By: Whitney Yoder
Vice-President of Development
Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce
 
NWA Emerging Leaders is committed to
personal and professional development for emerging talent in our region.  That is evidenced by a new program rolling
out in April; Legacy Mastermind Groups. 
Mastermind Groups bring a combination of brainstorming, education, peer
accountability, and support in a group setting to sharpen business and personal
skills.  In short, belonging to a mastermind group helps you and your
fellow group members grow and achieve success.  
Here are some of the great benefits
that come with participating in a Mastermind Group:
  1. You’ll
    be part of an exclusive community
    ,
    a small, tightly knit group of like-minded peers all working toward
    similar objectives;
  2. Advisement.  You’ll lose that feeling of being alone as a
    business person as the other members of the group turn into your informal
    advisory board;
  3. Collaboration.  You may find someone in the group who is a
    perfect fit for a project you’re working on.  How great would it be
    to find that missing person you’ve been seeking?;
  4. Extend
    your network
    .  People do business with
    people they know, like, and trust, and these mastermind groups are great
    ways to build your network by making new, trusted friends;
  5. New
    learning
    .  Even if you’ve been in
    your field for years and years, and are an industry expert, you’ll still
    learn new things from the experiences and perspectives of your new
    friends;
  6. Cross-promotion.  Your business will benefit as you and your
    group members find ways to work together and cross promote each other’s
    services to your respective client, customer, and vendor groups;
  7. Think
    bigger
    .  One of the greatest
    benefits of mastermind groups, brainstorming on a regular basis with a
    group of driven, intelligent people is going to make you a bigger person.
     You will think bigger, take on bigger challenges, and grow into a
    bigger person
Mastermind groups encourage you to
challenge yourself and others to set and accomplish important goals, but to be
successful members have to be willing to commit, listen, and give their best to
each participant.
These aren’t classes; they’re not
networking groups; and they’re not coaching.  They’re simply you and a
group of highly committed peers engaging to make each other better.  
In the business world, author
Napoleon Hill, who wrote the famous book “Think and Grow Rich”, says mastermind
groups are the basis for every great fortune, and that great power can be
accumulated through no other principle.
Not everyone who joins a mastermind
group wants to become rich or powerful, but Hill’s comment points to the power
of what can happen when a group of committed individuals focus their energy on
helping each other grow.
Groups are forming now, so to make
sure you have the opportunity to get your own personal advisory board.  Currently over 100 people have signed up to
participate in a group.  The program
kicks-off with a luncheon on April 23, 2014. 
For more information or to sign-up contact Whitney Yoder at
479-619-3197.