What Are SMART Goals for Managers?
SMART goals for managers are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives that guide the actions and performance of a unified team. These goals often drive forward the business and the individuals involved.
“Leadership goals are different from individual goals because they focus on fostering a shared vision and direction for a group, as well as developing processes to ensure that this shared purpose is met,” explains Richard Nolan, the Chief People Officer of Epos Now. “Leadership goals should be focused on creating an atmosphere of collaboration and trust among members of the team so that everyone can work together efficiently and effectively.”
Unlike OKRs, SMART goals focus on the path to achieving the goal instead of only the end result. Learn more about the difference between OKRs and SMART goals.
How to Set SMART Goals for Leaders
To set SMART goals for leaders, ensure they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Choose ones that help individuals drive the overall goals of the business.
To learn how to write SMART goals for leaders, follow the steps below:
- Clarify Your Leadership Vision
Consider the overall business and leadership goals you want to achieve. Identify the roadblocks preventing you from achieving them, and create a plan to address those roadblocks and help you incrementally achieve your larger business goals.
“It’s important for leaders and managers to remember not only their end goal, but why they want to achieve it,” says Nolan. “Holding yourself accountable for understanding how your leadership will impact the organization as you set out toward achieving those objectives will help ensure success.” - Break Down Your Vision Into SMART Goals
SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound to make it easy to measure progress and ensure they can be met. “I recommend approaching competency and performance goals with precision planning. Break down your goal into subgoals you need to accomplish each week or month in order to achieve them by a certain deadline,” suggests Nolan. - Assess the Impact of Each Goal
- “Leadership goals should be broad and overarching,” says Lilian Chen, the Co-Founder and COO of Bar None Games. Your goals should build on one another and focus on their overall impact on the business. Prioritize goals based on the changes required to make them. For best results, start small and build up to larger goals.
- Make Adjustments as Necessary
If a goal is not as achievable as initially set, consider changing it, altering the timeline, or breaking it down into smaller goals. - Celebrate Successes
Acknowledge and celebrate with your team when you achieve goals. Not only is it beneficial for morale, it can help motivate everyone to continue working toward larger, future goals.
Leadership SMART Goal Examples
SMART goals for leadership can include expanding the business presence and improving employee development and retention. They also involve aligning smaller team goals to larger company thresholds and making large-scale business processes more efficient.
Here are six examples of SMART goals for leadership:
1. Develop Internal Talent
Leadership will implement a talent identification process and establish mentoring relationships for high-potential employees with the goal of increasing internal promotions by 20 percent in the next two years.
- Specific: The goal is to identify employees with a potential for promotion, mentor them, and increase the number of internal promotions.
- Measurable: Compare the current number of internal promotions with the total after you implement talent identification and mentorships.
- Achievable: The goal uses employee reviews to identify talent and encourages veteran employees to take on mentorship responsibilities.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because developing internal talent is more affordable and results in more engaged employees.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to two years.
2. Develop a Growth Mindset
By the end of the year, the leader will engage in monthly learning activities, such as reading books on personal development or attending relevant conferences or events.
- Specific: The goal is to develop a habit of learning that will contribute to a growth mindset.
- Measurable: The goal is measurable by keeping track of the books read and conferences or events attended.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable because many leadership and personal growth books are available for free from the library and the leader can choose to attend local and affordable events.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because leaders who set an example of the pursuit of personal knowledge and growth can demonstrate the benefit of thinking more broadly in both personal and professional situations.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to be achieved by the end of the year and occurs on a regular cadence.
3. Improve Employee Onboarding
By the end of the quarter, the leader will improve the employee onboarding process by creating standardized materials and conducting feedback surveys at the end of the onboarding period.
- Specific: The goal is to enhance the onboarding process for new employees and their trainers by standardizing the materials used and conducting feedback surveys to both trainers and incoming employees.
- Measurable: The goal is measurable by comparing the results of feedback surveys over time.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable with the help of HR personnel and by creating a centralized, accessible repository for new onboarding documents.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because current employees say they wish the onboarding process had been structured more thoughtfully.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to the end of the quarter.
4. Create a Plan to Open an Additional Retail Branch
By the end of the year, the leader will have a plan in place to open an additional retail branch, including a detailed project plan for the entire process, buildout plans confirmed, a location under contract, and all required permits.
