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Published May 7, 2015
About a year ago, I read a book by author Napoleon Hill titled, Think and Grow Rich. The book had been recommended to me by several different people, but I never seemed to have the time to read it. As I look back and try to figure out why it took me so long to finally read the book, I’ve come to realize that “head trash” prevented me from reading it. My version of “head trash” may be different than yours. Stay tuned for a discussion of “head trash” in a future blog.
If you haven’t read Hill’s book, I would highly suggest that you take the time to read it. My intent here is to provide Cliff Notes so you can make your own decision about whether or not to read it. The book was published in 1937 and was written on the suggestion of businessman Andrew Carnegie. Once you read the book, you begin to realize that, while the title leads the reader to believe that the book is about getting rich, it’s really about Hill’s philosophy on how to help people succeed in all aspects of life. It also serves to inspire people to be anything they want to be.
Imagine Hill thinking about succeeding during one of the worse economic times of our country’s history—the Great Depression. This might have been the reason why the original print of 5,000 sold out in six weeks at $2.50 a copy.
If you can get over the fact that the book was written nearly 80 years ago and that some of the writing may seem out of context, the book will certainly bring a different perspective to how you think about prosperity and success. It has lead me to read many more books about how most of our success is determined by what goes on in the approximately 16 cubic foot area that resides between our two ears.
Although the concept of the “mastermind alliance” was first introduced by Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich, the idea has probably been around for centuries. Hill described the master mind group principle as: “The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.”
He continued, “No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible tangible force, which may be likened to a third mind (the master mind).”
I have personally belonged to a few master mind groups. I’ve found that some are great and some not so. I am currently looking for a group to join and I’m keeping my eyes and ears open for new opportunities.
In a master mind group there is a dynamic exchange of ideas among a particular peer group. These people can be from any walk of life, however, it’s important that the members are in the same level of management, be it CEO, other level of management or other position, as long as the people are in “like” situations.
The group acts like a “board of directors” and as a sounding board for brainstorming, encouragement, education and accountability. This group setting helps to sharpen business and personal skills. Participants in the group challenge each other to set goals, and more importantly, establish accountability for reaching those goals. The group requires commitment, mutual support, honesty, respect, confidentiality and willingness to be open to candid feedback from others in the group. We essentially become devil’s advocates for all the other members of the group.
Interested in starting up a group? There are myriad resources on the internet about how a group works, how to start a group and how to run a group.
Steve Clark and me, Pauline Lally after a Master Mind meeting
The article above is a summary of a Master Mind presentation I attended last year sponsored by Steve Clark. Steve Clark, also known as “The Sales Psychologist” is the founder and CEO of New School Selling, an international business development and marketing consulting firm.
He is the author of Profitable Persuasion – Proven Strategies for Sales and Marketing Success and co-author of The Ultimate Success Secret, with marketing Guru Dan Kennedy.
To take a FREE Sales Quiz, and receive a customized personal analysis of your sales skills, plus a set of six free sales training CDs, visit www.newschoolselling.com.
