How to Create an Inspiring and Actionable Mission Statement

Do you remember the world of technology at the turn of the 21st Century? I remember the “arms race” between Apple and Microsoft. Each company had a big market share. Each had intelligent people on their payroll. 

But only one went on to become the first American company worth $1 trillion dollars. How did Apple achieve this, while Microsoft didn’t? 

Did Apple have more talented employees? Maybe a few here and there, but I’m sure each side had more than enough. Did the location of Apple headquarters give them access to more recruits and resources? I doubt it. There are just as many recruits and resources around Seattle, Washington as there are in Silicon Valley.

One thing separated Apple and Microsoft. 

Steve Jobs possessed an uncanny ability to share an inspiring mission. He could motivate Apple employees to go above and beyond. Everyone from the...

What you can learn about successful businesses from looking at airplanes

You may find it hard to believe, but when I started my first business, I didn’t know how to ask for help. I tried to figure it out on my own. That’s right, the “mastermind group guy” didn’t even know such groups existed! 

I couldn’t see that other people in my life were there to help. I would never have thought to ask my peers in the industry for pointers. After all, they were the competition! There was no way they’d ever give me advice. 

Luckily, I didn’t stay in that scarcity mindset forever.  It took a while, but I mustered the courage to seek wisdom from successful people. It was hard to admit I didn’t know how to read a profit and loss statement. I’m talking about basic business stuff. I had no clue how to do a lot of the things that create a healthy business.

Sales and marketing came naturally to me, but...

Your Primary Focus When Interacting with Others Should Be THIS

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” It’s a good observation, but I don’t think it goes deep enough. Following that advice alone won’t get you the success you desire.

Don’t think this means “stop meeting new people.” Networking is important. It’s the basis for connections and future opportunities. 

And that’s not to mention all the referrals that come with it. Don’t you just love referrals? No matter the industry, referrals are so much easier to convert into clients than any other type of lead. I know this to be true; referrals are no different in the world of online mastermind groups.

If I do well helping a group member succeed, you can be sure he’ll tell others who want similar success. Those people will come to me with confidence that I can help...

How to Become the “Best Investment Someone Can Make”

Today, I’m going to give you a simple framework. As you read, you should get a better idea of your fitness for leading online mastermind groups.

Before we dive in, I want to congratulate you on getting through the first two months of 2021. Hopefully, things are looking up for you, and you’re in the driver’s seat! After the complexity of 2020, I think we all could use some simplification.

Our mastermind groups are diving into simplification with a book by Donald Miller called “Business Made Simple.” Did you chuckle when you read the title? I have to admit, I did at first. Like anything in business could be simple, right?

Well, this book isn’t so much about simplifying business as it is about simplifying things within yourself. When you keep yourself simple, business challenges tend to follow suit. Get ready to do everything you need to do with confidence...

 As a leader, I sometimes feel the pressure to speak the “right way.” It happens a lot when I make videos for social media. I’ll have the story arc, the “hero’s journey” I want to showcase, the whole nine yards … and then it hits.

Right as I get set to push “record,” I crumple up the script and throw it away. I believe in having things scripted out, but sometimes I feel a loss of momentum. On the worst days, I feel like I’m speaking for all the wrong reasons.

I share my message because I truly believe it can help others. I want that to come across when I speak. For me, it’s hard to do that in the confines of scripted videos.

Maybe you’ve experienced this in your mastermind group. I know it’s slowed me from building mine in the past. I don’t want you to suffer this anxiety anymore. Let’s look at how you can refine the right habits to cultivate confidence in your...

Do you long to see “next-level influence” among the people in your online mastermind group? It’s one thing to set up shop and invite people in. It’s quite another to create an environment in which everyone participates in each other’s growth.

As the leader of your mastermind group, every member is secretly hoping you know how to do this. They observe how you introduce concepts, hold conversations, and solve problems. 

Make sure your habits match your intentions to create space for others to improve their lives.

In our masterminds, we’re reading Stephen Covey’s classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. When I think about what great mastermind leaders do, I think of Habit #6: Synergy.

Synergy is the ability to combine knowledge, talents, and enthusiasm of others, to achieve together what they cannot do alone. It brings forth solutions that would remain hidden otherwise.

Synergy is the...

Last week, I talked about the first four habits in Stephen Covey’s landmark bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. 

What help would I be, if I didn’t reveal the rest of them? To read about the first four habits, click here. 

I enjoy the order of these habits. Without first developing yourself (Habits 1-3), it’s difficult to be effective at developing others (Habits 4-7).

The three habits we’ll talk about now are great tools. They’ll make you more effective and influential in your relationships, at work and at home.

• Habit 5 – Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

I think a lot of people could use a lesson in this habit, especially after watching the presidential election in 2020. I’m not here to get political, but this idea went by the wayside, as each candidate tried to win.

There’s so much mudslinging, I’m surprised when a politician accurately repeats...

We’re a month into 2021. It flew by, didn’t it?

As you probably know, February brings an abrupt stop to many New Year’s resolutions. I just read that around 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail - by the second week of February!

Positive intentions that begin with hope and motivation don’t last. Why is that?

If you ask Stephen Covey, he would tell you it’s because most people don’t change “inside-out.” In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey says that deep, painful problems aren’t solved by “quick-fix” approaches. People don’t get deep enough into self-reflection to discover what actually needs to change.

Instead, we chase the promise of each new “revolutionary” product. Give us five easy steps, a 90-day plan, or a “bulletproof” system… 

Listen, those things are just tools. Unless you take the time to develop your...

 I want to focus on some key factors that determine the success of your mastermind group.

In my opinion, the two most critical factors are the people you surround yourself with, and their attitudes. This includes your own attitude. The wrong mindset and approach can quickly derail online mastermind groups. 

It’s All How You Look at It…Seriously!

We’ve touched on looking at the world through different lenses in a previous blog. Today, I want to dive deeper by discussing the differences between a mindset of scarcity or abundance. 

We all have a choice in how we view the world. We can see it as “dog eat dog” where if you win, the other person or party has to lose. Or we can see it as a place where there’s enough to go around and everyone can have a spot at the table.

The choices you and your mastermind members make regarding how you view competition, cooperation, and opportunity are crucial. These...

Struggling To Plan For 2021? Here’s The Mastermind Playbook Method.

Why You Need to Balance Your Paths to Growth

The online mastermind groups I lead are called “Iron Sharpens Iron,” because I firmly believe the Bible when it says: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” As a Christian life coach, I’ve found this to be true over and over.

It’s wonderful to be surrounded by others who sharpen you. But if you’re not willing to sharpen yourself, you won’t go nearly as far as you could. This takes discipline, and the rewards far outweigh the effort. I like to say, “Can’t” couldn’t do it, and “could” did it all.

In Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he wrote about creating dedicated plans for development in four categories: Personal, Professional, Social, and Spiritual. As the leader of a business mastermind, you need to have a...