Featured Article
Now THAT’S Inspiring!
Four days to teach students everything they need
to know in order to pass the PMP® exam is
a tall order, but Cheetah’s 20 certified instructors
do it each and every time they teach the Cheetah
Exam Prep® for the PMP class. Instructors
Norma Ribich and Bob Bradley do it by inspiring
their students to succeed.
“One of the things that I try
to instill in my students is that they must think
and act as if it is impossible to fail,” Norma
explains. “I connect with my students as the
individuals they are, and I help them to focus on
the behaviors they can control – their thinking and
actions. By combining their positive thoughts with
hard work, they can get what they want – their PMP
certification.”
Norma knows all about the
10 ways to inspire a team
and has demonstrated it throughout her career with
Cheetah Learning. “Norma is the standard bearer for
the Cheetah brand,” says Michelle LaBrosse, Chief
Cheetah. “Whoever said organizational change is
difficult didn’t have Norma on their team. When she
suggests changing something at Cheetah, people adopt
her ideas very quickly. Why? Because Norma’s
suggestions make sense, are fast and easy to
implement, and upgrade our brand image.”
One of the reasons why
Cheetah’s exam prep class is so successful is that
it is constantly reviewed and modified based on what
instructors like Norma and Bob see happening with
students in the classroom. But as complex as
identifying and making changes to the course
material is, it isn’t as big a challenge in Bob’s
eyes as motivating and inspiring his students.
“On Monday morning of class, I
typically review the week’s agenda with the class.
Once they realize, there are no Power Point slide
shows and understand they are
responsible for their success, the
anxiety level begins to elevate, and the confidence
level begins to decline.” That’s when Bob’s job
begins. “My job, as coach, is to reverse these
feelings through motivation and inspiration, and
instill a positive ‘can do’ attitude in each
student.
“A student once asked me – in
a distraught voice – ‘Is there a light at the end of
the tunnel?’ I told him, ‘No, not unless you
enter the tunnel, and you turn on the
light.’” Cheetah instructors like Bob and Norma
provide the insight, knowledge, and experience to
motivate and inspire students. “By the time our
students sit for the PMP exam, they’ve learned to
control their anxiety with a positive attitude and
engage themselves with the high level of confidence
required to pass."
Bob believes all Cheetah
instructors focus on two key factors – a passion for
teaching and striving for success. “When a student
passes the exam, we know we’ve accomplished both of
these,” he says.
“Bob Bradley is the most
inventive person I have ever met,” says Michelle.
“It’s like having MacGyver on your team. Bob’s been
teaching with us since October 2001 and has handled
some of the most challenging venues on the planet.
Bob enables our students to move like cheetahs under
any circumstance.”
And that’s what true
inspiration is all about – encouraging confidence in
those around you so they can achieve their goals and
surpass all expectations.