- Specific: The goal is to put in all of the preliminary work to open a new retail location.
- Measurable: The goal is measurable by checking requirements off a list, including a project plan, a construction buildout plan, a location rental, and required permits.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable because it is within the scope of projects the company has undertaken in the past.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because leadership has identified a new, profitable market that is suitable for the business.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to complete planning by the end of the year.
Learn how writing SMART project objectives can set you up for success.
5. Reduce Ambiguity of Job Descriptions
By the end of the quarter, the leader will perform an audit of all existing job descriptions, requirements, and expectations, and update them to match the current state of those jobs as they exist in the company today.
- Specific: The goal is to audit existing job descriptions, requirements, and expectations, and edit them to reflect the actual state of those jobs within the company.
- Measurable: The goal is measurable because progress can be tracked on a list of job titles within the company.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by setting aside time over the next quarter to perform an audit and update the copy.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because many roles have evolved over time and their descriptions and job titles no longer match the current work environment.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to the end of the quarter.
6. Decrease the Time Spent in Meetings
By the end of the month, the leader will implement a standardized meeting agenda that the team can populate ahead of schedule to improve the efficiency of the time spent in meetings and decrease the team’s total meeting time by 10 percent each week.
- Specific: The goal is to implement a standardized meeting agenda to use their time together more efficiently and decrease the overall time spent in meetings each week.
- Measurable: The goal is measurable by comparing the team’s total time spent in meetings per week before and after implementing the new agenda.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by customizing a meeting agenda template to suit the team’s needs.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because staff report they are spending too much time in meetings, reducing the time available to complete work.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to the end of the month.
Leadership Development SMART Goals Examples
SMART goals for leadership development might include focusing on building relationships, exploring mentorship opportunities, and learning to coach. They can also focus on ways to develop team members for their own leadership roles.
Here are four examples of SMART goals for leadership development below:
1. Be a Better Coach
To become a better coach by the end of the year, the leader can set a SMART goal of learning and practicing coaching techniques during monthly conversations with each team member.
- Specific: The goal is to be a better coach by learning coaching techniques and applying them in team conversations.
- Measurable: The goal is measurable by adding a question related to coaching on employee feedback surveys and gathering those results.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable because many free online resources are available to learn to be a better coach.
- Relevant:
- The goal is relevant because coaching is a valuable skill in leadership and employee development. “Having managers become coaches is effective, meaningful, and more fulfilling for their direct reports,” explains Dr. Liz Kofman-Burns, Ph.D. Sociologist and Co-founder at DEIB consultancy Peoplism.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to the end of the year, aligning with the next employee feedback survey.
2. Share Your Own Experience
The leader will include a professional anecdote of a lesson they have learned in each quarterly company address to help future leaders identify areas in their lives that may be impactful to their prospects and help them grow.
- Specific: The goal is to help future leaders identify areas in their experience that might be instrumental to their development by having senior leadership share anecdotes from their own professional lessons learned.
- Measurable: The goal is measurable by ensuring that each company address includes a professional lesson learned by an executive level leader.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by setting aside two to three minutes of each address to include this information.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because it can help promising employees identify areas of growth in their own professional lives and careers.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to each quarterly address.
3. Start an Employee Mentorship Program
By the end of the year, leadership will implement an employee mentorship program in which seasoned staff can help more junior members of the team gain experience and grow within their roles.
- Specific: The goal is to create a mentorship program that benefits both junior and senior members of the team to develop practical and leadership skills in their existing roles.
- Measurable: The goal is measurable due to tracking the number of mentors and mentees that sign up for the new initiative, as well as tracking their career progress over time.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable using a volunteer model or by offering an incentive for employees to participate.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because employees gaining knowledge and experience both in their roles and as mentors is good for morale and engagement.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to the end of the year.
4. Focus on Building Relationships:
Leadership will organize quarterly networking and social events to aid in building personal and professional relationships within the organization.
- Specific: The goal is to encourage employees to build relationships with one another by participating in networking and social events.
- Measurable: The goal is measurable based on the events occurring each quarter.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by setting aside time and budget to organize the events.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because employees who have better relationships form more cohesive teams.
- Time-Bound: The goal is recurring and time-bound to the end of each quarter.
