Mastermind Groups, The Myth of the Nice Girl, & People Pleasers

Welcome to the October 2019 edition of ‘The Monthly Mindset,’ an email series where Katie Stricker, President and Co-founder, shares a few things she’s thinking about, plus a look into what Sayge is up to.

Workplace trend, innovation, or idea I’m thinking about—

Mastermind groups! More specifically, how can you find a mastermind group that you can contribute to and learn from? A few years ago, I joined a mastermind group, but at the end of the day, I couldn’t learn from the other members. Since I was at a different phase of business, it was difficult to relate to their struggles and vice versa. That mismatch taught me how important it is to join a group of peers or professionals with more (or different) experience. 

Before joining a mastermind group, do your due diligence to assess fit. You should not only answer the question, ‘Can we communicate and collaborate effectively?’ but also, ‘Can we learn from and challenge each other?’ Here’s a thoughtful article to get you thinking: Lessons learned from 6 different mastermind groups.

What I’m reading or listening to—

Right now I’m reading, ‘The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate.’ Written by Fran Hauser, this book is all about the myth that nice women don’t get promoted. In this article, Forbes does a good job of highlighting some of the best takeaways from the book. I particularly like this line: “The question is: why can’t traits like ‘nice’ and ‘kind’ live in conjunction with ‘strong’ and ‘assertive’?” Funny, sounds like a solid discussion topic for a mastermind group.

Quote I’m thinking about—

This quote comes straight from Hauser’s book: “Remember to draw a line between being nice in a strong way and simply being a people pleaser. Nice: Positive, yet honest and straightforward. People pleaser: Sweeping things under the rug to avoid making waves.” ―Fran Hauser

 

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