THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND

TALENT IMPROVEMENT PROCESS

Instructions for Using

the Paper-Based ATI Tool

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the Accountability and Talent Improvement (ATI) process is to help each member of the workforce
give his or her best to the Lord. This is done through having more meaningful conversations between employees
and managers about three things:

1. Planning to act
2. Improving upon and gaining new talents
3. Rendering an account of past performance

You can learn more about the ATI process by going to ati.ldschurch.org.

STEPS 1 AND 2: PLAN TO ACT AND IMPROVE YOUR TALENTS

Employee:
1. Complete the Plan to Act section of this form, and sign at the bottom of the page.
2. Complete the Improve Your Talents section of this form, and sign at the bottom of the page. Note that you will
not complete the Render an Account section until the end of the ATI cycle.
3. Give the completed Plan to Act and Improve Your Talents sections to your manager. He or she will set up a time
with you to review and counsel together about your goals and Talent Improvement Plan for the coming year.

Manager:
1. Receive the completed Plan to Act and Improve Your Talents sections of the form from the employee.
2. Meet with the employee and review the goals and Talent Improvement Plan for the coming year.
3. Discuss an appropriate manager-assigned talent improvement opportunity with the employee, and add this to the
Improve Your Talents section of this form.
4. Sign and date the Plan to Act and Improve Your Talents sections at the bottom of each page. Provide a copy of this
form to the employee, and keep a copy you can refer to throughout the year in regular progress conversations.

STEP 3: RENDER AN ACCOUNT

Employee:
1. Review the Plan to Act and Improve Your Talents sections and reflect on how well you accomplished your goals over
the past year.
2. In the My Annual Results Summary field in the Render an Account section of this form, summarize your key contributions,
areas where you improved, and any missed opportunities.
3. Review the nine Leadership Pattern talents, and reflect on how well you exemplified the Leadership Pattern in your
work.
4. In the My Annual Behavior Summary and Behavior Rating Scale fields, summarize how well you applied the
Leadership Pattern in your daily behavior, including the implementation of your Talent Improvement Plan. Include
areas where you improved and any missed opportunities.
5. Sign at the bottom of the page, and give the completed Render an Account section to your manager. He or she will
rate your results and behavior and set up a time to review and counsel together about your progress.

Manager:
1. Receive the completed Render an Account section from the employee.
2. Summarize the results the employee achieved over the past year, and then rate the employee’s overall results
by placing an X in the appropriate rating box. See the last page of this form to review definitions for each rating.
3. Summarize the employee’s behavior over the past year (how he or she got the results), and then rate the employee’s
overall behavior by placing an X in the appropriate rating box.
4. Meet with the employee and counsel together about the employee’s and your results and behavior summaries and
rating.
5. Sign and date the Render an Account section of the form. Keep this section of the form as an employee record,
or follow the direction given by your organization.
 THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TALENT IMPROVEMENT PROCESS
PLAN TO ACT

NAME POSITION EMPLOYEE ID DATE DEPARTMENT

The first step in the ATI process is Plan to Act. This will help you align your work to the overall direction of your organization, clearly define
your priorities and plan your goals and how you will measure success.

ALIGN TO OVERALL DIRECTION

The purpose of this section is to help you clearly understand the direction of your organization so you can align your work with it.
Summarize the vision, purpose, strategy, or goals of your organization (all that apply) in the space below.

DEPARTMENT/AREAS

DIVISION/TEAM

DEFINE GOALS
Identify your goal(s) and assign an appropriate measure.

GOAL(S) MEASUREMENT

GOAL(S) MEASUREMENT

GOAL(S) MEASUREMENT

EMPLOYEE’S SIGNATURE MANAGER’S SIGNATURE DATE

 THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TALENT IMPROVEMENT PROCESS
IMPROVE YOUR TALENTS

NAME POSITION EMPLOYEE ID DATE DEPARTMENT

The second step in the ATI process is Improve Your Talents. Its purpose is to invite you to reflect on the long-term contribution you hope to make
at the Church, as well as the Leadership Pattern talents or skills that will help you accomplish your goals. With these things in mind, you will
create a meaningful Talent Improvement Plan.

REFLECT
Considering your future, what are your employment interests or what type of work would you like to do?

Considering your goals, what Leadership Pattern talents or skills will help you to be successful? (See the following
page to review the Leadership Pattern talents and behaviors.)

CREATE YOUR TALENT IMPROVEMENT PLAN

IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITY DEVELOPMENT METHOD RESOURCES REVIEW DATE
Describe your objective, including what Describe what work experiences Describe what work resources you need Enter the date this will
you want to learn and do better. you will leverage to develop this in order to develop this talent or skill. be reviewed.
talent or skill.

MANAGER-ASSIGNED
IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITY
1.

2.

3.

