I recently joined a Mastermind group. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, first defined the mastermind as a “coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.” Being a part of a Mastermind group offers opportunities for peer brainstorming, learning, accountability and support in a group setting to sharpen business and personal skills. What I’ve found most beneficial thus far is the way the group members mirror the other members best selves. They see what is possible for me when I cannot and they tell me when I’m off track and about to do something that is not the image of my best self.
I think this is a powerful concept that we can use in our personal and professional lives and as we are making decisions at work and for our own careers. We all can benefit from surrounding ourselves with people who will mirror our best selves; people we trust enough to tell us the truth when we cannot see it.
This happened recently with a colleague of mine was going to make a career move that was not truly a reflection of what she valued and the goals she aspired to reach in her career. It was a move that was being driven by financial benefits and a “promise” of what was to come. My colleague was fortunate enough to have a trusted mentor who pointed out to her that this move would not represent who she truly was, nor would it reflect her values and aspirations. Although deep down she knew that, her vision was being clouded by the promises and dollar signs being presented to her with this new opportunity. Because she was fortunate enough to have someone who was a mirror to her best self, she was able to make a decision that reflected her best self and turned down the opportunity that was not aligned to her true values.
Hopefully we all have someone (or several people) like this in our lives. They have that wonderful ability to hold up that mirror and reflect only our best qualities and that, my friends, is invaluable.
