Articles filed under 'Other'

February 24th, 2010

The Change Challenge

by Dr. Brian J. Mistler

Click HERE to begin

The Change Challenge NOW.

December 30th, 2008

Reflecting on Your Growth/Pruning the Tree (Plan Tab/Modify Item)

by Dr. Brian Higley

Follow these instructions to modify items on your system:

1. Click on the Plan Tab to the immediate left of the Execute Tab (on the upper left hand side of the screen): http://www.excellencetree.com/items_plan.php

  • NOTE: If you do not see the Plan Tab, after logging in, click on the “Trees” Tab on the upper left hand side of the screen, then select the Plan Tab that appears underneath the Trees Tab (to the left of the Execute and Progress Tabs).

2. Reflect on how effective your current goals are by clicking on your first Objective and looking over the SMART Goals that appear underneath it, then considering how well the Objective is being fulfilled via these SMART Goals.

  • NOTE: You may wish to refresh yourself on the differences between Objectives and SMART Goals by reviewing this article: http://www.excellencetree.com/journal/61
  • NOTE: If you would like further assistance SMART Goals that lead to Mission Fulfillment, visit our Contact Us page and indicate that you would like more information on our “SMART Goal Development Consultation Packages” in the Comments Section of the page: http://www.excellencetree.com/contact.php

3. Modify any goal that you see fit to modify by clicking on the ”Modify Item” link to the far right of the goal in question and either: (a) changing its wording in “Item Title,” (b) changing “Importance” score (how powerfully aligned it is with an Objective) (c) changing who is in charge of achieving the goal (in the “Assigned To” portion of the page) and/or (d)  changing frequency of desired achievement in ”Recurrence.”

  • NOTE: If certain goals are not begin achieved at the level of quality or frequency you prefer, you may wish to take a look on this article on why goals are frequently not accomplished and modify your goals in accordance with the “5 Keys to Getting Things Done:” http://www.excellencetree.com/journal/79 We’ll have more helpful hints related to this article in upcoming Challenges.

4. Delete unhelpful or unclear items on the Plan Tab by clicking on the Plan Tab (on the upper left hand side of the screen), and following the instructions below:

  • To delete individual SMART Goals: after clicking on the Plan Tab, click on an active Objective (an Objective with SMART Goals aligned with it). Click on the “Delete Item” link to the far right of the SMART Goal you wish to delete (underneath the “Modify Item” link).  IMPORTANT: there is no “undo” after you decide to delete a goal, so please only delete an item when you are sure you want it off your system.
  • To delete entire Objectives: after clicking on the Plan Tab, select the “Delete Item” link to the far right of the Objective you wish to delete (underneath the “Modify Item” link).   IMPORTANT: if you delete an active Objective, all SMART Goals associated with that Objective will also be deleted. To keep some goals and delete others, you may wish to follow the instructions for deleting individual SMART Goals above.

5.  Return to the main Plan Tab screen by clicking on the Plan Tab (on the upper left hand side of the screen) and repeating this process with other activated Objectives, if desired.

FINAL NOTE: If you were linked to this article by a video or email, please return to that link and proceed with any other instructions that you deem helpful.  For more Execution Excellence tips and tools visit our site at: www.excellencetree.com

December 24th, 2008

Planting More Goals (Plan Tab/Add Subitem)

by Dr. Brian Higley

Below are intstructions on how to use your Plan Tab. You may wish to read these instructions while also viewing your system.

1. Click on the Plan Tab to the immediate left of the Execute Tab on the upper left hand side of the screen: http://www.excellencetree.com/items_plan.php For this portion of the Challenge, you will once again be using the “Add Subitem” link located to the far right of the Objectives listed on this page (below the Modify Item and Delete Item links).

  • NOTE: If you do not see the Plan Tab, after logging in, click on the “Trees” Tab on the upper left hand side of the screen, then select the Plan Tab that appears underneath the Trees Tab (to the left of the Execute and Progress Tabs).
  • NOTE: If desired, re-read this article on the difference between Objectives and SMART Goals to refresh your memory on SMART Goal development: http://www.excellencetree.com/journal/61 The difference between SMART Goals and Objectives is a critical difference, so please keep this in mind as you proceed.

