The Art of the Annual Member Group Audit

Hello and welcome to Mastermind Mastery, the podcast for professionals who want to create and run successful peer advisory councils, or as we call them, PACs for short, or they're also known as peer groups or business mastermind groups. I'm your host, Tina Corner Stolz, founder of Elix Council, where I've been in the industry running groups since 2005 and now help those like you with education, certification, and support wanting to do the same. At one time, I ran 10 groups, nearly 100 members, and sold my groups for a good multiple and recently released my second book, Your Seat at the Table: How to Create and Run Your Own Peer Advisory Councils, published by Forbes, and grateful to you that it's an Amazon bestseller. I invite you to join each week where we share strategies and techniques to successfully launch and become a master of running your PACTs. You'll hear insights, perspectives, do's and don'ts, learn from my and my guests' mistakes, successes, and get the inside track to key takeaways. Each time we have a guest, we'll be having a bit of fun. So are you ready? Let's get going and dive into today's episode.

Hello everyone, listeners that are chairs, moderators, facilitators, whatever it is that you call yourself in running a peer advisory council, a mastermind group. Welcome to this week's episode of Mastermind Mastery. I'm Tina Corner Stolz. I am your host, and today's topic is one of my most favorite to talk about, particularly for the beginning of the year. It's a great exercise to do with your members. And if you don't do it, it's a must-do, or there's lots of consequences, particularly if you're seeing issues with attrition or member dissatisfaction. This is the way you can cure that. Or if you're looking to raise the bar with your member experience, this is what is a must-do. So today, what are we going to talk about? We're going to talk about how you do an audit of your group. So we're not talking about them auditing you, we're talking about the entire group auditing itself, and the group individually themselves as a member, and then the group as a So today's takeaways are going to be how do you do an audit with your group and what's the benefit to you and to them, why even do it, and how to get past that scariness of candid feedback that you're probably going to get. Because it is a little disconcerting that you're like, sometimes I don't want to know what I don't know because it could be painful and you actually have to do something about it. And it also can be just kind of self-defeating because you might think, You're doing a great job, and then you learn maybe not so much. So we're gonna talk about different techniques today. And again, the type of audit I'm talking about is very group-focused, and we're gonna concentrate on what the group can do to improve personally as a member and then a group as a whole. So why do one? I'm gonna list lots and lots and lots of reasons why, but I think it's really important to understand all the benefits that can come out of doing this with your group, because you don't want to take this lightly. And if you're considering, well, maybe I won't do it, or I'll wait, I don't really need to do it because everything is going great, I cannot stress enough to you the importance of doing it regardless if your group is brand new or your group has been together for years and years and years and years. Every year something changes and the group's needs shift, and if you're not addressing those, that is where there's going to be an issue and where I see groups fall apart when it's just too late to address anything. So again, what are some of the benefits? First of all, member-centric improvement. So it's going to identify aspects of your meetings that the members find satisfactory, beneficial. So it's going to be areas of improvement, and they're going to identify that. You're also going to see enhanced member experience. So it's understanding what they appreciate about your meeting structure and ensure that those positive aspects actually continue. And then of course, speaking of continue, there is continuous improvement. So it's going to foster a culture of continuous improvement by addressing those areas that need refinement or elimination. And that continuous improvement also illustrates to your members that you are always having them top of mind and looking to always, always help them be better. So that means adapting to changing needs. So it shows that you're going to stay responsive to evolving the members' needs and preferences. By adapting your meeting structure or whatever it is that you might be offering accordingly. Going to strengthen the relationship because it demonstrates that you value their opinions. It reinforces trust. It strengthens your member relationships because you're going to be having conversations that are meaningful to them and also meaningful between them and between them and yourself. That strengthens the relationship because the more vulnerable your group is, the more honest and open and trusting they are, the more that it elevates that relationship. And if it's an area that you're working on your group to improve upon, this exercise will do that. Results. Client retention. This proactively addresses any concerns or dissatisfaction, mitigate the risk of member attrition, particularly when you don't know that somebody is dissatisfied or it's actually going on in their head that they're considering whether this is worth their time. This proactively addresses that. You also have the benefit of innovation, so opportunities to uncover new ideas and solutions to enhance the meeting. And I'm gonna give an example of this in a minute because it also uncovers where you can have effective allocation of your resources. Like, you're gonna understand where to allocate more effectively resources by identifying, like, activities that may not contribute significantly to their satisfaction, like speakers or exercises that you've been doing. And it will align with your member goals. So you ensure that what you're offering aligns actually with their goals and their expectations, which promotes like long-term satisfaction. And last, I believe this is a competitive edge because I can't tell you how many people don't do this. And so that when you do it, it absolutely differentiates yourself from your competitors or anybody else they work with, like from a consulting or advisor standpoint, because you're actively seeking and implementing their feedback. You're demonstrating to them your commitment to member-centric improvements. So those are lots of reasons as to why and the results that can happen. Because what happens if you don't? You're going to lose a member and possibly lose your group in total. And also what will happen is that the meetings will get stale and they won't be as fun for them.

