So, what the heck happens in the monthly meetings?
Glad you asked.
If this is the Mastermind’s first meeting:
First Meeting Discussion
 Have members introduce themselves--name, business, number of years in
business, number of employees, type of business, overview of what the business
does, types of issues she plans to bring to Mastermind. (Take about 7-8 minutes
for each person.)

Go over Mastermind guidelines (provided below in this toolkit and the Member’s
guide).

Discuss and confirm future time, day, place for meeting (use list above).

Discuss how leadership of the group rotates on a yearly basis.

Confirm the members in your group with the Mastermind coordinator, Lauren
Cantor.

Using the list of questions below allow for an open discussion on what the
members would like the group to be. Each group develops its own focus and
culture and it is helpful if the group makes conscious choices about what they
want. *This discussion can continue to the second meeting.
Q1. Describe the "ideal" Mastermind group. What would the group "look like"? How
would members benefit? What kind of culture would it have?
Q2. Identify our reasons for participating in a Mastermind group. What are our
expectations and needs, what needs and expectations cannot be met through this
group?
Here are options for the ongoing monthly meeting agenda:
Monthly Meeting Agenda
Decide on a set format for the meeting. Meetings that have the same format each time
provide a rhythm for the group and allow the meetings to flow more easily. A few
format examples are provided below BUT PLEASE REMEMBER THESE ARE JUST
OPTIONS AND GROUPS CAN RUN IN ANY NUMBER OF WAYS.
An overall meeting flow:
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Administrative Updates (from NAWBO Chapter)
Report Out: Successes/High Fives/Positives/Accomplishments
Focus of Meeting: is the bulk of the meeting; see sources and options
below.
Meeting Wrap Up: Re-statement of commitments, next meeting reminder
Definitions:
 Report Out: Successes/High Fives/Positives/Accomplishments - go around the
group and share positive accomplishments including new opportunities.
Member can also report a status update on the commitments they made in the
previous meeting.
What are sources for Focus of Meeting?
Group member business concerns
Group member suggestions
Curriculum developed from a book
Check in of goal accomplishment
Resources available to the group
Other sources as identified by the group
Options for Focus of Meetings
 Member Hot Seat: One member shares an issues, challenges or obstacle they
are facing. They have 3 minutes to explain the situation. Then for the next 7
minutes the members of the group ask only questions (ex. Have you considered
xyz? What would happen is you did ____). The member in the hot seat cannot
answer or defend, they just take notes. This provides the member in the hot
seat with different vantage points from which to see their issue.

Solve My Issue: The member presents an issue (3 to 5 minutes) and members
respond with how they would go about solving the issue if the issues was theirs.

Pre-selected Topic: the group selects a specific topic to discuss prior to the
meeting, for example “How to generate new business.” Members come prepared
with ideas as well as issues and obstacles they are facing. In addition, you may
choose to invite an outside speaker on occasion with expertise in a topic of
interest for the group. Options include: Business Updates, Goals for the Year,
Coping with Stress, How You Can Make Your Business More Fun, What is Your
Business Mission, etc.

Member Roulette: Allow members to place topics on the agenda by providing the
following information to the champion (prior to the meeting):
 Topic: descriptive paragraph
 Type of feedback desired (must be specific)
 Range of time needed
 Sensitivity Scale (1 - 10) with I is least and 10 is most sensitive

Issues Bin: From time to time the group will not generate new ideas to discuss
or the conversation may be lacking. When this happens consider using an
issue from the Issue Bin. (See explanation below)

Member Crisis: In the rare instance, a member may have a real crisis and
desperately need the group's input and support, which will probably take more
time than the last 10 minutes. It is proposed that a member who has this kind
of crisis let it be known at the beginning of the meeting so the group can decide
if the planned agenda should be modified or dropped in favor of dealing with the
crisis.
Issues Bin Explanation
The purpose of an issue bin is to prevent the discussion from going off on a tangent
without losing some of the issues and ideas that may be leading the discussion off
track. The Issue Bin is a running list of "unplanned" issues, ideas and topics that
arise during the discussion. The Issue Bin process allows the group to benefit from the
(later) discussion of those issues without distracting the group from the agenda topic
at hand. Think of the issue bin as a backup – topics on demand when the group
needs one.
Here is how it works:
Rather than pursuing the "unplanned" issue that comes up during a meeting, the
group places the topic or “issue” in the issue bin. When anyone in the group
recognizes that the group is getting off track can indicate that "this topic should be
added to the issue bin." Someone in the group needs to keep a running list of items
placed on the list. A short period at the end of the meeting (about 5 minutes or less)
can be devoted to dealing with the issues that were added at the meeting. If time does
not allow the list is kept for the next meeting and can serve as a discussion point if
needed.