Everyday Project Management

Michelle LaBrosse, PMP

For the past three months, I have been leading a Mastermind group of small business owners near the Cheetah Learning corporate retreat center in Connecticut. The latest series of activities have been to teach them how to use the principles of accelerated learning and project management to increase their sales. It’s with a system we at Cheetah call the Sales and Marketing Accelerator System - SMAS.

The whole activity of teaching the group the SMAS was started because one of the mastermind group members publishes a magazine called Natural Awakenings. The magazine is distributed throughout the greater Hartford region to stores such as Whole Foods. It has compelling content on more natural ways of living in our modern world. It attracts numerous alternative healers and green oriented organizations as advertisers. Some of who are fairly new to the world of business and think that one ad will get your phone ringing off the hook.

I tweaked a copy of a little guide I wrote ten years ago called the Sales and Marketing Accelerator System so that she could educate her advertisers on how to run an integrated media promotional campaign and get better results from their advertising efforts. She agreed to run an advetorial for me in her magazine that teaches people how to increase their revenue. Here is the mind map created for the advetorial.

Increase Your Revenue at Cheetah Speed

Michelle LaBrosse, PMP

As every project manager knows, communication is 99.995% of the job of a project manager.  Good conversational skills can also build better relationships - in both the personal and the professional parts of life.   I have been facilitating a mastermind group for the past two months.  One of the participants wanted me to teach the group active listening skills as she was not feeling “heard.”   I “heard” something a bit different though - LOL.

Over the past six months I have been studying how your emotions play themselves out in your body.   Your emotions start in your body - originating from the limbic part of your brain.   And THEN your higher level brain labels them.   HOWEVER, even if you try to hide your emotions, your body is still playing out their scripts.   And we all can read this whether the person is articulating it or not.   Say for example I am annoyed at you - but I don’t articulate it and instead try to smooth things out.   Your body will sense and intuit that I am in fact annoyed with you and will act accordingly.  Depending on how you see yourself with respect to me, your body will respond differently.   You might respond in your body by being annoyed back if you feel I have no right to be annoyed at you.  Or you might respond by being amused if you feel more powerful than me.  Or you might feel scared if you feel I am somehow more powerful than you.  Or you could be curious why I feel that way if you are living confident and comfortable in your own power.

I find the best way to build rapport is by the last feeling - one of openness and curiosity.   No matter what someone else is feeling, I have found that relaxing into my power enables me to interact with them from a place of compassion and caring.   I call this compassionate engagement.  The majority of people have positive intentions (as do I).   And it is in recognizing my own positive intentions, and operating from that perspective that I can create more positive interactions.   It also helps me to practice some of the skills that we teach in the Cheetah Communicating through Conflict and Negotiations courses as well.   The two skills that I use from these two course for Conversational Aikido are to state observable facts - this releases you from having to make judgements about people’s behaviors.  And to ask permission based questions - which stimulates buy in to a dialog.

Conversational Aikido - Harmonizing Relationships One Emotion At a Time

Four years ago I read the book called Chi Walking - www.chiwalking.com. I have tried the technique without really grasping the concepts.   In April of this year, I suffered a painful shin splint from walking.   I had a series of keynotes and needed to fix the problem pronto so I wouldn’t be limping on stage.   It took three weeks to heal it and multiple trips to a masseuse, chiropractor and acupuncturist.

For long term risk management on my mobility, I wanted to learn a more effective way of walking.   I remembered the Chi Walking book and found a class on their website in July that would fit into my schedule.

Katherine Dreyer has put together a phenomenal training program.   I’m not that athletically inclined so learning new skills that involve my body doesn’t come naturally to me.   In ten hours, Katherine managed to teach 12 of us the skills to start on a path to a safer, healthier way of walking.   Katherine and her husband Danny have made their life focus to understand the bio-mechanics of walking and running and to effectively teach it to others.   The Chi Living team has also assembled a fantastic train the trainer program and have licensed teachers all over the world.

The Chi Walking technique focuses on engaging your core muscles to move you forward.  This way you don’t suffer over use injuries in your feet, calves, knees, quads, or hips.  So you can stick with a walking program for more miles and many years.  The additional benefit you also trim down your middle - something that just seems to keep spreading as you age.   You learn to use gravity to help you instead of hurt you.   And the technique in and of itself is a meditative practice as you have to focus on your core - a focus point in most martial arts practices - including Tai Chi.   You turn the simple act of walking into a calming, anti-aging exercise.

What I really liked about the Dreyer’s Chi moving techniques is they allow for you to be a beginner and move into this gradually.  I have worked with a variety of personal trainers in my life.   Most left me feeling like I was just not cut out for their level of physical endurance performance requirements.   With Katherine’s style and philosophy - you gradually work your way into this in a focused, gentle, and consistent way.  You start where you are, no judgment.  Even if you perceive you have physical limitations - the techniques can be adopted gradually over time and actually have you get past those.

