accountability


Could a Master Mind Group Benefit You and Your Business? 1

As we approach the end of 2012 and the start of 2013 Cindy Hillsey focuses upon a specific type of resource in today’s guest post.

Could a Master Mind Group Benefit You and Your Business?

By Cindy Hillsey

Master Mind. Join a Master Mind group. Come Master Mind with us! After a while the term Master Mind becomes diluted and we are not sure what exactly it means.

The term Master Mind originates with Napoleon Hill and his business classic book, Think and Grow Rich. Hill defines a Master Mind as a “coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.” What Hill is saying is that a Master Mind is simply a group of two or more people who come together for a specific purpose. Since Think and Grow Rich was published in 1937, the Master Mind concept has evolved and is one of the many tools business owners use to keep themselves and their business on a forward path.

How can you benefit from finding, and joining, a Master Mind? Here are some ways:

Believe me I know transformation isn't easy

  • Growth – Not only business growth, but personal growth is a benefit of joining a Master Mind. Many times we think we don’t have anything to contribute; however, we must remember no-one else has our exact experiences and perspective. We are all unique and see through different filters. Sometimes it’s the most basic question or comment that opens up new perspectives for the Master Mind group. Everyone has something to share in a Master Mind group and deep connections are usually made among the group members.

 Resources and New Perspectives

  • Resources and New Perspectives – Think of your Master Mind group as your very own Board of Directors. They are all there to help you grow as a person and grow your business. No-one has all the answers. Remember the saying, ‘two heads are better than one’? Well, all the heads in a Master Mind group are better than one! The ability to brainstorm and gain new ideas and perspectives are like gold. Where else can you get such an unbiased perspective? (Family and friends mean well, but they often don’t have the proper perspective.)

Safe place

  • Safe Place – What goes on in each Master Mind group stays in that particular group. This is the space where you get to share your fears, triumphs, and the in-between. You receive unconditional support from the group. Just knowing you have a place to go and share can mean the difference between moving forward in your business and staying right where you are.

Know How

  • Experience – In a Master Mind group, you have the collective wisdom of everyone in the group! How cool is this? Perhaps you have a member who is an expert in marketing, or one who is an expert in building websites. The collective experience is one of the greatest benefits of being in a Master Mind.

No excuses

  • Accountability – This one is huge! As entrepreneurs, it is easy to get caught up in many little things, and lose the vision of the big picture. How many times have you said you were going to do something to move forward in your business, but it never happened? A Master Mind group can help to keep you accountable to what you say you are going to do. The last thing you want to do is make a commitment to the group and then show up and report that you’ve done nothing. Having the accountability to the group can give you that extra push to get it done and make something happen in your business!

Could your business use a shot of collective brainstorming? Is it time for you to join a Master Mind? Only you know that. Keep in mind, there are many different types of Master Mind groups. Some are set up for a certain period of time, some are created for just idea generation only, for accountability only, or they can be designed around a specific industry. Some have a cost to join and others do not. The key is to find the one that feels good to you and that meets the criteria you are looking for. And, if you can’t find one that specifically meets your criteria, create your own!

Welcome to success

If you are considering joining a Master Mind, I’d like to let you know that I am opening up two groups that will begin in January. You will find all details at: http://virtualpartnering.com/mastermind/

Here’s to getting 2013 off to a great start!

Happy Holiday’s to you all!

About the Author/Further Resources

Cindy Hillsey, CPC, ACC, is a Business Coach and the owner of Virtual Partnering, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cindy has an extensive background in small business, both online and offline. By combining her experience, business skills, and her coaching skills, she is able to offer her clients a unique perspective to help them achieve their business goals. She works primarily with women who are Coaches and Virtual Assistants (VAs), who have lots of ideas and ambition and who want to own their own business. Cindy helps her clients see past where they are stuck by clearing the fog; see the possibilities, feel the excitement, discover the ‘how-to’s’, and acquire a confidence in themselves and their business. Cindy gives her clients hope! Her motto is: Think it! Create it! Market it! Helping women in business bridge the gap between their desires and their results.

Cindy holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Davenport University. She is a certified coach through the International Coach Academy. Along with being a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF), she also holds the Associate Certified Coach designation through the ICF.

