The women and men that supply the intelligence, energy, and wisdom that make the United States of America the most powerful engine of free enterprise in the world have condemned themselves to an info-prison run by info-robots.
It has become increasingly apparent over the past decade that decision makers — especially small business owners and sales pros — have become more isolated by technology and more dependent on the intelligence delivered by machines, apps and systems. The result: decision makers at all levels have denied themselves access to the shared intelligence of peers and advisors that can help them look at and evaluate the decisions they have to face every day…alone.
The right question to ask
Decision makers should be asking, “How can I escape the isolation of the info-prison, combat the narrow perspective of unfeeling info-robots, and recover access to the emotion, insights, ideas, practices and perspectives of other decision makers like me?”
The marketplace fills every void. In this case, the marketplace has created three differentfurlough programs for info-prison inmates:
Leads groups establish relationships among members by exchanging the names and contact information of individuals or businesses — a lead. The hope is that the lead is a prospect for the products and services provided by the recipient of the lead. A leads group is a valuable resource for many. Leads groups are transactional in nature. Relationships are secondary to leads. Leads groups tend to have significant turnover making relationships that do develop somewhat symbiotic.
Leads groups are generally for-profit enterprises led by an owner/licensee/franchisee.
Welcome back to info-prison.
Networking groups aim to create an environment that makes it easy for members to introduce themselves to each other. A networking group creates an expectation that the synergy of interaction will identify mutual interests or needs. Networking groups — and events — tend to attract the same kinds of businesspeople as leads groups, but do not impose a requirement that members produce leads. Networking groups/events are also transactional. However, networking can lead to longer-term relationships, and may generate business for the participants.
Networking groups/events are generally for-profit enterprises led by an owner/licensee/franchisee.
Back to info-prison with you.
Peer advisory groups promise to deliver a high level of expertise and guidance to the members both from the leader of the group and from the peer members. All members of the group hold similar positions in diverse environments and members of the group expect the other members to share their ideas, insights, practices and perspective openly when issues, challenges, problems and/or opportunities are put forward. Peer advisory group members tend to remain in their group for a few months to a year or more. Some ongoing relationships develop between members but that is not the goal of the group.
Peer advisory groups are generally for-profit enterprises led by an owner/licensee/franchisee that hopes to convert members to consulting clients after the member leaves the group.
Out for a while…now return to info-prison…
The great escape
“Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” – Edmund Burke
Benjamin Franklin formed his first mastermind group — his Junto — in 1727 in Philadelphia.
The Founding Fathers created the greatest mastermind group in history and wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and the United States Constitution in 1789.
Napoleon Hill lauded the power of the mastermind in Chapter 10 of “Think and Grow Rich” in 1938.
In 2016, executives at all levels have chosen the rapidly evolving info-robots that run the info-prison over the wisdom of their peers. The causes: rapidly evolving technology, the loss of community and the failure of the marketplace to recognize the solution.
If you escape the info-prison:
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Form a mastermind group within your own organization.
• Join or form a mastermind group of peers committed to working together in long-term relationships.
• Recognize that escaping the info-prison does not mean relinquishing your info-robots — just finding and controlling the off switch.
Jeffrey E. Reeves is the founder and CEO of Profit Pilots, Inc., a network of small business owners that serve as each other’s Trusted Board of Advisors™ using unique masterminding, strategic planning, problem solving, leadership training, culture development and decision-making systems to address the issues, challenges, problems and opportunities members would otherwise have to face alone.