How are you? As well.

And I have just witnessed that this year about 5 months ago, where a moderator was taken off guard because they didn't realize the needs changed of their group, and they didn't evolve their meeting agenda to address those changes. They basically got a little bit lazy and thought status quo was satisfactory, when in essence it was not, and they were not paying attention. So one member left. That spurred two more. That meant three left in one month. And then another one became in jeopardy and another one, and the whole group now is in jeopardy. And actually, the moderator couldn't recover. It was too late. They lost the entire group. Don't have that happen to you. So let me give you an example. I'm going to go through different types of audits. I'm actually going to show you one, and I'm all going to include this into the show notes for those of you that are not actually watching this episode but listening. So it will be there as a resource for you to download. And before I do though, I want to give you one more story. And that story is, is that recently in a group meeting that was happening, This was an exercise, and it was to go through how the group can improve. And the outcome from it is that one of the issues that was occurring is the group was actually kind of arriving just in time for the meeting. And how many of you actually have that happen where all your members are flying in? And let's say it's an 8:00 AM meeting and they're flying in at 8:00. 8:01, 8:02. And that makes it, from moderating standpoint, I don't know about you, but for me, stressful. I'm already starting late. I'm already thinking about how I need to adjust the agenda. How am I going to make up the time, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. It doesn't start things off on the right foot in the type of mindset that you want everybody to be in. So this, of course, goes on. And it's now people arriving not just a few minutes late, 5 and 10. And 10 minutes is a significant chunk in an agenda. 15 minutes is a significant chunk of an agenda that you can't get back and you have to adjust for. So from doing the exercise that I'm about ready to share with you, the outcome was, is that the group recognized this is what they were doing. The moderator did not have to chastise them, say, hey, how can we get back on track? It's from this exercise. The natural tendencies are those things that are working well and not working well will come out. And so this came out and they solved the problem themselves as a group. It's amazing. It's not stressful for you as the moderator, and it is encouraging and motivating for your members because it's their true buy-in to the solution. So you might wonder, what did they decide? They actually decided that they were going to— for that first 10 minutes was going to be a natural leeway. And that when they arrived within that 10-minute window, they were to automatically do their check-in, or what we call my transition. And many of you call it a check-in. Where they rank personal, health, business, or their mindset, et cetera, and list whatever copy topics they might have, a challenge, opportunity, problem, or idea, all of that on the board. And so they're socializing, they're warming up, and they're still accomplishing something in that 10-minute window. And it actually makes the meeting now run more efficiently than it did in the past. So it was a creative solution. That came— was come up by the members, and the moderator didn't have to come up with the solution themselves. So also, doing this audit will solve some of the challenges you may be having in running the group, because it's almost impossible to have zero challenges, right? There's always people that talk too much, show up late, leave early, interrupt people, all of those things, and this can get solved in a very professional, motivating way. So types of audits, let's get into that. One of the ways that I have seen works really well, um, that we utilize a lot is using the group guidelines. And there's a gentleman that came up with the 8 areas of a high-functioning team, and, um, that is actually in— and I'm gonna pull this up ideally so we can see it. Um, and it's from Townsend, and it's from a book. And what it is— and here, let me again kind of pull this up and share my screen with you guys on this. There we go. So you should be able to see it now. Excellent. What you will see are 8 characteristics, and these 8 characteristics, what this exercise does is have First, the members rank themselves how they are performing as a member and on a scale. Now, the scale that we use here is 1 to 3. So 1 is they need improvement, 2 is no change, everything's fine, and then the 3rd is it's excellent. They feel like they're doing well, et cetera. Now they rank themselves and then they also rank the group. Okay? And so what they will do is go through and you can see these 8 characteristics of one is shared values. So in the group, you don't want