Cindy’s websites:

http://virtualpartnering.com

http://zenhillenterprises.com

Connect with Cindy:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VirtualPartnering

Twitter: http://twitter.com/cindyhillsey

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/cindyhillsey

 

 

 


Coaching and motivating clients, part two 1

This is the second of two coaching posts with some pointers if you get “stuck” motivating a client.

Last week’s coaching post “Coaching and motivating clients, part one” talked about who was asking about motivation, asked what motivation means and assisting your client to tap into their natural desire.

Notice the impact of your words

Often as a coach, when the question of motivation comes up, you are looking for your client to take some action. Aid that physical movement by adding a sense of “movement” and momentum in the language you use in your conversation and questions.

My high school English teacher would no doubt shake his head in despair at the following but this is not a post designed to give linguistic labels and detailed explanations.

This section is not only here to get you to move once, it’s here to get you moving.

Adding “ing” to a word often gives a greater sense of movement and momentum so can assist your client to find answers and actions that will help them to turn that momentum into reality.

For example, you can get different answers and responses to using the word “motivated” compared to “motivating.”

Commitment and accountability

Inviting your client to make a commitment and the accountability that this brings can make it much easier for a client to complete a task. You may even argue that it can make it less easy for them to put it off until tomorrow and it never getting done.

Sure, depending on your client, they may still put it off to the last minute and only do it in the immediate hours before your next session but that is still likely to be more than they had done before.

Personally I like to invite clients to agree a specific time and drop me an email between sessions to confirm that they have taken that action. It has been known for specific clients to request that if I don’t hear from them to chase them up with my own email.

I’m aware that not every coach will be willing to offer that as an option. This works for me because of the way I structure my coaching practice as I have built in priority email contact for clients in my coaching packages.

I’m also comfortable providing that accountability as I always phrase it as an invitation, giving the option for the client to decline. This means that the extra accountability is the clients by their own choice.

Just do it

Sometimes, some clients will get so caught up in wanting to explore the why and thinking there is something deeply wrong with them. In reality all that has happened is that they haven’t made taking that action a priority. They have done something else in the time that they could have done this action.

Now there may, or may not, have been good reason to have prioritised something else instead. Regardless of the “cause” the reality is still the same the action/task is still to be completed.

Question for the coach: What would have to happen to make completing this a priority for this client?

Sometimes a really effective strategy can be to get the client to complete a task right then and there. This will obviously depend upon the client, the situation and what they wanted to get from the session.

For example, if they wanted to get motivation to make an appointment they had been putting off, invite them to make the call during the session.

You may not think of this as “traditional” coaching but it moves the client forward quickly and your client will not be concerned that you assisted them using something that isn’t likely to be in “coaching 101”.

Homework

This doesn’t mean overwhelm them with action steps as this can lead to them stopping again. It does mean that you can use “homework” to assist your client to get momentum going by taking the next step once they have started.

Some clients will find taking a huge leap easier than just a small step so consider this when choosing/discussing homework, if any, for your client.
Questions to consider: “What is a really easy next step to take?”
“What would be a fun next step to take?”

Challenge your client

If you have a client who has committed to take action, you’ve done everything you can think of to facilitate that and yet they repeatedly have not taken that action, there is probably something else going on. Don’t be afraid to share what you have observed.

Your role is there to assist them to get value from your work together however it’s a two way relationship, they can’t just be passive. For some clients, in some instances, challenging your client can provide the avenue that your client needs to share what is going on for them.

Sometimes it can reveal an obstacle that for some reason your client hasn’t shared with you.

On other occasions (usually in situations when they are not paying for the coaching themselves) they may not see the value of coaching. For example, in a business when they have been told they “have” to attend your coaching session. This can give you the opportunity to have a conversation about the value they want to get and explore how you can go about providing that.

Note:

I’m also going to mention at this stage that I personally believe that not every single client is going to be a perfect fit for every single coach – and vica-versa. Also sometimes coaching may not be the ideal solution for a particular client at a particular time.

If you and your client decide that you’ve gone as far as you can with your coaching together that does not automatically mean that you are a terrible coach and should beat yourself up about it. Just like I’d say that there it does not mean that there is anything “wrong” with your client.  I suggest you learn what you can from working together and then move on.

These are just some of the things you could do and consider – what else would you add?

About the Author

Jen WallerJen Waller is on a mission to support, nurture and encourage coaching skills and talents from non-coach to coach and beyond.

She has created a free 7 day e-course about how to create your own unique coaching welcome pack that works for you and your clients. Get your copy here.