SMART Goal Examples for Developing Leadership Competencies
SMART goals for developing leadership competencies focus on building soft skills that lend themselves to effective leadership. Goal examples can include improving active listening, cultivating an open mindset, building empathy, and learning from your mistakes.
Here are five examples of SMART goals for developing leadership competencies below:
1. Become More Adaptable and Open-Minded
The leader will engage in weekly self-reflection exercises to help identify and overcome personal biases with the goal of becoming more adaptable and open-minded in their thinking.
- Specific: The goal is to become more adaptable and open minded by identifying and overcoming personal biases.
- Measurable: The goal is measured as the leader completes exercises each week.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable using books and videos to explore different self-reflection exercises.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because a dynamic workplace requires leaders to be capable of flexible thinking.
- Time-Bound: The goal reoccurs weekly.
2. Improve Active Listening
Leadership will improve active listening skills by practicing active listening techniques in at least three conversations per week and by seeking feedback from two colleagues on their progress after two months.
- Specific: The goal is to improve active listening skills by learning and using proven techniques.
- Measurable: The goal is measured by receiving feedback from colleagues.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by taking the time to seek out and learn these techniques, as well as practicing them in important conversations.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because active listening helps you get the most out of critical conversations, retain more information, and provide more insight on the topic.
- Time-Bound: The goal will be measured after two months.
3. Build Emotional Intelligence
Over the next year, leadership will learn to build their empathy and emotional intelligence by reading four books on empathy and emotional intelligence and by participating in a quarterly leadership book club discussion.
- Specific: The goal is to learn to build emotional intelligence and empathy by reading highly rated books and participating in discussions with other leaders.
- Measurable: The goal is measured as leadership reads and discusses each book.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable because reading one book and having one group discussion per quarter is a reasonable expectation of leadership.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because emotional intelligence and empathy can help leadership better relate to employees and customers.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to the end of a year.
4. Give Positive Feedback More Often
By the end of the month, leadership will improve the quality and frequency of positive feedback provided to the team by dedicating at least 15 minutes per week to record positive feedback and implement regular recognition and appreciation in a weekly recap email.
- Specific: The goal is to give more frequent positive feedback to members of the team.
- Measurable: The goal is measured each week when the weekly recap email is released.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by spending 15 minutes to identify the things the team did well that week.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because positive feedback helps employees feel valued and acknowledged by leadership.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to the end of the month.
5. Learn From Your Mistakes
Leadership will hold or sit in on lessons learned meetings at the end of major projects to break down mistakes and learn how to help teams avoid them in the future.
- Specific: The goal is to participate in lessons learned meetings to help identify and avoid risks and mistakes.
- Measurable: The goal is measured as each meeting is held at the end of a project.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by implementing a company-wide policy of holding a post-mortem meeting after all major projects.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because documenting and breaking down mistakes is one of the best ways to ensure they do not occur on future projects.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to the end of the next major project.
SMART Goal Examples for Improving Leadership Skills
SMART goals for improving leadership skills should focus on gaining industry-relevant knowledge and certifications, seeking feedback, attending industry events, and building a network.
Here are three examples of SMART goals for improving leadership skills:
1. Participate in Industry Events and Build a Professional Network
By the end of next year, each leadership team member will attend two industry events or trade shows with the purpose of meeting professionals in the field and building relationships with them.
- Specific: The goal is to attend industry events and meet people to network with professionally.
- Measurable: The goal is measured by the number of events attended where they sent follow up emails or traded business cards.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable, as many events are held in the city where the business is based.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because having a strong professional network allows you to find help, get answers to professional questions, and connect with mentors in the industry.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to the end of next year.
2. Ask for Feedback Regularly
By the end of next quarter, members of leadership will encourage regular, honest feedback from the team by distributing quarterly anonymous feedback surveys.
- Specific: The goal is to seek feedback from the team on leadership styles and strategies through anonymous feedback forms.
- Measurable: The goal is measured when the feedback forms are collected and analyzed.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by creating a standardized, anonymous survey to give to the team or by customizing a template.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because allowing employees to tell leadership where they can improve helps build trust.
- Time-Bound: The goal is measured at the end of each quarter.
3. Gain Leadership Certifications
By the end of next year, each leader will successfully complete a leadership development course and earn certification.
