed with opportunity.

 

No doubt, you’re going to have members who join with different paradigms. As the trusted mentor-coach, it’s up to you to clear their path and provide an honest look at the “territory,” so they can form new paradigms. This allows them to see things as they really are. 

 

 

Personality Ethic vs. Character Ethic

 

You owe it to the people in your online mastermind groups to ensure the changes they experience go deep and last a long time. Don’t let them make another classic mistake. Covey warns against going in the opposite direction, and choosing “Personality” over “Character.”

 

That’s like putting on a band-aid, when you really need stitches or surgery. One’s much easier (and more surface-level) than the other. But only one truly stops the bleeding, so healing can begin. (Sorry for the graphic analogy, but it’s the best way I can think to describe it.)

 

The Personality Ethic says a bright smile and the right psychological tricks allow you to schmooze your way to the top. I cringe when I hear people who want to become entrepreneurs say things like “I don’t have the right connections” or “I’m not the coolest guy in the room.” I want to grab them by the shoulders and shake them and say, “Man, what are you talking about?”

 

Have you ever had a disagreement with a friend or colleague? Take a moment to think back on how you handled that situation. Did you or the other party use a show of force to control the outcome? Or how about flattery? Did you try to win the other person over or diffuse the situation by telling them what they wanted to hear?

 

This is how the Personality Ethic handles those situations.

 

The Character Ethic uses “pillars” of character. You start by listening, and showing compassion and empathy to create a win-win situation. All parties should feel satisfied with the outcome and health of the relationship moving forward.

 

Do you want to open up new possibilities for your mastermind members? Are you longing to create lasting, foundational change for those you lead? 

 

I want to invite you to check out The Mastermind Playbook. Learn how to guide high performers to new victories while taking your business to the next level!