NWA Emerging Leaders Roll Out Mastermind Groups

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.

Exciting times for NWA Emerging Leaders

Just in case you haven't heard some of the buzz about Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders (previous post: http://rogerslowellchamber.blogspot.com/2009/07/ready-to-lead.html), this is a great time to learn more and get involved, or encourage an outstanding member of your team to do so!

Conceived as a vehicle for engaging some of the fantastic emerging talent attracted to Northwest Arkansas by the world-class companies in our backyards, NWA Emerging Leaders has quickly become a source of positive action for communities up and down Interstate 540. As a case in point, revisit the post regarding the outstanding efforts by the NWAEL Sustainability Workgroup during the P&G Beauty NWA LPGA Championship in September: http://rogerslowellchamber.blogspot.com/2009/09/leading-by-example.html.

The next NWAEL quarterly program will be on October 28 from 11:30 to 1:00 at the Center for Nonprofits at St. Mary's in Rogers. The program will feature Legacy speaker Betsy Reithemeyer as well as Carla Sloan, who will speak about balance and finding your passion. Seating is limited - register and find additional information at: http://bit.ly/3qi120.

A great deal of information is available at www.NWALead.com, including links to join NWA Emerging Leaders and to connect with the group via social media venues such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Motivated employees can print an information sheet for their boss to help convince them of the worthwhile nature of the program. On that note, however, the NWAEL program seeks to impose very little on the individual's work day by limiting programs to quarterly gatherings over the lunch hour. A great deal of the substance of NWA Emerging Leaders comes through the workgroups. A list, including contact information and mission statements, is also available at www.NWALead.com.

Send the link to an aspiring young man or woman you may know in Northwest Arkansas. If they exude ideas, promise, commitment, passion and a desire to serve and to lead, they are probably a perfect fit for Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders. And if that sounds like you... hopefully you've just joined!

Ready to lead?

There are so many ways to get engaged and make a difference as a leader in your community, and to positively impact the place where you live, work and play. Sometimes, though, it is easy to mark leadership development as a life goal, but never take any real action toward it. If personal, professional or even political leadership development is on your life list, move it to an action item. Here are two avenues:

Leadership Benton County is a program offered in partnership by the Bentonville/Bella Vista, Rogers-Lowell and Siloam Springs chambers of commerce. Intended to serve as training ground for future leaders, it's an excellent way to develop skills, connections and community knowledge. Participants commit to one Thursday per month during the nine month program (August - May) along with a couple of in-state overnight trips. Applications and information on the class of 2009-2010 are currently available at www.LeadershipBentonCounty.com, and aps are due by Friday, July 10. If it isn't a fit for you or you've already participated, share the link with a team member, friend or other rising star and encourage them to apply!

NWA Emerging Leaders is a relatively new program envisioned as a substantive program for dedicated professionals who wish to be actively engaged in the Northwest Arkansas community, and serves as an ideal springboard for graduates of Leadership Benton County looking to plug in (LBC participation is not required). NWAEL consists of quarterly programs with active workgroups tackling issues and projects of importance to members. The program is intended to create legacy through succession planning, develop candidates for public and private boards and commissions and groom individuals to serve and lead our dynamic communities. While it is an initiative of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, chamber membership is not required for participation. Find more information or apply at www.NWALead.com, or follow the group at www.Twitter.com/NWALead.

Case in point:

This morning, one of the Emerging Leaders workgroups met with Rogers Mayor Steve Womack and Bentonville Mayor Bob McCaslin. The ensuing dialogue on existing and planned recycling and sustainability initiatives in both communities as well as opportunities for bright talent and emerging leaders to plug in was exciting to observe. Best of all, both Mayors captured the essence of the program: the opportunity to share their enthusiasm for service and leadership as well as their tips on success and a few battle wounds with eager young professionals. These emerging leaders can not only support their current leaders and engage others, they will be groomed in the process to serve or run for office themselves. It's exhillerating to watch a concept or idea being executed: here was a group of ready, willing and able new talent who were as anxious to listen and learn from these established community leaders as they were to slowly, respectfully begin the process of preparing themselves and their peers to take the helm.

Jump in, learn, serve and lead!