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This is the first part of a two-part series on the 7 questions you must ask yourself before joining a mastermind. If you are looking for Part 2, click here.

A lot goes into finding a good mastermind. It is not enough to just join a mastermind with a great track record. You also have to join a mastermind that is a good fit for you and your business. I’ve created a list of questions designed to help you figure out for yourself if a given mastermind is one you would like to be a part of.

Question 1: Is the culture a good fit for me?

No matter how effective a mastermind program, if the culture is a not a good fit for you then you will not stick around long-term. When I use the word “culture” in this context, I mean things like:

• Are these people you would normally want to hang around with? 
• Are these people in the same industry as I am? 
• Do these people share similar values to mine?

It is not necessary for everyone in a mastermind to be your clone, but if the other mastermind members are people you would normally cross the street to avoid, then you might be looking at a cultural mismatch that will undermine your mastermind experience.

Question 2: What are the core values of the mastermind?

Not every mastermind has stated core values. The best ones do, however. If a mastermind does not have a stated list of core values, then you might need to talk to the leader or founder to get a better idea of the things they stand for.

For example, The Good Success Mastermind has three basic core values: charity, stewardship, and community. If you need more clarification on those, you can definitely talk to me directly to get a good idea of what those mean for our membership or you can read more about our core values here.

At Good Success, we believe that the way we focus on our core values and try to live them with purpose plays a huge role in how successful we are in business and in life. We are all about community and growth. We believe you need to be an active participant in the mastermind community in order to succeed, and we believe you have to be accountable in specific ways that have to do with our core values. That is not unusual in and of itself when it comes to masterminds, but you need to make sure that your concepts of growth, for example, match with those of the mastermind you are considering.

Question 3: Do you trust the leaders and members of the mastermind?

If someone is going to give you advice or if you are going to put yourself out there in front of others in a vulnerable position, you have to feel safe and be safe. Do you trust them to give you good advice? Do you trust them to put your interests above their own desire to come off as smart or clever when they are working with you? If not, then you probably are not a good fit for that mastermind. In any mastermind community, success relies on trust.

Question 4: Will you be the smartest person in the room?

This is not a question about your confidence or your abilities. Take a step back and look at the situation from an objective point of view. If you are the smartest person in the room at a mastermind, then you are probably in the wrong mastermind.

Of course, you can be the best at certain things. At Good Success, we have many members who are the smartest or the best in the room in certain specific areas of expertise. They share and benefit from membership by building up the areas in which they are not an expert. If you are going to always be the go-to person for every single topic, however, then you will certainly give a lot to the mastermind community but may not get a reciprocal degree of benefit in return.

You will have to decide for yourself if that changes how you view your membership. For me, I generally prefer not to be the smartest guy in the room. Instead, I want to be in a room with a business owner much smarter than me who can help me identify ways in which I can grow and succeed.

Choosing a Mastermind is Like Making an Investment

When you select a mastermind, you are picking the people or group you want to emulate. You want their type of success (in some form or fashion) and you want their approach to life. Whether you realize it or not, selecting a mastermind will change your outlook on life because you will start participating in the community and it will “rub off on you” nearly immediately. Answering these questions before taking the leap will help you make sure you are picking a mastermind that is right for you.

Read the second part of this series and learn more about the Good Success Mastermind here.