The Leading Edge:
24 Months With the John Maxwell Team
By Emmanuel Udo, certified John Maxwell Team coach, speaker & trainer
The John Maxwell Team (JMT) has had a very profound impact on my life and equipped me to impact other lives through groups referred to as Masterminds.
Although I became acquainted with John Maxwell in 2004 when I attended the Million Leaders Mandate Training in Nigeria, I stumbled on the JMT by chance in June 2015. One of the leaders working under me in the church informed me of his certification as a trainer, speaker, and coach with the JMT, and requested opportunities to train our leaders.
The idea fascinated me. I immediately made contact and within a month, I had joined the JMT. Although the sheer volume of materials in the Online University was overwhelming, I was really fired up. At that time, I was leading a church of about 600 members, as a volunteer, while working as a senior engineer. The pressure too was much, and I missed many live training calls but I kept going due to the value I was receiving, and the passion generated in me.
The climax came in March 2016 when I attended the Live Event in Orlando. It was an experience of a lifetime. It was deeply transformational and will live within me forever. I have attended many conferences, workshops and retreats before and after, but none has come anywhere near it. Cultural, social, economic, racial and religious barriers were completely broken down. We became like brothers and sisters growing up at home!
The JMT has impacted my life remarkably. I have rediscovered my purpose. It has sharpened my focus. I have grown, and I am still growing. It has increased my sphere of influence and my capacity to add value to others.
The Mastermind is the main platform that I use to impact other people’s lives. Starting the first class was a major challenge. I contacted people individually, explained to them the then unfamiliar concept of a Mastermind, and the benefits of studying together. After that, attendance has ceased to be a problem. Now people join by referral or by formal personal request. Some are on standby awaiting when the next class will start. Within the last 24 months I have facilitated seven Mastermind groups: four face-to-face, and three online, via video conference, with people joining from three countries on two continents. So far, 68 people have completed the Mastermind on the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. The eighth session is about to start.
I have discovered two key factors for a successful Mastermind group. The first is diversity of membership and the second is how the facilitator recognizes and utilizes that diversity.
Diversity refers to the differences in the backgrounds of the members of the group. This brings different and varied perspectives to any issue being discussed, and greatly enriches the discussion. For instance, I have had pastors, directors of schools and housewives in the same group, and it is interesting to see the unique perspective each brings to the discussion. The impact of the process is greatly enhanced if the facilitator makes an effort to connect with and understand everyone’s background, and then reflects this in the way he frames questions to draw out this diversity for the benefit of the group as a whole.
I have been amazed at the outcome as I observe the steps people take after completing the Mastermind. Six of those who have completed a Mastermind have joined the JMT through the Mentorship Referral Program. One attended the IMC in March 2017 and has been certified while others are working to do so in August, despite visa denials.
I have seen lives transformed in ways that I could never have imagined. One participant has been so consumed with passion that his wife complains that John Maxwell and leadership are all he listens to and talks about. He sees leadership as the lifeline to lift his country out of poverty. As I write, he has travelled to his country with appointments to meet government leaders to discuss how to add value to their people. Another, a hairdresser, is applying what she learned from the Mastermind to create a platform where she shares tips with her customers on how to preserve weaved hair so it lasts longer, and how to deal with hair loss. This has increased her customer base and revenues significantly. Yet another, a high school certificate holder, is now studying for a degree, along with his wife, many years after leaving high school. One of his new goals is to earn a PhD.
Joining the JMT has transformed my life and increased my capacity to influence and add value to others. I use the Mastermind group to add value. By leveraging group diversity, I have been able to enrich group discussion for maximum impact. The result has been the remarkable transformation in the lives of the participants. The taste of the pudding, they say, is in the eating!
About Emmanuel:
Emmanuel Udo is a mechanical engineer and project management practitioner, with 27 years of experience in oil and gas engineering and construction. He is in transitioning to project management consulting. He has lived and worked in three countries on two continents, and now resides in Doha, Qatar.
He has had over 35 years of leadership experience mainly in faith-based, not-for-profit organizations, including Missions Agency, pastoring a church in the Middle East, responsibility for training church leaders, including presidents and founders of independent churches and ministries. He facilitates two centers of Couples’ Forum, a study group for married people, to help them identify and resolve issues that cause conflicts in marriages, and build marriages that last.
Emmanuel Udo is the CEO of Inflatus Consultants and Partners, a Nigerian based Leadership and Project Management Consulting organization, and certified Coach, Trainer and Speaker with the John Maxwell Team. He helps project based organizations identify skill gaps and build capacity for growth, with special focus on risk management and troubled projects diagnostics and turn around.
He is passionate about helping small business leaders grow themselves, their staff as stakeholders in the business.
He is a regular speaker and trainer in churches.