00000159-9538-da5f-ad5b-b57ea3130000-authorID

gina-brummels.jpg

Gina Brummels

I fell into learning and development, but I was lucky and found my passion in what I do for a living. Helping others develop and gain skills also has encouraged me to grow and learn. Becoming a certified professional in learning and performance (CPLP) was just another way to hone my professional skills. Shortly after completing my master’s degree, I learned that my organization’s learning and development team was to become part of our human resources center of excellence. The center also included the talent management, culture and inclusion, analytics, and talent acquisition teams. This new structure sparked my desire to know more about how these departments fit together and connected to learning. I began researching development options, and discovered the CPLP program. The program stuck out to me because of its link to talent management and understanding learning strategy. In my learning department, composed of 35 people, we had only one CPLP recipient. I was eager to take on the challenge and become the second. Finding a Study Method Studying for the Knowledge Exam can be grueling: lots of reading, and reading, and did I mention reading? While I do love to read, mostly fiction, I knew I needed a way to organize my studying, and it would require a partner. Timing issues meant I was unable to join the local ATD chapter’s study groups, but I highly recommend one if you can join! I was lucky to have a co-worker who also decided to pursue her CPLP, so we studied for the exam together. We set up weekly study sessions that included reviewing information and utilizing flash cards. Still, the majority of my studying was done solo, reading and reflecting on what I had learned, and taking pages and pages of notes. I found it helpful to take the practice exams as well. The test questions were tricky, but I had to remember that a certification worth achieving shouldn’t be easy! My studying tips include: Find a buddy, even if it is just someone to listen to you vent. Having someone to join you on the journey is extremely helpful.Find the tool that works for you. For me, it was the the practice exams.Read, read, read. Yes, you do need to read the recommended books and the ATD Learning System. Sticking With the Work Product For my work product, I used a recent management program I had designed, developed, and implemented. The work product was not easy—maybe not as painful as studying for the test, but still a struggle. Putting my career in the spotlight for others to evaluate was humbling. When you have found success in a profession you love, it can be very scary to be judged. When I was notified that my work product had been disqualified due to a critical flaw, I was shaken. I had triple checked all my content and could not believe I had made an error. Yet because my program was two days long, the candidate board felt my video was from two different training sessions, which does not count. Nevertheless, I took my disqualification in stride and was determined to have my work re-evaluated. I resubmitted my work product three months later, with video from one day of the program. I could hardly wait for the results email a second time, but when I received word that my work product had passed, I was elated. The CPLP credential is a true validation of my program and skill set. I could not be prouder of the program I submitted or the impact it has had on the learners in my organization. My work product tips are: Budget enough time to complete it.Make sure you understand the rules and requirements.If you fail, do not give up. Giving up is easy; getting up and trying again is not! What’s Next? I’m still trying to realize the full value of my CPLP. The other evening I attended an event hosted by my husband’s company, and I was speaking with someone from the HR department. When I told her I had just received my CPLP, she hugged me and congratulated me. She went on and on about how wonderful it was. It was only then I understood that others appreciate the hard work that goes into achieving it. Personal development is an internal process and one that takes determination, sacrifice, and drive. I am very proud of the work I put into earning my CPLP credential. I look forward to using the knowledge and experience I gained from the process. Good luck to all of you in your CPLP journey!Learn more about the CPLP Certification.

CPLP: Finding Your Own Way

July 22, 2010 - Greensboro, NC - How do talented managers develop into effective senior leaders? And what can organizations do to ensure this growth? Extraordinary Leadership: Addressing the Gaps in Senior Executive Development proposes some groundbreaking answers, providing strategies and tools to round out leadership skills and create a steady pipeline of top executives.A joint publication of The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) and Jossey-Bass, the book is edited by executive leadership experts Kerry A. Bunker, Douglas T. Hall, and Kathy E. Kram. It collects views on the often invisible elements of intrapersonal, relational, organizational, and contextual development from more than 20 leading thinkers in the field."The chapters in this book address the subtle yet powerful forces that combine to differentiate outstanding leaders from also-rans," Bunker, Hall and Kram say in the book's introduction. "The end product is a comprehensive guide for leader development, a resource for executive coaches, human resource professionals, mentors, corporate officers, and aspiring senior leaders themselves."The 321-page book provides techniques and strategies based on real-world examples, helping executives, mid-level managers and emerging leaders identify the issues that contribute to these leadership gaps. Such issues include the accelerated career advancement of high potential managers, the rapid pace of technology and globalization, and the importance of accountability and emotional intelligence.Leaders must now be as approachable as they are inspirational, according to the editors. To fill the gaps present in the workplace, they must demonstrate authenticity, integrity, emotional competence, and the ability to inspire leadership with and through others.In Views from the C-Suite, a chapter on intrapersonal development, former CCL Board member Naomi Marrow explains that self- assessment helps executives gain clear insight into the impact they have on others. In The How-to-Be Leader: A Conversation with Frances Hesselbein, Kathy Kram explores what it means to lead with authenticity.Other chapters with contributions from CCL include The Learning Premise: A Conversation with Peter B. Vaill by Kerry A. Bunker and CCL faculty member Laura Curnutt Santana; Developing Leaders with Cultural Intelligence: Exploring the Cultural Dimension of Leadership by Santana, Mira las Heras, and Jina Maol; Leading Inclusively: Mind-Sets, Skills, and Actions for a Diverse, Complex World by CCL Board member Ilene C. Wasserman and Stacey Blake-Beard; and a final chapter entitled Looking Forward: Creating Conditions for Extraordinary Leadership, where editors Kram, Hall, and Bunker integrate the perspectives shared throughout the book.Bunker, founder and president of executive development firm Mangrove Leadership Solutions, is a former CCL senior fellow. Kram, a professor of organizational behavior at the Boston University School of Management, is a former member of CCL's Board of Governors. Hall, a professor of management at the Boston University School of Management, is a former H. Smith Richardson Jr. Visiting Fellow at CCL.About the Center for Creative LeadershipThe Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) is a top-ranked, global provider of executive education that accelerates strategy and business results by unlocking individual and organizational leadership potential. Founded in 1970 as a nonprofit, educational institution, CCL helps clients worldwide align business and leadership strategy, develop the organizational environment and prepare individuals to be more effective leaders. Each year, through its proven, innovative and highly personal approach, CCL inspires and supports more than 23,000 leaders in 3,000 organizations around the world. Through an array of programs, products and services, CCL and its world-class faculty, coaches and researchers deliver unparalleled leadership development, education and research in more than 120 countries. Ranked by clients as No.3 worldwide in the 2010 Financial Times annual executive education survey and among the world's top providers of executive education by BusinessWeek, CCL operates out of eight locations around the world. Headquartered in Greensboro, NC, CCL's additional locations include, Colorado Springs, CO, San Diego, CA, Brussels, Belgium, Moscow, Russia, India, Africa and Singapore.