EMPLOYEE’S SIGNATURE MANAGER’S SIGNATURE DATE

 THE LEADERSHIP PATTERN
CORE TALENTS
LEAD LIKE THE SAVIOR
• Shows respect to all people.
• Ministers with love and kindness to others.
• Shows personal courage and stands up for what is right.
• Balances giving admonition and nurturing.
• Is trustworthy and shows integrity of heart.
• Strives for increased levels of spiritual strength.
ACT UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SPIRIT
• Spiritually prepares themselves for work.
• Seeks to know the will of the Lord for their work.
• Applies doctrine to their work.
• Makes inspired decisions.
• Acts upon the knowledge they have, even if the
overall view isn’t fully understood.
OPERATIONAL TALENTS
DEFINE DIRECTION
• Anticipates the needs of those they serve.
• Envisions what the future looks like and can articulate it.
• Articulates clearly how to achieve the defined vision.
• Knows that what they are doing is right for the Church.
• Is willing to change direction when needed.
COUNSEL TOGETHER
• Invites input from and sincerely listens to others.
• Focuses on asking the right questions.
• Speaks up and shares their perspective.
• Is receptive and humble when receiving counsel.
• Puts the interests of the council above personal interests.
• Involves others across the organization in their work.
BUILD CAPABILITY
• Leads others to become better than they knew they
could become.
• Helps self and others improve upon and gain new talents.
• Stretches self and others to achieve greater results.
• Helps self and others learn from their experiences.
• Improves self and others by openly seeking and sharing
the truth.
ALIGN WITH THE BRETHREN
• Understands the purposes of the
Brethren as it relates to the work.
• Considers what the world can offer, but
grows the Church after the Lord’s pattern.
• Presents the truth and best thinking to
their leaders.
• Works to build the Church, not just their
professional discipline.
• Considers what is best for the global Church.
ORGANIZE THE WORK
• Uses data to plan the work more effectively.
• Identifies their most important work.
• Creates meaningful plans.
• Enables work through proper structure, processes, and tools.
• Clearly defines accountabilities and how performance
is measured.
ACCOMPLISH THE WORK
• Leads meaningful change.
• Matches people’s strengths to the work that needs
to be done.
• Takes the initiative to act and enables others to act
for themselves.
• Quickly identifies solutions to challenges.
• Uses wisdom in spending the widow’s mite.
• Gets results.
RENDER AN ACCOUNT
• Renders an account for performance regularly.
• Helps others continuously progress.
• Represents the truth clearly and accurately.
• Holds self and others accountable.
• Expresses appreciation for accomplishments.
 THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TALENT IMPROVEMENT PROCESS
RENDER AN ACCOUNT

NAME POSITION EMPLOYEE ID DATE DEPARTMENT

The third step in the ATI process is Render an Account. Its purpose is to invite you to reflect on how well you accomplished your goals over the past
year and how well you exemplified the Leadership Pattern as you performed your work.

Complete the employee section below, and then submit this form to your manager. Your manager will then complete his or her section and schedule a
time to meet and review this section with you.

1. Results: Summarize your key contributions, areas where you improved, and any missed opportunities.
2. Behavior: Summarize how well you applied the Leadership Pattern in your daily behavior, including the implementation of your Talent Improvement
Plan. Include areas where you improved and any missed opportunities.

EMPLOYEE SUMMARY
Summarize and rate your results and behavior.

My Annual Results Summary My Annual Behavior Summary

(What results did I achieve?) (How did I achieve my results?)

MANAGER SUMMARY AND RATING

Summarize and rate the employee’s results and behavior.

Annual Results Summary Annual Behavior Summary

(What results did the employee achieve?) (How did the employee achieve the results?)

Results Rating Scale Behavior Rating Scale

Rate employee’s overall results by placing an X in the appropriate box below. Rate employee’s overall behavior by placing an X in the appropriate box below.
Did not meet Met some Met all Exceeded some Exceeded most Needs great Development Demonstrates Demonstrates Demonstrates
expectations expectations expectations expectations expectations improvement opportunity proficiency strength exceptional
strength
DEFINITIONS FOR THE RESULTS RATING SCALE

Exceeded Most Expectations

Consistently surpassed all goals 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.

Exceeded 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.

Met All Expectations

Met all the goals for the performance period. Is considered a consistent and valued performer.

Met Some Expectations

Met some goals for the performance period but fell short on others. Improvement is needed to fully achieve
performance expectations and requirements.

Did Not Meet Expectations

Did not meet goals for the performance period. May be ready to be placed on a performance improvement plan
or should be considered for transition to a new role.

DEFINITIONS FOR THE BEHAVIOR RATING SCALE

Demonstrates Exceptional Strength

Considered the reference or role model when coaching and consulting others on how to improve.

Demonstrates Strength
Considered above standard when compared to peers, but not strong enough to be considered the role model
for all others.

Demonstrates Proficiency
Considered at a level of skill that is looked upon as positive and effective.

Development Opportunity
Considered at a level that requires development due to one of the following reasons: a stretch assignment that requires
a new level of skill or behavior, being new in the role and not yet demonstrating these behaviors, or not demonstrating
the required behaviors/skills.

Needs Great Improvement

Considered at a level that is significantly below expectations, and is hindering the ability to achieve results in a
positive manner.

© 2014 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. 01/21. PD50042519