Accountability

and Talent Improvement

ATI Glossary

PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE

The purpose of this guide is to provide common terms used in the Accountability and Talent
Improvement process and documentation.

Accountability

An area of work for which an individual is responsible. Typically, individuals will have 3-5 major areas of
accountability.

Accountability and Talent Improvement Process

An enhanced performance management process introduced to Church employees in 2012. It is
automated and better aligned with the doctrine and direction of the Brethren. Its primary purpose is to
promote more meaningful conversations between managers and employees. These conversations
should focus on three subjects: 1. Render an account of past work; 2. Plan to act on new work; 3.
Improve upon and gain new talents for the Lords storehouse.

Align to Overall Direction

An intentional effort to develop work goals and objectives that support organization, department,
division, and team goals and objectives.

ATI
Acronym for Accountability and Talent Improvement

Auto Time Stamp

Record of date and time created by clicking the save button.

Behavior Change
One of four developmental approaches employed in ATI. In this approach, employees learn through self-
assessment or external feedback the behaviors they need to strengthen or better manage. Click on
behavior change in the online ATI process to view examples of behaviors you can do more of or less of
to create positive change.

Classroom
One of four developmental approaches employed in ATI. In this approach, employees attend classes,
workshops, seminars, conferences, etc. to gather new information and learn skills that will help them
improve their talents.
Conversation Guides
Guides to help both managers and employees conduct more meaningful conversations.

Conversation Mode
Shows all manager notes made throughout the year. Any previously 'held' notes (General, Regular
Results Discussions, Objectives, or Talent Improvement Plans) will be made visible by clicking on this
link. Managers should ensure all notes are appropriate for employee viewing.

Create My Results Summary

The third step in the Render an Account process. In preparation for creating your results summary, you
should review your accountabilities and objectives from the past year and update all notes.

Create My Talent Summary

This is the fifth step in the Render an Account process of reviewing the past year. You should provide
examples of strengths and areas for improvement related to the Leadership Pattern. Next, assign an
overall Talent Rating. The Talent Rating is a summative evaluation of yourself with respect to all nine
talents of the Leadership Pattern.

Create Talent Improvement Plan
This is the process of creating a plan to improve your talents through considering how you can improve
and grow talents for long term contribution; identifying skills that need to be increased in effectiveness
in your current job, and rating your skills based upon the nine talents of the Leadership Pattern.

Demonstrates Exceptional Strength

On the Leadership Pattern rating scale this is defined as: Considered the reference or role model when
coaching and counseling others on how to improve.

Demonstrates Strength
On the Leadership Pattern rating scale this is defined as: Considered above standard when compared to
peers, but not strong enough to be considered the role model for all others.

Demonstrates Proficiency
On the Leadership Pattern rating scale this is defined as: Considered at a level of skill that is looked upon
as positive and effective.

Develop Within Current Role

On the potential rating scale this is defined as: Is competent and contributes to the work, or is too new
in role to assess. Is a valued professional with capacity to evolve skills as job expands. May handle
increases in responsibility within current role or in a similar role in another division/department.
Appropriate development planning should take place to continually refine expertise in the current role

Development Method
There are four common approaches or methods used to develop oneself experiences, behavior
change, self-study and classroom. A combination of development experiences is recommended for
greatest success.
Did not meet expectations
On the results rating scale, this is defined as: Did not meet objectives for the performance period. May
be ready to be placed on a performance improvement plan or should be considered for transition.

Employee Status Report

You will only have access to view this report if you are a manager. This is where a manager can track and
monitor employee progress on completing their ATI plans. Here the manager can view status in three
color coded areas Employees ready for review, not ready, closed out and/or approved ATIs

Employee Status Report FAQ

You will only have access to view this if you are a manager. This is where a manager can learn how to
track and monitor employee progress on completing the ATI plans.

Exceeds Most Expectations

On the results rating scale this is defined as: Consistently surpassed all objectives for the performance
period. Also accepted additional assignments and made a significant contribution to the work of the
team and others beyond what was planned.

Exceeds Some Expectations

Met all objectives for the year, and surpassed some of them. Also was able to take on some additional
tasks beyond what was planned.

Expand Beyond Role

On the potential rating scale this is defined as: Is exceeding some expectations in present assignment
(both results and Leadership Pattern). Has the capacity to contribute, learn, and adapt to the demands
of roles with different, greater or more complex responsibility than current role. Action should be taken
to look for opportunities to provide new growth experiences.

