THE POWER OF THE MASTER MIND

A motivational manual focuses on a key idea from the writings of a self-help guru.

The latest nonfiction work by Horowitz (Awakened Mind, 2019, etc.), like all the other entries in the Napoleon Hill Success Course series, takes as its starting point one particular concept from the oeuvre of the bestselling motivational author of the early 20th century and builds on it. In Horowitz’s case, the idea that forms the center of his book is the “Master Mind,” without which, Hill asserted, no lasting success is possible. Like many of Hill’s major concepts, the notion of the Master Mind is deceptively simple: It’s the gathering of a small group of cognoscenti in some field or endeavor with the aim of sharing ideas and encouraging and assisting one another with specific or general goals. Horowitz stresses in his text the main benefit of this that Hill emphasized nearly a century ago: the pooling of intelligence and experience taking place outside of formal business or organizational structures. This basic concept is mirrored in many later business manuals as the forging of alliances, but Horowitz underscores what Hill highlights, which is the deeper and more personal nature of the Master Mind. The members of Horowitz’s own such band (convened mostly electronically, over time zones and great distances), for instance, share “supportive natures, good humor, and spiritual values.” In clear, concise chapters of invitingly frank prose very much in the manner of Hill himself, Horowitz outlines some practices and procedures for establishing and running a Master Mind, and readers inside and outside of the business world should find these pointers intriguing. But throughout, the author stresses that the operation is as uncomplicated as the idea—and can have payoffs far in excess of the investments in time and energy. To make this point, Horowitz cites the testimony of his Master Mind partner Mel Bergman: “Whenever two or more likeminded people get together, you have a Master Mind group. It’s that simple. Really. If you can suspend your disbelief and give it a shot, it is inconceivable that you will not see results.”

A cogent and useful elaboration on a famous concept that advocates group support.