After experiencing a 6-month group coaching mastermind, I developed a higher understanding of the importance of a well-structured group, what it meant to be involved in an advanced room, and how to best take advantage of the opportunities that presents to us as entrepreneurs. With my own group coaching session, One Year From Now: The Residency, quickly approaching in the new year, I wanted to explain 10 rules I have practised myself so that you can get the most out of any advanced room you find yourself in.
10 rules of engagement for getting the most out of an advanced room:
- Assume everyone has your back
In most group opportunities, you will be approaching a room full of individuals who you don’t know and who have very limited knowledge of you. Instead of defaulting to our own insecurities and immediately pitting yourself against others, consider that everyone is here to learn, to share, and to support one another through this process without judgement.
- Be in competition IN community
We’ve all heard the phrase “iron sharpens iron”, but not all of us approach an advanced room with that mindset. When competing within a community, you are lifting each other up and focusing on learning together— there is competition in a healthy way that promotes creativity, not in a way that creates unrealistic expectations.
- Decide that you belong here
“When you decide that you belong, you take up space and you get what you came for.” Our brains are not always our friends, especially when it comes to new experiences. Remember that we all belong in professional places, no matter who we are, where we come from, or what has brought us to this advanced room in the first place.
- Actively practice getting what you came for and asking all your questions— every last one
When you enter a group setting, are you getting all your questions answered? There are opportunities within every advanced room for questions and clarity. As a coach myself, I expect clients to have questions and to need my help. Even if your question feels personal or specialized, there will always be individuals in the room that can benefit from your ask.
- Keep the thought “my presence is a value-add”
More often than not, we weigh ourselves down with “should”s and “should not”s when it comes to how we present ourselves in front of others. Consider that the reason you’re in an advanced room is to learn and to grow— you are allowed to show up how you want to and you will add value to the group by showing up as your authentic self.
- Always look for the learning
2 questions you should be asking yourself when you’re listening to someone else’s questions, feedback, or experiences— Where is the learning opportunity for me? What can I get out of this? We all feel the urge to tune out if something isn’t related to our experiences, but there is so much to learn when we actively choose to listen and to apply what we heard.
- Practice radical responsibility
While being a part of a coaching process involves a lot of help and encouragement from your coach, you still have to take the responsibility for your own learning experiences and actions taken. If you’re not receiving the experience you wanted when you signed up to take part, ask yourself what it will take to rectify that situation and work towards a richer experience.
- Ask for help (even when you just need encouragement or clarity)
You won’t ever learn the answer if you don’t take the opportunity to ask. There are many situations we can rectify on our own, but solutions can come in many forms when we choose to put ourselves out there and ask. Gather your thoughts as much as you can and share them with the bright minds in the room, that’s what they’re there for.
- Evaluating in public (safely) is priceless
Everyone within a group opportunity signed up to be there, and the value in that comes from taking that chance to share safely. Consider your actions, lessons, learning experiences, failures, and successes and share them in a public evaluation with your group. This is your container to use together to express the depth of your entrepreneurial experience.
- Learn to find true thoughts vs right answers
As rational and intelligent individuals, we always strive for the “right” answers, the ones that show how much we know and that convey how we should think. However, the true thoughts in our brains are the ones that decide our actions. If we aren’t sharing our feelings and thoughts, as “irrational” or “wrong” as they may feel, we won’t learn how to combat those thoughts.
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Keep an eye out for my newest podcast series, Note to Self with Nicola Brown, with new episodes being released every Friday.
Connect with me through my website and on Instagram.
You can schedule a clarity call with me here: https://oyfn.co/clarity/
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