- Specific: The goal is to successfully complete a leadership development course and gain certification.
- Measurable: The goal is measured upon each leader’s successful completion of the course.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable because many courses are available in person or online.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because certification shows the team that leadership is dedicated to improvement and becoming better leaders.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to be completed by the end of the next year.
Examples of SMART Goals for Managers and Team Leaders
SMART goals for managers and team leaders can include improving team cohesion, building employee skill levels and engagement, and boosting leadership skills to facilitate projects and processes, as well as to better serve the team.
Here are five examples of SMART goals for managers and team leaders below:
1. Build a More Dynamic Team
Managers and team leaders will model collaboration, innovation, and communication to help guide team members to become more engaged, flexible, and responsive, leading them to improve their metrics over the previous quarter.
- Specific: The goal is to model dynamic behavior and build a team that is flexible and responsive to changing requirements in a fast-paced environment.
- Measurable: The goal is measured by comparing relevant metrics such as service response time or project completion rates before and after these changes.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable because managers and team leaders are expected to model desired behaviors for the team.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because more dynamic teams can better respond to risks and changes in the working environment.
- Time-Bound: The goal is recurring and measured at the end of each quarter.
2. Schedule Team-Building Activities
Each quarter, the manager or team leader will schedule and run a team-building activity to build relationships and increase team cohesion.
- Specific: The goal is to plan a team-building activity on a regular basis.
- Measurable: The goal is measured as each event occurs.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by setting a budget and scheduling time to plan and complete the activity.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because team-building activities help strengthen relationships and improve team cohesion.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to occur by the end of each quarter.
3. Increase Employee Engagement
By the end of the quarter, managers and team leaders will increase employee engagement by introducing a rewards program for top performers and providing development opportunities to struggling team members.
- Specific: The goal is to increase employee engagement by offering rewards for good performance and development opportunities for employees who need them.
- Measurable: The goal is measurable by the number of rewards given and development opportunities taken.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by setting a budget and choosing metrics that are reachable in each assessment period.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because employees who receive desirable rewards for their work are more likely to keep performing well.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to the end of the quarter.
4. Improve Meeting and Presentation Skills
Before their next group presentation, managers and team leaders will improve their meeting and presentation skills by learning best practices and practicing presentations at least twice.
- Specific: The goal is to improve meeting and presentation skills by seeking out tips and advice and by practicing them before presenting to the team.
- Measurable: The goal is measured by adding a line to employee feedback forms to include the quality and engagement of presentations by leadership.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by seeking out best-practice books and videos, and rehearsing presentation materials in front of a colleague or a mirror.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because improved presentation skills lead to more engaging presentations and better audience participation and knowledge retention.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time bound to be complete before the next group presentation.
5. Hold Regular Check-In Meetings
By the end of the month, managers and team leaders will set up a regular meeting with each person on their team to check in on their status and review their performance and concerns.
- Specific: The goal is to set up a regular meeting cadence with each member of the team.
- Measurable: The goal is measured by scheduling recurring meetings with each team member.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by setting aside time to sit down with each person on the team regularly.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because regular check-ins help both managers and employees stay on the same page about work progress and to identify blockers early.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to begin by the end of the month.
SMART Performance Goals Examples for Managers
SMART performance goals for managers relate to improving retention numbers, boosting service or response times, and completing and holding skills training classes. For example, these goals can help a business maintain standards, as well as meet and exceed sales goals.
Here are five examples of SMART performance goals for managers:
1. Improve the Retention Rate
By the end of the year, managers will increase retention on their teams by 10 percent due to encouraging employee growth, promoting from within, and submitting annual cost of living raises for all team members.
- Specific: The goal is to reduce voluntary resignations by creating an environment where employees want to work.
- Measurable: The goal is measured by comparing resignation rates before and after implementing these policies.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by implementing annual cost of living increases and encouraging the development of internal talent.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because it is more affordable to retain existing employees than to recruit and train new people.
- Time-Bound: The goal will be measured at the end of each year.
2. Improve Service Response Time
Managers will help their teams improve service response time by 15 percent by the end of the year. To achieve this goal, the managers will optimize operational processes and make sure all team members receive regular training and feedback on their performance.
- Specific: The goal is to increase service response time by 15 percent by the end of the year.
