How to Take Your Practice and Firm to the Next Level with a Mastermind Group

As a solo lawyer or one with a small firm, you’re likely wearing many different caps. You are the one trying to talk with clients, writing the briefs, creating content for your website, responding to emails and a thousand and one other things.

 

Even if you run a big firm where different people perform all of these accordingly, you can still get bogged down with what is in front of your table. You can get tied up with attending to the nitty-gritty details that you miss out on the all expansive view of where you are heading to and what needs to be done to get there.

 

It is important that you always maintain the view that the captain of the ship has. The BIG PICTURE. The view of the big goal and the road map to where you want to get to. You must have your eyes on the bigger picture as you give directions to those who are responsible for the more minute details. There is a saying that “when you are inside a fire, you don’t see the flames.” All you feel are the pains.

 

You must be able to at all times maintain two types of vision; you should be able to zoom in and also zoom out on your business. Both views are absolutely necessary for the success of your firm. It is quite easy without meaning to, for you to get bogged down with the working in the business view and miss out on working on the business view.

 

You need to be able to get out of the tunnel vision of the minute details of the daily grind to the wider panoramic view to expand your firm as a business, for growth. One great way to help keep a balance on the proper vision for your firm is through a Business Mastermind Group.

 

What is a Business Mastermind Group?

Understanding the power of the business mastermind groups is HUGE. It is a gathering of a group of people who are dedicated to scale-up their business (in this case, their firms) and themselves through the sharing of ideas, strategies etc. They commit to meeting on a regular basis, away from working in their business, to work on their business for growth. This is achieved through accountability, knowledge sharing and employing some big-picture thinking. Members bring their unique insights and experiences to bear on the challenges different members are facing. It is for deep brainstorming and mentoring among members.

 

For your firm to grow, it needs to grow bigger than you. It needs to expand beyond you. It must be able to run effectively and efficiently, growing year in year out even if you are not around. To help you get to that level, you need to surround yourself with a team/a group/advisers that will stretch you and help you see beyond the corners. Many of us can‘t see the forest for the trees but when we align ourselves with others who are moving in the same direction, this can provide a whole lot of clarity, personally and professionally towards our goals and visions.

 

Why you need a Mastermind team

A mastermind group is powerful in helping us re-engineer our mind-sets and shift the way we see and think about things. We often stand in our own way, getting stuck in certain details and mindsets we develop over time but when you’re part of a mastermind group, there are others coming alongside you, helping you challenge your thinking.

 

In a mastermind, you have a built-in group of companions and guides. You have direct access to others who are a little further down the road than you, or who are exactly where you want to be and desire more. You are exposed to a pool of experiences and knowledge from multiple perspectives and presented with various ideas and insights on how to tackle and handle the knots you may be experiencing in your practice.

What should you look for when deciding on a business mastermind group to join?

The best advice is to (always) join a mastermind where you are at a level below some of the group members. When you do this, you’re basically getting your very own set of top management executives.

 

Do not join a mastermind where the members are way so much higher than you are, because they will have a different set of problems on account of where they are in terms of business, experience exposure, size etc. They won’t be living in the same reality as you. In such a group you won’t be able to relate and flow well with them. You will not get the best out of the discussions.

 

The challenges a solo lawyer is grappling with are totally different from what an accomplished lawyer with a firm of over 30 lawyers is dealing with. Their reality will be totally different from yours within that mastermind group.

 

What you want are people who will take you to the next level, who have been there and who have maybe had the same struggles as you, who are more successful than you. People you can relate with, who can easily understand your challenges.

 

Mastermind groups are all about transparency, accountability and support. If you can’t find one, reach out to different people who you believe can give value to each other and form your own mastermind group. You will be forever grateful for what you will gain from being in a mastermind group. It will be worth all the effort.

 

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To your Success

 

Luke Ikekpolor