Anytime you are considering an opportunity, you should use The 4 Capitals aka The Other 4.0  to evaluate and maximize your return on investment. The return you get will not just be financial. It can come in many ways.

The Other 4.0 is as follows:

1. Personal capital is how well you know yourself. This includes things you know about yourself that others can’t see with their eyes such as your awareness of your strengths, weaknesses, purpose, passions, and interests. It also has to do with knowing what type of environments you thrive in. And it could be a character trait like your sense of humor, kindness, bluntness, or creativity.

In your mastermind group, you can maximize this by:

• Take time to do any homework assignments that your group leader gives you between meetings. Don’t just show up without having done any work on yourself. Socrates once said “An unexamined life is not worth living.”

2. Intellectual capital is what you know. This includes your expertise in one or two subjects or skills. For some people this stems from their college major, but for most people it’s not. When you walk into any room, what subject would you feel comfortable speaking on in front of anyone for an hour? Or, what skill can you do well and replicate success more than the average person? Whether you are a student or a professional, you have to be intentional about the skills you want to develop and the subjects you want to master.

In your mastermind group, you can maximize this by:

• Asking questions during any teaching that goes on during the mastermind group
• Coming prepared for hot seats so that you learn the most from the meeting of minds
• Reading any books or articles that are recommended by others

3. Social capital is who you know and who knows you. This includes your networks up, down, across, and out. How many people are listed in your cell phone who aren’t family, and who are older than you? Who can you call on when you need professional or personal advice? How many friends can you call on if you need help moving? How many people are you connected with at different corporations, and organizations across the country? Your social capital can consist of mentors, alumni, seasoned professionals, parents’ friends, professors, counselors, coaches, and advisors, and peers committed to your personal greatness. It’s all about who is committed to your personal and professional growth and development and vice versa.

In your mastermind group, you can maximize this by:

• Arriving the night before or staying the night of the meeting and coordinating to have dinner with other members
• Sit next to new people each time you meet
• Form an accountability partnership with another member or members that connects in between the meetings
• Sincerely follow-up with members that are near in person and call those that may not be as close
• Make introductions for members based on need you hear come up in the group

4. Financial capital is who knows that you know what you know. Reread that—it’s a tricky one. When the right people know that you know a lot about a subject or can execute a skill that they need, that’s when financial opportunities flow. Financial capital grows at the intersection of your intellectual and social capital. Imagine that you are looking for a new job opportunity—which is also a financial opportunity—the interview process is all about building a relationship with the hiring manager, interviewers, and the company, and then convincing them that you are the most knowledgeable and skillful at solving the problem they are hiring for. When you think about your financial capital as the intersection of your intellectual and social capital, it empowers you because you are in full control of how your intellectual and social capitals grow. Financial capital comes in the form of job opportunities, investment opportunities, entrepreneurial opportunities, and access to capital.

In your mastermind group, you can maximize this by:

• Bringing business to others and watching reciprocity kick in directly or indirectly
• Apply what you’re learning from others in the meetings to grow yourself and your business. Don’t just let it become an idea factory.
• Share your business with others in the group without trying to sell. Just make them aware of what problems you solve so that when they see or hear those keywords, they think of you.