The Institute of Directors celebrated the inauguration of their Mastermind event series, which took place in prestigious venues across the East of England this month, providing peer to peer networking exclusive to IoD members.
The purpose of the Mastermind evenings is for small groups of IoD directors to discuss problems that they are experiencing and receive feedback on a coaching basis. Attendees can share their concerns, under the Chatham House rule, and be willing to participate in a collaborative way to help each other.
"Exploring a business issue in depth really brought realisation of areas that we each had to focus on. The discussion was open and all the better for it. We got to know each other, a good sense of each person, in a way that networking doesn't usually allow", says Howard Elsey, Director at E-Pay Logistics Ltd.
The Mastermind groups met in exquisite venues across the East of England in which members enjoyed a "superb" meal, tailoring for "a real buzz of positive energy in the room".
"Having attended the inaugural Cambridge IoD Mastermind Class, I wholeheartedly recommend it. An exceptional evening with great company, delicious food but most importantly, engaging, challenging and supportive conversation to help you grow your business", says Charles Whattoff, Principal of New Behaviours Ltd.
Bringing together non-competing industries allows people's opinions to be valued in a supportive, safe space, in which directors can give and receive constructive business advice on the daily challenges that they face.
Andrew Brammer, Managing Director at PSS, attended the Norfolk Mastermind event in The Library Restaurant, and admitted that at first, he "felt a bit strange" and "held back from some of the answers". However, as the evening played out, undertaking the non-judgemental coaching stance, he found the whole experience "somewhat cathartic, enlightening, and also reassuring", adding that "it reinforced some of my thinking about some of the actions I really need to be taking".
After the huge success of the first round of Mastermind events, attendees have already booked for the next sessions, agreeing that moving forward; they "can see huge positive benefits for everyone within the group".
The IoD East of England have established a Mastermind group within each IoD East Branch; Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, and look forward to their next series of "valuable and enjoyable" events in November.
Places are still available for the next Mastermind meetings, and IoD members are advised to confirm their attendance as soon as possible because only one representative from each industrial sector may join each Mastermind group, in keeping with the non-competitive nature of the events.