Bringing people together to work through problems isn’t new in business.
People have been doing this for centuries although often not in a formal, structured practice.
When Napoleon Hill studied and interviewed successful business leaders for his pioneering book,
Think and Grow Rich
He described it as: “A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose.”
He all but made it sound like it was a necessity for business success. And quite frankly, I believe he is right.
When you peel back the facade of most successful entrepreneurs you will find a group or perhaps one solid friend that she/he met with regularly to brainstorm and talk through business ideas, problems and solutions.
Why are mastermind groups so incredibly valuable for women business owners?
I shared the top reasons here.
However there are 3 unseen yet incredibly powerful reasons why sharing this journey with an accountability buddy or a posse of savvy women makes smart business and personal sense!
1 | Female Brain is Wired for Connections.
In her wonderfully illuminating book The Female Brain
So when we go out in the world as entrepreneurs and work in isolation we are going against everything we are deeply and biologically driven by. We are going against our very nature.
Connection with others is key to success in every aspect of our lives. We feel lost and, at a deep psychological level, unsafe without it. We typically know this on a personal level but we fall short when it comes to business.
2 | Working Alone Increases Imposter Syndrome
Imposter Syndrome inflicts many of the smartest and most successful women in the world. It’s the feeling that in some way you will be ‘found out’ as not being smart or talented enough to be where you’re at in your professional life.
This insidious syndrome doesn’t only target those at the height of their careers including Supreme Court judges, highly-credentialed academics, multimillionaire female executives, or esteemed doctors but also hits us as entrepreneurs as we aspire ever closer to the next levels of success.
In the book The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It
Wow! So if working alone isn’t exhausting enough we are prone to feeling like a fraud when we do. Her sage advice is to find another solo worker for regular check-ins to help one another keep accountability, troubleshoot problems and provide feedback.
3 | Mixed Groups Solve Problems Faster
We know that when people get together in a room, magic can help. We bring to a group a vast array of experiences, backgrounds, insights, and ways of thinking.
New ideas, innovation and creative problem solving happens when you are together with others bouncing ideas off of one another.
In an article Accept Defeat: The Neuroscience of Screwing Up published in Wired Magazine, the author shares an interesting story of two scientific labs working on the same problem. One lab group was made up of scientists all from the same field of study while the other group was a mixed group of scientists from different fields of study.
Can you guess which group did a better job figuring out the problem? You guessed it: the mixed group.
They solved the problem in 10 minutes whereas the “expert” group took far longer to solve the same exact problem.
Bringing different people together to look at a problem can bring about amazing results.
The author shared this insightful conclusion: “This is why other people are so helpful: They shock us out of our cognitive box.”
As humans and especially as women, we are not meant to work in isolation.
As you can see, finding a group of people or an accountability partner is not only supported by the female brain but can keep imposter syndrome at bay. No doubt this will help boost self-confidence. Also, finding others with diverse backgrounds can help you solve group problems faster. What’s not to love about that.
If you haven’t thought about starting or joining a mastermind group, perhaps it’s time to open up to the idea.
If you’re looking for one that it is set up for you – you just need to come with a drive to accomplish something within 90 days and an openness to share and brainstorm. We welcome you to join us!
Books mentioned in this article:
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