2. Select an Objective that you would like to work on today (preferably in order of Importance) and develop 1-2 powerful SMART Goals that you feel will help you fulfill this Objective by clicking on “Add Subitem” to the immediate right of this Objective in the space provided next to “Item Title.”

  • NOTE: If you do not have any more SMART Goals to add under your current Objectives and you are achieving all of your current SMART Goals regularly, feel free to add another Objective by using the “Add a New Item” link on the upper right-hand side of your screen.  You can then add 1-2 SMART Goals underneath this new Objective.
  • NOTE: If you cannot see the Add Item or Add Subitem links, you may not have permission to add new items to the system.  You may wish to contact your system administrator and either ask the administrator to add items for you or to give you the ability to do so.

3. Locate “Importance” on your screen (directly under “Item Title”). In the space provided to the immediate right of “Importance,” identify how important this new goal is to the Objective you are working on today (the Objective you are working on will be highlighted in the “Aligned With” box underneath Importance).  You may wish to use the following as a general guide as you consider Importance scores:

  • 100: A SMART Goal that is critically important to my Objective (my Objective simply cannot be fulfilled without this goal).
  • 50: A SMART Goal that is very helpful to my Objective (my Objective can be fulfilled without this goal, but the goal is still very helpful to my Objective).
  • 20: A SMART Goal that is nice to have done, but only when there is extra energy (this goal should only be pursued when other more important goals are achieved and can always be deleted/delegated when time is short).

4. Make sure the goal is given to the right person in the space provided next to “Assigned To”(directly beneath ”Aligned With”). IMPORTANT: If you do not assign the goal to someone (yourself or someone else on the system), it will not show up on the Execute Tab until you do, so please do not skip this step.

5. Underneath Item Timeframe, decide on a deadline for your goal depending on whether it is a:

  • One-time goal (only to be achieved once): place a single due date in the box titled “Due Date.”
  • Recurrent goal (to be achieved regularly): select “yes” next to “Recurrence” and place your first due date in “Begin Date” and your last due date in “End Date.”  Then decide how frequently you want to achieve this goal next to “Pattern.”  For example, if you want to achieve a goal every month for a year, your Begin Date would be a month from today and your End Date would be a year from today.
    • NOTE: For daily recurrent goals, just indicate that you want to achieve this goal daily in “Item Title” and make it a weekly goal (for example: “Talk to John once a day every week” – weekly recurrence).
    • NOTE: For all recurrent goals, it is recommended that you leave “Expiration” at the default 2 weeks.  This means that any item not marked as complete within two weeks of a deadline will be considered not completed by the system and will disappear from the Execute Tab (and show up as not complete on the Progress Tab).  This will help ensure that goals are completed within 2 weeks of their deadlines.  If you would like to modify how long the system leaves any item open and visible on your Execute Tab, just modify Expiration to the time period of your choice.
    • IMPORTANT: If you do not assign Due Date(s) to a goal, it will not show up on the Execute Tab until you do, so please do not skip this step.

6. When you are finished, click on the green “Add Item” button on the bottom right-hand side of the screen.  IMPORTANT: Your new goal will only be saved after selecting Add Item, so clicking on Add Item when you are done is critical.

7. Finally, if you wish to delete any items at this time read below and proceed with caution:

  • To delete individual SMART Goals: click on the Plan Tab on the upper left hand side of your screen, then click on an active Objective (an Objective with SMART Goals aligned with it).  Click on the “Delete Item” link to the far right of the SMART Goal you wish to delete (underneath the “Modify Item” link).
    • IMPORTANT: there is no “undo” after you decide to delete a goal, so please only delete an item when you are absolutely sure you want it off your system.
  • To delete entire Objectives: click on the Plan Tab on the upper left hand side of your screen and select the “Delete Item” link to the far right of the Objective you wish to delete (underneath the “Modify Item” link).
    • IMPORTANT: if you delete an active Objective, all SMART Goals associated with that Objective will also be deleted.  To keep some goals and delete other goals underneath an Objective, you may wish to follow the instructions for deleting individual SMART Goals above.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Please do not rush through this process; in order for you to grow your Excellence Tree effectively, you must have 1-2 truly SMART Goals that can powerfully assist you with fulfilling the Objective you are focusing on today.  Once again, do not try to create more than 1-2 goals right now; quality over quantity rules during this step.  It is better to add nothing to the system than it is to add something that does not powerfully assist you in moving forward.

