步骤1：确定你的目标

Step One:Determine Your Purpose

The first step in putting together a mastermind alliance is to adopt a definite purpose for it to attain¹.(Who would board train without knowing where it went?) Obviously you cannot do this if you have not yet selected your own definite major purpose.You must be certain that the purpose of the alliance is either the same as yours or very closely aligned².

使智囊团发挥功效的第一个步骤，就是设立一个明确的 目标(谁愿意搭乘目的地不明确的火车呢?)很显然的，如 果你连自己的明确目标都还没有确定，是不可能进行其他工作的。

你必须确定智囊团的共同目标，就是你自己的明确目标，或至少应该非常接近你的目标。

If you have already written out your own definite major purpose and the means you will use attain it,this step will be familiar for you.Writing out the plan for your alliance's chain you must forge.Inevitably³ there will be links you have neither the skill nor the resources to join yourself,just as the conductor cannot simultaneously⁴ collect fares,work the dining car,and keep a hand on the throttle⁵.This brings you to yours second step.

如果你已经写下自己的明确目标，以及达到目标的方法，则你对此一步骤应该就能驾轻就熟了。写了智囊团的共同目标以及执行计划，可使你了解过程中的每一个环节，就像列车长不能同时收票、服务餐车旅客和驾驶火车一样，你也无法一人处理所有环节的事务，这时候你就必须运用第二个步骤了。