Considering I walk several hours a day to move myself from points a to b to c, I am very thankful the Dreyers created a technique that would enable me to maintain life long mobility.   Here is the my summary mind map of the class.

Mind Map Summarizing Chi Walking

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How much difference can a warm cup of coffee make in your day? If you are a habitual coffee drinker, you know the positive effect coffee can have- the aroma of it in the morning, the gurgling of the coffee maker as it slowly and patiently prepares a pot of the dark and alluring liquid, the pure joy that courses through you when you take that first satisfying sip. Ok, as you perhaps can tell, I love my cup of joe in the morning.

Imagine now that you are far from home- far from the familiar, without your family or your usual friends for support. How much would a cup of coffee mean to you then?

Cheetah Learning found out last week when we committed a day to Support Our Troops through donating funds to Green Beans Coffee, a company that is dedicated to supporting the troops of the United States military by providing coffee, tea, and other beverages in an inviting environment so that soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines can have some time to relax and feel at home.

While we at Cheetah Learning knew that our contribution to Green Beans Coffee would be put to good use, we didn’t quite understand the impact that it would have on soldiers until we started to receive thank you notes back from folks who had received our cup of coffee along with a note of gratitude from us.

I am going to share some of those quotes here in hopes that if you are reading this, you will know just how powerful a cup of coffee can be.

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“To the Patriots at Cheetah Learning, Thank you so much for your support. You and your employees are an example of what makes Americia such a unique place. I will enjoy my cup of coffee and think of all of you. Despite the 120 degree temperatures in Baghdad, nothing beats a great cup of coffe in the morning. Thanks for your support…”

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“Thank you so much for your generosity. I have been overwhelmed by the support of the American citizens who donate to this. Something as small as a cup of coffee and a kind letter is a HUGE morale booster when you are miles away from home, family, and friends. Your gift is truely appreciated…”

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“Good Friends at Cheetah Learning — Thank you so very much for your kind thoughts and support. An occasional Green Beans coffee or latte in the morning is a true comfort treat that reminds me of home and the morning Starbucks run on the way to work (except here there are no sky scrapers and a lot of desert) The Soldiers here appreciate your support more than you know. Thank you again…”

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“…I don’t know if I am elated because of your gratitude or because you thought of my career beyond the military. I am a proud citizen Soldier-reservist and I am always looking to expand my horizons. I will definitely look into Cheetah Learning and share this information with my fellow Soldiers. Thanks for remembering us and letting us know that folks other than our families care about us…”

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“…My sincere thanks for your thoughts and Cup of Joe - little things out here make a big difference and the occasional decent cup of coffee goes a long way. I’m actually a submarine Commander in a land centric appointment (good broadening I’m told) normally specializing in project management with my last major project as Project Manager for the Refit of HMS Victorious. I’m always looking to update my PM skills so will look into what course you have on offer. Once again, many thanks and all the best…”

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“Cheetah Learning, Thank you so very much for this sweet gesture! I am a true coffee fanatic and I look forward to my cup of coffee every day. Your support means so much to us over here and it is for people like ya’ll that we serve. Thank you again so much…”

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“Cheetah Learning: Thank you for your generosity and your thoughtfulness…. My home and family are back in Nebraska and I plan to be back there around the beginning of November. There are not many luxuries here but one thing that I look forward to a couple times a week is going to the Green Bean and having a good cup of coffee. Next time I’m there I’ll be thinking of your generous gift while I’m enjoying my “Cup of Joe”. Blessings…”

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“…Thank you for being supportive to us Troops, it means alot! And yes, the Cup of Joe is definitely a warm reminder of home; so it too is greatly appreciated! It really helps us to continue our days away from home knowing that other people are in support of what we do…Thank you again for being supportive to us..This Soldier is truly honored to serve for our wonderful Country. May you and your family be blessed… Truly…”

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Find out how you too can donate a cup of coffee and brighten someone’s day at Green Beans Coffee.

Thanks For Reading,

Kristen

You have always been highly intellectual and technically savvy, and you may or may not have donned a pocket protector or two in your day.  Today, flaunt your talents, and celebrate Embrace Your Geekness Day, the Cheetah Way.

We invite you to discover your inherent strengths and challenges as a Geek by taking Cheetah’s 5 PDU PM Strength Builder course. Use promo code GeeksRock2010 to receive $30 off.

Achieve ultimate Geek status when you take Cheetah’s 20 PDU Virtual Project Teams. Use promo code VirtualGeeks2010 to receive $90 off.

You can also embrace the geek in you by taking any Cheetah Certificate Program to improve your PM skills.  Use promo code CertifiedGeek2010 to receive 10% off any of these courses.

Don’t wait! The promotion ends on July 23^rd.  Embrace your Geekness today!

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Discover why the Federal Government is Embracing PM Geekness, as well, with your free download: Federal Government Mandate for PMP®.

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