ACE lays out a sound guiding path for employee development, but it is not a substitute for thorough planning and follow-through. Purpose and accountability are essential to achieving your development goals. ACE provides the following tools to support employees and managers in the development process.
ACE Competency Development Worksheet
The ACE Competency Development Worksheet was created to help managers and employees plan, track, and generally organize development activities. The worksheet was modified from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Individual Development Plan to integrate the components of ACE and add a practical element to the framework.
The ACE Competency Development Worksheet provides extra support to managers and employees who prioritize professional development and appreciate following a systematic approach to the process.
The ACE Competency Proficiency Scale is designed to help managers and employees measure pre and post training levels of competency proficiency and to provide a context for the varying levels of proficiency possibilities and how proficiency might manifest in the workplace. The scale contains five levels of proficiency that range from fundamental awareness (level 1) to expert (level 5).
The scale is written as a universal measurement of proficiency across all competencies in the ACE framework. In practice, however, users may need to adapt the scale to individual competencies to capture unique nuances and accurately measure pre and post training levels of skill development.
ACE Coaching & Development Model
The ACE Coaching and Development Model guides managers and employees through the competency development process. The model includes four steps that facilitate the identification of development needs using the competency models, the creation of a development plan, and the measurement of progress toward developmental goals.
The Libraries hosts an opt-in listserv that allows employees to share training opportunities and related information with colleagues. To join the listserv, simply send an email to listserv@listserv.utk.edu with “SUB LIBTRAIN” in the body of the email. Once subscribed, simply send an email to libtrain@listserv.utk.edu.
Without purpose and action, competencies, coaching, and development activities are like seeds that never sprout. They’re merely good intentions that don’t produce results. Follow-through with your development plans and, along the way, remind yourself of why you sought improvement in the first place. Use the ACE Competency Development Worksheet to plan and track your activities and the ACE Competency Proficiency Scale to measure your progress. Embrace coaching as a key driver of competency development, and lean on the ACE Coaching and Development Model for step-by-step guidance.
