I got this strange idea that I would run for student body president (学生会主席) when I was in the eighth grade. To run for student body president is not a surprising decision for most outgoing and popular people. But in fact, I tended to daydream, read books that were not on the required list, and sat at the table at the cafeteria with the only two friends I had, Denise and Janice. What happened within two months led me to the single best method to succeed in achieving something.
Claire was perfect-in-front-of-adults and had decent grades, though she was rude to me, which motivated me to sign up to run against her for student body president. Denise decided we should form a mastermind group to get me elected. We met everyday, right after school, reviewing a list of students. We brainstormed reasons why each one might want to vote, in their own interests for me or more likely against Claire.
We used a method we learned from Denise's sister. It meant that we looked for students who were most likely to influence a group of other students. Those are the people we approached first. My narrow victory was a surprise to many, frankly, including the three of us.
That's how I got my first taste of the power of what's now called Collective Intelligence. With the right model for how we meet, we become more valuable together than apart.
When a group commits to supporting each other by meeting regularly and acting by mutually agreed upon rules of engagement, remarkable things will happen. We tend to bring the best out in each other, as thousands have learned around the world through their mastermind groups. Individuals become tight-knit teams. We become happier and higher-performing with and for each other. It is never too late for you to start your own mastermind group of no more than seven members around a strong sweet spot of mutual interest, which will definitely evolve into something different and more meaningful over the years.