Experiences
One of the four developmental approaches to learn and develop oneself. In this approach you learn
from actual on the job work experience (See Learning experiences for examples).

Extended Team View

You will only have access to this if you are a manager of multiple teams. This gives the manager the
Employee Status Report view of all of the teams status reporting to him or her.

Go and Do
You and your manager should refer to this page throughout the year to review, update and capture your
progress towards your objectives and talent improvement plan. For many they will print this page and
use it as a working summary of the Accountabilities, Objectives, and Talent Improvement Plans that they
plan to go and do throughout the year.

Ideas for Improvement

In the category of Create Talent Improvement Plan under each of the nine talents of the Leadership
Pattern there is a side bar called Ideas for Improvement. When you click on this you will be taken to
the portal home.ldschurch.org where you will see the Supporting Behaviors as well as the steps to help
you create your talent improvement plan. There are suggested resources here in the categories of
experiences, behavior change, self-study, and class room.

Improvement Opportunity
An improvement opportunity can be an area of improvement, as well as a strength to build upon. For
more information read and/or download the "Talent Improvement Plan Guide" on the ATI Portal. For
ideas on how to improve talents of the Leadership Pattern click on the "Ideas for Improvement" links
underneath each talent in the self-assessment above.

Inspired Leadership
One of the three major categories of the Leadership Pattern composed of the talents of Act under the
Direction of the Spirit, Align with the Brethren, and Define Direction.

Job-related Skills
(same as Skills for your Job)

Leadership Pattern
This was created under the direction of the Human Resource Committee of the Church consisting of the
First Presidency and members of the Twelve and the Presiding Bishop. It consists of nine talents (e.g.
Define Direction) that provide a framework for important leadership characteristics for work within the
Church departments.

Longer Term Contribution

In the section on creating our talent improvement plans each employee should be looking ahead longer
term and addressing the question of how else could my existing talents, or new talents, be developed
to help fill the Lord's storehouse? They should list the talents or experiences that would be most
important for their longer-term growth and contribution in their talent improvement plan. Long-term is
next year and future years.

Manager Summary
The manager has three (results, talent, and potential) summaries that they will complete for each
employee. The manager reviews the past years efforts, plans, and notes before completing the
summaries.

Measure
A measure is a specific way of telling how well or when you are accomplishing an objective. Measures
could include dates of completion, percent finished, number completed, etc.

Met All Expectations

On the results rating scale, this is defined as: Met all of objectives for the performance period. Is
considered a consistent performer.

Met Some Expectations

On the results rating scale, this is defined as: Met some objectives for the performance period but fell
short on others. Improvement is needed to fully achieve performance expectations and requirements.
My Results Summary
This is the section of Render an Account where the employee types in their summary of results for their
objectives for the year. It should be a brief summary providing the successes and missed opportunities
for the past year.

Needs Great Improvement

On the Leadership Pattern rating scale this is defined as: Considered at a level that is significantly below
expectations, and is hindering the ability to achieve results in a positive manner.

Needs Some Improvement

On the Leadership Pattern rating scale this is defined as: Considered at a level that does not yet meet
expectations and may be hampering the ability to work with others and get results. Or, he/she is too
new in role to have demonstrated these behaviors.

Not Realizing Potential

On the potential rating scale this is defined as: Has potential, but is not fully contributing. As a result, is
not realizing full capability within role. Action should be taken to remove barriers to performance or
improve capability to more fully realize potential. Within a year should progress to Develop within
current role or Transition out.

Objective
An objective is a specific goal that needs to be accomplished during the coming year for one of your
areas of accountability.

People Leadership
One of the three major categories of the Leadership Pattern composed of the talents of Lead as the
Savior Would, Counsel Together, and Build Capability.

Plan to Act/Improve Your Talents

These are the two critical parts of the ATI process where you plan the coming year and prepare to
execute the plan. In the plan to act and improve your talents section of the ATI process there are five
steps; 1. Align Overall Direction 2. Define Accountabilities 3. Set Objectives 4. Create Talent
Improvement Plan 5. Set Progress Reviews

Priority
A priority is how you value the importance such as a ranking (A1, A2, B1, B2, etc.) or a weighting (40%,
30%, 15%, etc.)