everyone to believe exactly like you and not take more than you give. So shared values. So how well do they believe they share values with the group and then rank, rank the group? How well is the group overall? Do that? Number 2 is engagement. Are you trying to move forward, progress in some way, committed to self-improvement, challenge each other in a positive way? And they rank again themselves and the group. How well do they stand for themselves? So even if you make a bad decision, mess up, will the group be honest with you? Will you pick up? Do you want to win, etc.? So does the group stand up for each other? And of course they're going to rank how well do they feel they do that with the group. Vulnerability is number 4. So vulnerability is weaknesses, failures, insecurities. Those all come out that there's not a fear. It's mutual. And otherwise, if it's not there, transformation does not happen. So vulnerability rank, how well do I feel I can be vulnerable in a group? How well is the group vulnerable Period. Truthfulness. How much is everybody honest? So there's no like rubber stamping. Meaning, have you ever had that in a group where somebody just kind of rubber stamps that, oh well, that's Joe, that's how he is, you know, or rubber stamp like maybe a commitment they made and, you know, you know that the outcome should have been different or it's just not right. So you just don't rubber stamp that. Okay, I let them pass on that. You actually stand up, speak up. And I particularly see this when, you know, a member needs to talk about something, but they're saying they're not bringing it up to talk about it, but yet the group knows they need to talk about it. And so does the group not rubber stamp it? Are they truthful? And they really get that member to feel comfortable to talk about it. So again, you rank that. Mutuality. You know everyone, how everything is going. There's no secrets. So people are not like holding back and not being fully transparent. So again, the other one, number 7, is chemistry. Do people genuinely like each other? Does the group get along? Is there, you know, camaraderie, et cetera? It's genuine. And then 8 is available. So availability, like how available is everybody? Are they showing up to the meetings? Are they available to help each other offline in between the meetings, etc.? So that is what we actually, you know, hand out. And everybody then goes through, they rank themselves, they rank the group. And then as a moderator, you give them time to do that. You don't have to give a lot of time. And then you go around each one and you say, all right, you can do this a variety of different ways, but you can say, all right, how many of you, you know, ranked— you can do it like number 1— that the group is doing really well here? And did anybody rank that the group's doing low? And what could we possibly talk about on if, if others ranked it high and others ranked it low? Let's see where there's misalignment. And kind of come into play and just have a conversation. And you can then talk about individually, you know, where did you all rank yourself high that you felt you do really well? And what's the one area you would love to improve upon this year in any of these 8 characteristics that would make you a better member and also receive more value from you participating? It is an amazing exercise to do. And it's a great conversation starter about what can improve and what do you want to keep doing that's going really well. Typically an exercise like this will be a good 30 minutes and sometimes 45. It just depends on how many people you have in your group and basically how much there really is to talk about. But it is amazing what the outcome is. And you as the moderator will take that and implement those things that everybody's agreed to. And it's also really great if you document individually which each of your members want to improve upon and kind of check back in partway through the year with your members. This is what everybody said they wanted to improve upon. How do you feel you're doing with the group? And that the group to improve upon, how you feel like the group is doing. And it's a good accountability exercise. Now, any of us that have been in corporate, I know I've probably done this exercise, which is stop, start, continue. And that's another way to get feedback, which is you just literally say, first of all, what's going well with the group that you want to continue? And then you list all those things out. So what is currently things you want to stop doing that you think is important to quit? And that could be pieces of meeting. It could be behavior, anything. And as a moderator, you probably want to give examples of that so they understand everything that can go in that stop category. And then how— what should we start doing? It could be a process of how you onboard new members. It could be different techniques in the meeting. It could be they might want to start and do a retreat. It could be