- Measurable: The goal is measurable by comparing service response times before and after implementing new processes and training.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by putting in place new optimized processes and providing regular feedback and training to the team.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because an increase in service response time will boost customer satisfaction.
- Time-Bound: The goal is to be measured at the end of the year.
3. Organize Staff Training on New Software
By the end of the month, managers will ensure that all staff members have been trained on newly implemented software.
- Specific: The goal is to train all staff members on new software by the month’s end.
- Measurable: The goal is measured by keeping track of which employees have completed training and those who still need it.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by setting aside time to go over the new program with each employee by the end of the month.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because the new software is integral to business operations and all employees must know how to use it.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to the end of the month.
4. Maintain Company and Industry Quality Standards
Before the next official inspection, managers will implement a policy of regular internal inspections of the facility to ensure that all parts of the business are up to code at all times.
- Specific: The goal is to ensure that the company can pass an official inspection at all times of the year, not only when they expect the inspector to arrive.
- Measurable: The goal is measured as each internal inspection is completed.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by creating a document that reflects the standards of the official inspection and reviewing each line item as if the inspector was doing it.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because official inspections are not always scheduled and inspectors can show up at any time.
- Time-Bound: The goal is time-bound to begin before the next official inspection.
5. Meet and Exceed Sales Goals
Each quarter, managers will lead their teams to meet and exceed sales goals by implementing lead identification and prioritization processes to ensure that teams are following up the most promising sales leads.
- Specific: The goal is to meet and exceed quarterly sales goals.
- Measurable: The goal is measured by comparing actual sales numbers to sales goals at the end of each quarter.
- Achievable: The goal is achievable by creating a process to prioritize leads based on their likelihood of purchase.
- Relevant: The goal is relevant because meeting sales goals means more income for the business.
- Time-Bound: The goal is measured at the end of each quarter.
SMART Goals Examples for Leadership Cheat Sheet
Download a SMART Goals Examples for Leadership Cheat Sheet for
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This cheat sheet consolidates all 28 examples of SMART goals for leaders outlined in this article. You can copy and paste these goals into your own documents directly or customize them to match your personal and professional goal-setting needs. Be sure to consider the needs of your business and your unique leadership position when adapting these goals for yourself.
Why Is Setting SMART Goals Important in Leadership Development?
SMART goals are important for leadership development because they create clear, measurable objectives. They help set the example that leadership should follow when creating goals for their teams and projects.
“Goal setting is incredibly important because it helps define clear intentions with measurable outcomes,” says Nolan. “Setting achievable milestones allows leaders to track progress along every step of their journey. As someone who started out leading small teams with very tight budgets before gradually taking on larger management roles across multiple divisions — doing this has helped me make more educated decisions while allowing me oversee growth more effectively than I ever thought possible.”
Here are some of the many reasons that setting SMART goals can help develop better leaders:
- Clarifies Goals and Objectives: SMART goals are a positive way to communicate clear goals and objectives, as well as a plan for achieving them. This can help encourage an open and visible style of management, which many teams appreciate.
- Easy to Track and Determine Success: Developmental goals are only useful if you are able to easily measure their success. SMART goals have success metrics built in, so you can track where you’ve been and where you’d like to end up.
- Ensure Developmental Alignment With Company Goals: SMART goals make it easy to compare your personal leadership development goals with those of the organization. By clearly stating your goals, you can ensure they are in the best interest of both you and the company.
- Helps Identify Areas of Weakness or Potential Improvement: Goals can help you identify areas of improvement by highlighting where you or your team is falling short. If you do not achieve your SMART goals the first time, reassess, ensure the goal is still realistic, and then make a new plan to achieve it.
- Promotes Accountability: Goal setting promotes accountability for the team and for leadership. You are responsible for achieving the goals you set and for helping your team do the same. In fact, people who write down their goals, commit to goal-driven actions, and report regularly on their progress are 70 percent more likely to achieve their goals than those who do not.
- Better Promotion Decisions: “Bias creeps in when there are no structured procedures to determine compensation, bonuses, and promotions, which can result in unjust outcomes that run the risk of demoralizing talented employees,” explains Kofman-Burns. “A fair performance management system that incorporates SMART goals can help companies ensure that they are rewarding their top performers.”
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