Many people make the mistake of thinking success is either lucky or there’s some magic mojo that is out of reach for them.
Both personally and professionally, I’ve found that success is actually quite simple. It’s defining and following through on your standards for success. Let me share with you what has worked for me and how I apply these standards of success to my passion for Project Management.
Levels of Learning: Move From Awareness to Mastery
Your time is invaluable. You want to spend it where it matters most. That’s why when you learn, you want to make sure you move beyond the basics and transform your skills to mastery. This has been the driving principle behind our course development and delivery at Cheetah Learning, and it has been my personal mantra when I look at my own development.
It’s Not Just What You Learn. It’s How You Learn.
Today, it’s easy to get information. The Internet. Books. Online articles. Webinars. Information is everywhere, but the key question is: How do you retain the information you need and put it into action?
Most courses you take stay at the awareness and knowledge levels. They never improve your skills or help you attain mastery. That’s a key standard of success for us at Cheetah. We focus on building your skills by applying the knowledge you have and developing mastery by showing you how to get consistently great results with your skills.
Where Success Happens
If your learning stays at the awareness and knowledge levels, your career and your opportunities for success are limited. Success happens at the top of the pyramid with skill – the application of knowledge and mastery – the ability to consistently get results with your skills.
Where is your learning happening?
Use Your Time Wisely
Another standard for success is making the best use of your time. When you learn, you want to make sure every moment is counts. That’s why we believe that accelerated learning is the way to go.
The Power of Accelerated Learning
Accelerated learning is a proven way to teach people new skills because it:
• Improves your retention and your ability to apply the new knowledge.
• Helps you quickly use what you’ve learned.
• Benefits every project you tackle — personally and professionally.
Accelerated learning techniques were pioneered over 40 years ago in the teaching of foreign languages. Since then, they have been applied to a wide variety of fields in business and in academia, as well as in the military to rapidly train people in a variety of areas. These techniques use a combination of teaching principles to make you comfortable and create an environment where participation leads to learning, almost without any conscious effort.
An accelerated learning program is conducted as if the participants are playing a game and not actively engaged in a typical learning event. There is a lengthy testing and revision process of courses developed with accelerated learning methods to make sure that every technique used achieves the desired learning outcomes for the participants. The environment is tightly scripted in courses using accelerated learning to ensure participants leave with a high level of competency.
What are the standards you’re looking for?
If you want to learn from someone who is approved by a standards developer, look for the IACET logo. When you see it, it means that an organization has met IACET’s internationally-recognized educational standards for continuing education and training.
Set the standard
In a tough job market, now is the time to make sure your managers, peers and prospective employers see how you set the standard for those around you. If you’re a PMP®, keep the credential current, and if you’re not a PMP® yet, think about what standards of excellence you want to adhere to.
FREE Downloads to Get You Where You Want to Go
Download our Cheetah Exam Prep SmartStart™ Guide or our white paper on Accelerated Learning techniques in Project Management. They’re yours for free to take you to the next level of success.
Chief Cheetah Podcast Is Yours for the Downloading
Want to hear what Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, and Chief Cheetah has to say about accelerated learning? Download our podcast at http://podcast.cheetahlearning.com/podcastgen/ and hear the words straight from the Cheetah’s mouth.
In a world that is moving full speed ahead, why leave any learning experience to chance? Experience accelerated learning in any of our Cheetah courses, and see why it is one of our standards of success at Cheetah Learning.
About the Author
Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, is an entrepreneurial powerhouse with a penchant for making success easy, fun and fast. She is the founder of Cheetah Learning, the author of the Cheetah Success Series, and a prolific blogger whose mission is to bring Project Management to the masses.
Cheetah Learning is a virtual company with 100 employees, contractors, and licensees worldwide. To date, more than 30,000 people have become "Cheetahs" using Cheetah Learning’s innovative Project Management and accelerated learning techniques.
Recently honored by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), Cheetah Learning was named Professional Development Provider of the Year at the 2008 PMI® Global Congress. A dynamic keynote speaker and industry thought leader, Michelle was previously recognized by PMI as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Project Management in the world.
Michelle’s articles have appeared in over 100 publications and web sites around the world. Her monthly column, the Know How Network is carried by over 400 publications, and her monthly newsletter goes out to more than 50,000 people. Her radio program, Your World Your Way, is a weekly broadcast that is an inspiring and practical look at how Project Management fuels success.
She is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Owner President Manager’s (OPM) program and also holds engineering degrees from Syracuse University and the University of Dayton.
She lives in Nevada with her family and likes to rejuvenate in Alaska where you’ll often find her kayaking, hiking, and riding her motorcycle.
PMP is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute.