Congratulations on completing this exercise! If you were linked to this article by a video or email, please return to that link and proceed with any other instructions that you deem helpful.

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WANT HELP? If you would like further assistance with developing or executing your most important SMART Goals, visit our Contact Us page and indicate that you would like more information on our “Change Challenge Consultation Packages” in the Comments Section of the page: http://www.excellencetree.com/contact.php

WANT TO “BRANCH OUT?” It is sometimes helpful to pursue goals with others, expand your system to other areas of your life (work, family, volunteer groups, etc.) or give the gift of Mission Fulfillment to others.  If you would like to add others to your account or purchase an account for someone else, visit our Contact Us page and indicate that you would like more information on our “Branch Out Packages” in the Comments Section of the page: http://www.excellencetree.com/contact.php

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Copyright (C) 2009 Dr. Brian Higley and Dr. Brian Mistler. All rights reserved.

December 23rd, 2008

Watering Your Tree (Execute Tab), Observing Your Growth (Progress Tab)

by Dr. Brian Higley

Below are instructions on how to use your Execute and Progress Tabs.  You may wish to read these instructions while also viewing your system:

1.  Click this link and enter your username and password: http://www.excellencetree.com/items_progress.php

  • NOTE: If you have forgotten your username or password, click on the “Help: Lost your username or password?” link at the bottom of the sign-in page (underneath the green “Login” button).

2. You will be on your Progress Tab after you log in. For this portion of the Challenge, you will once again observe your plan-related progress.

  • NOTE: For reminders on how to interact with the Progress Tab, you can either click on the [?] located immediately underneath the Progress Tab (on the upper left hand side of the screen) or click on the “Video Tutorial” link next to the [?].
  • NOTE: If you do not see the Progress Tab, after logging in, click on the “Trees” Tab on the upper left hand side of the screen, then select the Progress Tab that appears underneath the Trees Tab (to the right of the Plan and Execute Tabs).
  • NOTE: If you still cannot see the Progress Tab (or cannot see certain aspects of this Tab), you may not have permission to do so.  You may wish to contact your system administrator for more access to your Progress Tab.

3. When you are done viewing your Progress Tab, click on the Execute Tab to the immediate left of the Progress Tab (located on the upper left-hand side of your  screen): http://www.excellencetree.com/items_execute.php  For this portion of the Challenge, you will be marking any goals that you have achieved since the last Challenge as complete.

  • NOTE: For reminders on how to interact with the Execute Tab, you can either click on the [?] located immediately underneath the Execute Tab on the upper left hand side of the screen or click on the “Video Tutorial” link next to the [?].

4.  If desired, when you are finished interacting with your Execute Tab, go back to your Progress Tab (to the right of your Plan and Execute Tabs) and view the plan-related growth that your Execution has brought about.

  • NOTE: For more information on how to use the Progress Tab, click on the green “video tutorials” link on the upper right-hand side of your screen (between the “feedback” and “help center” links) and click on the “Progress” video button.

Congratulations on completing this exercise! If you were linked to this article by a video or email, please return to that link and proceed with any other instructions that you deem helpful.

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WANT HELP? If you would like further assistance with developing or executing your most important SMART Goals, visit our Contact Us page and indicate that you would like more information on our “Change Challenge Consultation Packages” in the Comments Section of the page: http://www.excellencetree.com/contact.php

WANT TO “BRANCH OUT?” It is sometimes helpful to pursue goals with others, expand your system to other areas of your life (work, family, volunteer groups, etc.) or give the gift of Mission Fulfillment to others.  If you would like to add others to your account or purchase an account for someone else, visit our Contact Us page and indicate that you would like more information on our “Branch Out Packages” in the Comments Section of the page: http://www.excellencetree.com/contact.php
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Copyright (C) 2009 Dr. Brian Higley and Dr. Brian Mistler. All rights reserved.