Trump Needs What Henry Ford And Thomas Edison Had: Access To Others' Minds

Henry Ford and Thomas Edison both attributed much of their success to the insights and inspirations generated by those around them. In an atmosphere of confidentiality and trust, they gathered a small group of friends around them and explored issues and problems. The key idea was that ten men could generate perspectives which may escape the attention or focus of any one man — even a genius like Thomas Edison. Napoleon Hill wrote about this idea in his now classic Think and Grow Rich more than 75 years ago — he called such groups mastermind groups. Throughout history, many a famous character has attributed their success to membership in such groups. Today organizations such as the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), Vistage, and the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) have thousands of members who are furthering their success through the power of a mastermind group.

It may well be that a mastermind group is just what President Trump needs. The question is will current politics and the media let him have one? Mastermind groups work well when they allow us to gain insights into our situation which we otherwise do not see. If we are in a context of trust and confidentiality, we can take advantage of the group's collective ability to "see things differently." The resulting insights empower us to make different choices and to create a different outcome. What we are doing in a mastermind group is finding a way to see past our own cognitive limits. It seems highly unlikely that the President or his inner circle would acknowledge that they too have cognitive limits. It seems equally unlikely that those coming from very different perspectives than the President would be willing to participate — especially if governed by tenets of trust and confidentiality. It seems even more unlikely that the current political climate would allow the President and such a group to maintain the confidentiality required.

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