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Mastermind groups
Mastermind groups offer physicians the opportunity to talk regularly with fellow physicians and tackle issues of mutual interest. Theyhave been in existence since the turn of the 20th Century. Industrial leaders like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone used them to exchange new ideas and hold themselves accountable.
Would you like to network by telephone with colleagues across the US to:
- Solve problems
- Obtain confidential advice
- Achieve your stretch goals
Dr. Cohn can help you become part of a Mastermind Group. He has been involved in healthcare Mastermind Groups since 2005. Here is what members of the Mastermind Group he co-founded have to say about their experience:
“Masterminding” with like-minded physicians was a powerful professional experience, one of the most powerful I have had in my career. The ability to honestly share without concern for any consequences the issues I had with my colleagues, business unit, etc. was life-changing. Overcoming professional obstacles was a frequent subject of our masterminding. Once I shared with the group my career and personal objectives, I was able to make a very significant career move. I received support and encouragement from the group, who knew me very well at that point.
Dr. Pat McShane
Breckenridge, CO
There are far-reaching benefits to having a Mastermind Group. Within a limited size group of 5-7 members, I have found that I am more committed to developing personal goals and to fostering learning environments where sharing of ideas, hopes, and experiences challenges others to make the most of their talents.
By establishing an expectation of setting goals, we are urged on to develop strategies for accomplishing tasks, and we reinforce each other through constructive feedback. We challenge each other to think outside the envelope. I have benefited from our meetings in developing a plan for a start-up consultation service. This one act of using my experience to pursue a new direction has allowed me to maintain a sharper clinical focus.
Dr. Robert Ferrell
Boston, MA
Being in our mentoring group has greatly exceeded my expectations both in professional and personal terms. It has been invaluable to have trusted, honest, frank and immediate feedback related to professional objectives and development plans. The feedback been particularly useful because it comes from medical professionals who understand first-hand the environment in which I work. On a personal level, it has been absolutely wonderful to be able to share personal and confidential issues with colleagues who understand on a very deep level and can offer extraordinary support. Our meetings have become a very high priority in my busy schedule.
Dr. Eric Pierce
Boston, MA
My Mastermind Group has provided me with an opportunity to connect intimately and openly with other medical professionals with whom I now have a deep bond. Our shared medical background and common experience create a point of departure for communication that could not be achieved with a non-medical group. With my group, I have explored and reflected upon my current professional situation and reconsidered my professional future. My group members have shared their own stories, and I have responded to, openly critiqued and supported their trials, successes, risks, and proposals. The formality of a regularly scheduled group meeting time has challenged me to take the time to consider what is satisfactory and unsatisfactory in my current professional setting. Had it not been for my participation in this group, I do not believe that I would have begun to develop a plan for either my professional or personal future. I was too busy working to think about it.
Dr. Carol Hartigan
Boston, MA
For you to achieve optimal results, your Mastermind Group should have:
- A group of 4-8 people who are eager to succeed
- A structure that offers you the opportunity to be heard and to receive constructive feedback in a safe setting for reflection and learning with carefully specified and agreed upon ground rules
- Monthly meetings lasting approximately an hour, with clear goals, to which all members pledge accountability
- An experienced facilitator in the beginning
People who benefit from participation in Mastermind Groups are:
- Open-minded
- Busy
- Motivated to work smarter rather than harder
- Creative
- Willing to listen and provide feedback in a safe, constructive, and confidential fashion
- Committed to their fellow group members
Mastermind Groups are not for people who are:
- Rigid
- Unwilling to set stretch goals for which they hold themselves accountable
- Unable to commit to a schedule of monthly meetings
- Interested in hearing only their own perspectives
- Clueless about how they come across to others
If you are looking for a field-tested way to boost your productivity, please contact Dr. Cohn to become part of a high-performing Mastermind Group. Please list 2-3 dates and times (weekdays, evenings, or weekends) that you could be available for a 15- minute complimentary evaluation to discuss goals and expectations.