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Four Keys to the Science of Success
Every January, as we look ahead to the New Year, we think about our success - both personal and professional. We write down our resolutions, but what many of us fail to do is break down those resolutions and think about how we're going to make them happen. This "how" is what I call the "Science of Success." It's the connective tissue that begins with vision and ends with gratitude. Here are the four keys to the Science of Success as I've experienced them at work and at home.
Vision
It's a word that scares some people because it sounds like the purview of CEOs and professors, but it is a word for every one of us to own. If you don't know what success looks like, how will you get there? It sounds simple, but most people have a hard time articulating what success looks like to them. Take a clean sheet of paper and answer the question for yourself: What is success for you? Does it mean working less hours and having more time for your family? Does it mean working smarter and being more effective? Does it mean having a house in the country? Does it mean going back to school for another degree or more training? Think of your vision as your charter. It's where you want to go. It's the view from the top of the mountain. Now, let's focus on getting there.
Learning
If you look at successful people, you'll notice one consistent theme: a love of learning. People who make it to the top of the mountain take great joy in learning all the way up to the summit. They'll often tell you that they learn more from the failures, and that in fact, it is usually a failure that opens the window to the opportunity. Sounds curious, but if you think about it, the difference is perspective: having a perspective that is based on learning. If every stone in the path up that mountain is an opportunity to learn something, then the journey is a rich experience. At Cheetah Learning, we often receive letters from our students after they have passed the PMP® exam, and after reflecting on their experience in the classroom, they realize that they learned a lot more than how to pass an exam. They learned skills about life, success and how to learn faster and better.
Project Management
You have a vision with a perspective based on continuous learning. Now, the question is: how to be effective? How do you translate what you learn and know so it helps you get where you're going? That's Project Management. Project Management is the art of getting things done.
As many people see vision as part of the CEO's world, Project Management is often seen as only one department's world. "Project Management is for those guys in IT or Manufacturing or..." That is one of the biggest myths of Project Management. Like vision, it is also for every one. After all, what is life, but a series of projects? If we are living and breathing, then we are surrounded by projects. Project Management gives us the knowledge and the skills to be more effective. It gives us the systems to marry the vision and learning and link it all together to get results. Whether you are a teacher, a mechanic or a manager in any department, we all need results to get the momentum that is the difference between standing still and moving ahead. That's why we call ourselves "Cheetahs." The Cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world, and webelieve in getting to where we want to go fast.
Gratitude
You can't turn around without seeing a book about relationship building, customer relationship management, or how to build better relationships. The "R" word seems to be everywhere as the great elixir for success. However, I'd take it one step further. We all have relationships of varying success, but how many of us have gratitude and show gratitude to others? This is not new age "mumbo-jumbo." Instead, it is recognizing and appealing to the most basic human emotional need: to be recognized, to be thanked, to matter to the person next to us. At Cheetah, we call this "an attitude of gratitude," and we actually have a program that encourages our Cheetahs to thank their fellow Cheetahs every month with gratitude points. An attitude of gratitude is infectious. It lets people feel good both by giving and receiving. There's a reason that people thank others in acceptance speeches because they are grateful for the people, ideas and energy that helped move them forward. They know that a major factor of their success has been gratitude.
So, let's look at where we've been: you have your vision and you know where you're going. You are embracing life with a learning perspective where you see every obstacle as an opportunity. You're going to flex your Project Management muscle to get where you're going faster and better, and along the way and especially once you get there, you'll always take the time to thank others and help other people on their journey.
You are ready to climb! Let's go. I'll see you at the top. Here's to a great 2007.
About the Know How Network
The Know How Network is a monthly column written by Michelle LaBrosse, the founder and Chief Cheetah of Cheetah Learning. Distributed to hundreds of newsletters and media outlets around the world, the Know How Network brings the promise, purpose and passion of Project Management to people everywhere
Michelle LaBrosse, PMP
Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, founder of Cheetah Learning, and author of Cheetah Negotiation and Cheetah Project Management. was recently selected as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Project Management worldwide, and only one of two women selected from the training and education industry. She was featured in the October 2006 issue of PM Network Magazine, and also graduated from the Harvard Business School's Owner President Managers (OPM) program in March 2006.
She created the Cheetah Project Management methodology during her Air Force Officer years and enhanced it to later evolve to become Cheetah Project Management, a fast and effective way of launching projects. She is now the leader of the course development team at Cheetah and sets the strategic direction for the company. Cheetah is now the global leader in Project Manager Professional Development. She lives in Nevada with her family and likes to rejuvenate in Alaska
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