they want to maybe add a few other members. Who knows? But again, what to start doing. And now you have your list. You know what it is they love and covet as a positive with their meeting experience. With continue, you know what it is they want to make sure stops. Again, that could be behaviors. It could be not showing up on time. It could be everybody's commitment again to being present and being at every meeting. And again, what might be new things they want to start? And then of course, another option, because those last 2 I'm talking about are time taken in the meeting. They are face-to-face, whether you're virtual or in-person exercises, because they're highly engaging. You can always do an online survey. I must say I am not a fan because I believe you lose a lot And you lose transparency, you lose vulnerability, and there is no interaction. Plus, how do you get group decisions and buy-in when you do an online survey? However, I'm sure there's exceptions to the rule and there's an appropriate time to do one. I'm just suggesting don't default to that if there's not a valid reason for you to do an actual in-person, face-to-face, or virtual interaction to get the feedback. So another technique could be that you— and in these cases I talked about where you're there, you're doing it— but what about if you want the feedback, okay, about what you do? You could incorporate a piece where you leave the room for a bit and they discuss about maybe things they would love to see differently about how you moderate. And then you come back in the room and collectively, you know, they give you that feedback. That is an option. You can have someone else do it. It could be a member, or it could be just, you know, another colleague of yours. You just have to be ready to accept whatever it is that they give you. Okay. And one of the other things is, and before you do this exercise, as good rule of thumb is make sure they're ready. So give advance notice that this is what you're doing and for what you want them to think about, because then they become— they come to your meeting ready and it's way more detailed. They don't leave something out, and then they think about maybe how they're going to address or bring up maybe some things that are bothering them, but then they become ready to do that. And then the last piece is, what do you do if someone's not present? Meaning a member is not there. So let's say you have a group of 12 and one is missing. Well, you could have another member debrief them and ask them what they think and what any changes they would add or their two cents. You can actually record that part of the session and send it to them and ask for their feedback. And I don't think that's breaching confidentiality when you record just that part, because it is a continuous improvement exercise, and it's one way where that missing member or members get to hear that dialogue, and it'll make it much more meaningful for them. I hope as we close out, you have gotten some ideas about how to do this, but more importantly, about what can come out of it. It is so beneficial for you. I cannot underscore every time that I always considered I don't want to take time in a meeting because I'm taking it away from the members to ask them this, and they're going to think this is not a good use of their time and that I should be doing this with them one-on-one in a coaching session or calling them individually. That is not the case. Remember to talk about all the benefits as to why you're doing this so they truly understand this is the benefit for them, and they will embrace this exercise wholeheartedly. So again, in the show notes, I'm going to add the functioning spreadsheet that I showed you. And you can download it. And until then, I look forward to you guys doing this and having wonderful success. And until then, and until next week, make it a great one.

Hey, moderators of groups, thank you so much for listening to today's podcast. To get access to today's show notes and exclusive content and resources, visit Tina Corner Stolz. .com/podcast or lxcounsel.com, where you can also become part of an exclusive online community, attend our academy, or get free resources, templates, checklists, and more. And you can even contact me there as well. So if this episode resonated with you and you know someone who can also benefit from listening, please share with them by taking a screenshot and even posting on your social media. I also I also love reviews and appreciate hearing from each of you, those actually doing this wonderful work. Please tune in next week for another episode of Mastermind Mastery. And I'll close by sharing something my mentor did after every learning moment. He shared a shiny pebble from his pocket with anyone he passed knowledge to and asked them to forward that pebble knowledge on. So now I encourage you to go pass on a pebble, the takeaways you learned today, to either your existing groups or fellow peers. Now, go make it a great one.