Progress Notes
These are any kind of note you take to clarify or remind yourself of what you (employee/manager) have
been doing to make progress. There are progress note can be made for general purposes, for regular
results discussions, or for specific objectives and/or talent improvement plans. With progress notes you
may want to list examples of successes and/or missed opportunities. You may also use notes to write
down any unforeseen obstacles, barriers, or other conditions that may have come up while working on
the objectives or improvement plans.

Progress Reviews
These are the meetings either scheduled or unscheduled where you share and discuss the progress that
is being made on your accountabilities, objectives, and improvement plans. These can be informal and
formal. Formal reviews should be held at least semi-annually but you can choose options for bi-weekly,
monthly and quarterly as well.

Regular Results Discussion (RRD)

Employees and managers should be reviewing all aspects of their ATI on a regular basis throughout the
year both formally and informally. In these conversations they may want to discuss accomplishments,
ideas for improvement, obstacles, help needed from the manager to succeed, as well as any action and
follow up items on the part of both.

Render an Account
This is the critical part of the ATI process where you evaluate and share what was accomplished during
the past year. In the render an account section of the ATI process there are four steps: 1. Review
Accountabilities and Objectives 2. Create My Results Summary 3. Review Talent Improvement Plan 4.
Create My Talent Summary

Resources Needed
This is the third column in the Create Your Talent Improvement plan section. It can be used to record
any additional resource support you may need for helping you to complete that section of your plan.

Results Leadership
One of the three major categories of the Leadership Pattern composed of the talents of Organize the
Work, Accomplish the Work, and Render an Account.

Results Rating
Both the employee and the manager assign an overall results rating and mark the rating on the scale.

Review Overall Direction

This is the first step in the Render an Account process of reviewing the past year. In this step you review
the overall direction of the department/division for the year in preparation of writing the summaries.

Review My Accountabilities & Objectives

This is the second step in the Render an Account process of reviewing the past year. In preparation for
creating your Results Summary, review your Accountabilities and Objectives from the past year and
update all notes.
Review Talent Improvement Plan
This is the fourth step in the Render an Account process of reviewing the past year. In preparation for
creating your Talent Summary, review your Talent Improvement Plan from the past year and update all
notes.
Self Study
One of the four developmental approaches to learn and develop for oneself. In this approach you select
from resources on the home.ldschurch.org portal where you will find videos, articles, and e-learning
courses that you can study on your own.

Significantly Expand Beyond Role

On the potential rating scale this is defined as: Is exceeding most expectations in present assignment
(both results and Leadership Pattern). There is broad recognition of future potential. Has significant
capacity to learn and adapt to the demands of roles with substantially different, greater or more
complex responsibility than current role. Church needs to make a significant investment in development
to accelerate growth.

Skills for your Job

In the process of planning to improve your talents you will want to identify skills related to your job that
could be improved to make you increasingly more effective in your job. You can look at examples of
department specific skills found in the Identify Needed Skills for your job section under the category of
Creating a Talent Improvement plan.

Supporting Behaviors
Each of the nine Leadership Pattern talents have supporting behaviors. These behaviors clarify for us the
kind of behavior that others would see of someone that is demonstrating that particular talent.
Supporting behaviors are linked to the home.ldschurch.org portal where you will find a variety of
resources to help you in improving upon the behaviors associated with that talent.

Talent
There are nine talents that comprise the Leadership Pattern. These nine talents (e.g. Define Direction)
provide a framework for important leadership characteristics for work within the Church departments.
Each talent is defined further by the supporting behaviors associated with that talent.

Talent Improvement
This is the process of building, growing, developing, both current and new talents for use on our current
jobs as well as to be put into the storehouse of Lord so those talents can be used in the long term efforts
of the future.

Transition Needed
On the potential rating scale this is defined as: Should be moved to a lower level job in scope and
responsibility, or be excused from Church employment within the next twelve months in accordance
with accepted policy. If retiring in the next twelve months, should also receive this rating.

Talent Summary: A summary of how well the employee did on completing their talent improvement
plan for the year as well as a summary of the employees improvement opportunities and strengths in
regards to the Leadership Pattern.
User Guides
On the home page of the ATI Portal the right hand column is labeled Resources. Within this column
under User Guides you have listed three items Examples of ATI Completed Forms, Manager User
Guides, and Employee User Guides. All of these resources should be helpful to you in addressing
questions and guiding you through the ATI process.