How to Fill Out the APP & Goal Setting

The design of the APP is to help employees and supervisors identify and articulate goals that matter most in the year ahead. There is space for up to four goals on the APP.

It is recommended that annual plans be completed and reviewed by April 30, and no later than June 30 in a given year. Employees and supervisors should work together to determine a suitable time frame for goal-setting completion.

With the development of the digital APP it is now easier than ever to create, save, update and access your APP throughout the year. No longer do employees need to maintain a Word document and remember where it was saved - bookmark the APP website location and return at any time to review, update or submit your APP.

Note: The APP form is not submitted until the end of the fiscal year.

Why Work Goals and Leadership Capability Goals?

Identifying work and leadership capability goals is important for two key reasons:

It matters that we achieve the right results;
It matters that we achieve those right results in the right way(s).

Writing work goals often comes a little more naturally. They tend to be right in front of us; it’s what we know. In some cases, work goals are assigned because they align with supervisor deliverables. In other situations, there’s more autonomy to identify and set work goals based on what we know to be important to roles and responsibilities.

Leadership capability goals can be tricky, especially if we’ve never written them before.

Refer to the Identifying and Writing Effective Goals below for support in this area.

What are Leadership Capabilities?

Leadership capabilities are a guide to continuous growth of an individual’s strengths and to the development of effective leadership behaviours. Leadership capabilities are core elements of the LEADS Leadership Framework.

As a focus in the APP, capabilities help participants practice and demonstrate effective leadership behaviours in pursuit of identified work goals.

Continuous development of these capabilities supports employees to become influential leaders who are able to learn, grow and lead in a variety of situations and circumstances.

Identify Work Goals

Use the Identifying and Writing Effective Goals resource which includes examples to help participants write meaningful goals.

Question 1 - What is a work-related goal you have for this year?

Start with a work goal that is meaningful to you and/or your department/portfolio. It could either be a goal you have identified and your supervisor agrees is a priority, or perhaps it is a goal that has been assigned to you, which aligns with your supervisor and/or portfolio’s priorities.

Think of goal identification as writing in pencil rather than carving in stone. In a complex, dynamic organization like ours, priorities can shift in a moment’s notice. What was important in April may not be as important later in the year. As a result, goals may have to shift and/or be re-written.

Question 2 - Why is this goal important to you and/or your department?

Once you have written your goal, move to answering why this goal is important to you and/or your department/portfolio. Clarifying the ‘why’ for each goal is important because:

It will serve as an anchor throughout the year when other opportunities come up.
It will provide employees and supervisors with regular opportunities to check-in and discuss progress, support needed and/or any necessary changes to identified goals.

Question 3 - How will you achieve this goal?

Once you have articulated the ‘why’, move on to answering the ‘how’ question. Gaining clarity on the ‘how’ will help you take action towards achieving your goal.

Focus on how to start and know that you will learn as you go. You will have opportunities over the course of the year to check-in with your manager, update and discuss progress, and determine next steps in pursuit of your goals.

Identify Leadership Capability Goals

*See Leadership Capability Goal Examples in the "Related Documents" section below.

Question 4 - Which LEADS leadership capability(s) will help you achieve your work-related goal?

Once you have identified your work goal, think about the leadership capability(s) that will help you achieve that work-related goal in the right way(s). Who do you need to be as a leader to achieve your work goal?

Does your work goal rely heavily on teamwork? Which “Engage Others” capability might best help you?
Does your work goal rely heavily on other departments in order to be successful? Which “Develop Coalitions” capability might best help you lead effectively?

If this is your first experience with the LEADS in a Caring Environment leadership capabilities:

Pick one of the 20 capabilities that will best support your work goal.
Complete the Introduction to LEADS learning bundle available through MyConnection < MyLearning < Introduction to LEADS-Bundle
Commit to practicing and demonstrating that leadership capability whenever possible.
Seek out a mentor who demonstrates that capability well and take advantage of opportunities to learn from and with others. Click here for more information on the Mentorship Program.

Question 5 - How will developing the leadership capability help you grow as a leader and achieve your goal?

Consider how developing and demonstrating that capability will help you grow as a leader and achieve your goal. Answering this question will serve as an anchor for you throughout the year and bring you back to what matters most when work gets busy and it becomes easy to lose sight of what’s most important (and why).

Now that you have your work and leadership capability goals identified, your plan is ready to go.