Victory Formation - Why You Shouldn’t Wait Until 2021 to Start Your Mastermind Group
A long time ago, I was once a lone wolf entrepreneur without community.
To be honest, I’ve got so used to having masterminds online and business coaches, it’s hard to remember what life was like back then. The longer I do this, the more I feel like it’s “always been this way,” even though that’s not the truth.
I’m writing because I thought you could do with one more reminder: isolation is the enemy of excellence. If you’ve thought about starting an online mastermind group, “now” is always the right time.
This year’s given us its own fear-based reasons to hold our fire. The ground keeps twitching under our feet, telling us it isn’t the right time. We don’t know what the future holds … so we think we’ll survive by hunkering down and playing Lone Ranger?!
That’s not going to fly. I can understand your hesitation to open a brick-and-mortar business in downtown Portland; what’s out of place is the idea that you’ll do better alone … trust me, it’s never worked!
Thinking about this reminded me of the game of football. Have you heard of the expression “victory formation”? This comes at the end of the game. Teams use it when they need to run out the clock to finish, according to the rules.
The winning team, if they have the ball, takes a snap - the center hikes it to the quarterback. But then, the quarterback immediately drops to one knee and takes a down ball. This allows for another 30 seconds to burn off the clock.
If you have a lead with exactly one minute left in the game and you’ve got a fresh set of downs, all you need to do is take two victory formation knees, and that game is over.
This may feel a long way away for you in business. That’s why we’re using this occasion to invite you to join one of our mastermind groups. Nothing prepares you for a victory formation like joining one that’s already formed.
Click here to apply to be in one of our men’s mastermind groups.
Click here to apply to join our newest women’s mastermind group.
Why You Need to Start Building Your Victory Formation Now
I don’t need to tell you - victory formations are like Christmas. They only come once! If you’re deliberately taking a knee, it’s because there’s no sense making a play. This lineup basically tells everyone watching, “We’ve sealed the deal.”
The problem in your way is all the different strategies, plays and maneuvers you have to make, in order to get there.
I’d be misleading you if I failed to tell you, there’s a lot of work to build a strong, effective, attractive mastermind group online. You need two things: (a) you need to get started right away, and (b) you need The Mastermind Playbook.
As I built Iron Sharpens Iron, I discovered that getting started and having a playbook were the two things I needed most. The part about getting started was easier for me; I’m good at meeting and making friends with people, and found plenty of potential members to invite.
The hard part was the nuts and bolts. Naturally, I freeze up when people want me to get down in the weeds of administrative work. It took me a lot longer to get systems, processes and digital automation of my business set up.
Now, it wasn’t all failures. Surrounded by business coaches like Scott Beebe and Kevin Wallenbeck, I’ve learned to love the details. Together with our amazing team at View From the Top, these men helped me put together a well-oiled administrative machine.
You’ll probably have people like that turn up in your mastermind business too! If you’re a visionary like me, you’ll need them. If you’re better with systems, you’ll have visionaries join your group who can help you see if you’re shooting for the right target.
I want to go a step further, if you sense the need: being part of a business mastermind should come before leading one. It so happens, we have some vacancies in Iron Sharpens Iron.
Click here to apply to be in one of our men’s mastermind groups.
Click here to apply to join our newest women’s mastermind groups.
3 Ways Masterminds Prepare You For Leadership
Most people would agree, if you’re going to lead a mastermind, you should “talk the talk and walk the walk.” It sounds great to say, but the good news is it's even better if you do it!
One reason I’ve enjoyed success with online masterminds is all the “snaps” I took in groups like the Eagles, with Dave Ramsey and Dan Miller.
I knew the order of operations. I could predict outcomes before they happened. I knew the value of intimate personal relationships. I could speak with authority on how the concept changed my life. There was hardly anything somebody could ask me where I didn’t have experience.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. You can use your own imagination, which is much more powerful than anything I could say. If you join a group like ISI and you multiply the right qualities, you’ll see it, as sure as water off a duck’s back: people will be drawn to you.
These are qualities we work on the most in Iron Sharpens Iron:
- Authenticity. We have no room for wearing masks in our mastermind groups. You’ll learn to be yourself, and take the risk your fellow members will notice your flaws. And you’ll develop the courage to notice and help others overcome their flaws as well.
- Transparency. You’ll learn to risk telling the truth, especially where you’ve failed and caused harm. You’ll also learn to be vigilant about confidentiality, and respect the privacy of fellow members.
- Vulnerability. You’ll learn to say “I don’t know” or “I need help.” We don’t do shame-and-blame here. We take responsibility and ownership, and commit to overcoming our flaws and failures.
Is this stirring something in you? I want you to be prepared when you launch your mastermind group. I’d love to be part of helping you launch it.
But that’s going to require some deep internal work on your part, work you should attempt at least with a coach or mentor.
Or a mastermind group.
Click here to apply to be in one of our men’s mastermind groups.
Click here to apply to join our newest women’s mastermind groups.
