A Comprehensive Guide To Goal Setting For Managers With Examples
I’m putting my 30 years of business management experience on the line today to present the best goals for managers.
Take your career or business to the next level. Impress the boss during the goal-setting season. Either way, we have it covered.
So, let’s get moving…
Goals For Managers
Objectives for managers must seek to:
- Improve team performance
- Upgrade leadership skills
- Focus on professional development
- Enhance career development
- Increase personal effectiveness
Your specific goals in one or more of these areas will depend on three things…
First, what you are trying to accomplish with goal-setting.
Second, the number of team members you manage.
Third, where you are in your development as a manager and person.
Next, I will break down these five critical business management objectives into dozens of goal ideas. Thus, you will have a robust list of goals for a manager to choose from.
Here we go…
Disclosure: At no cost to you, I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Examples of Performance Goals For Managers
I recommend the following performance goals for managers:
- Build a strong team
- Put your team in the proper structure
- Establish roles and responsibilities
- Review and revise job descriptions
- Hold regular one-on-one meetings with staff
- Be a great coach and mentor
- Provide constructive feedback
- Be available with an always open door policy
- Improve collaboration with an open office layout
- Improve team productivity by a specific percentage
- Shadow a team member for new insights
- Rewrite staff procedures for clarity and efficiency
- Do a cross-functional project to improve workflow
- Run effective team meetings
- Hold a team-building retreat
- Plan for career paths and succession
Pro tip: Most of these managerial objectives relate to your ability to communicate effectively. So, if communication is one of your objectives as a manager, check out this online course about powerful communication techniques.
Managerial Performance Goals: What Are They And Why Are They Important?
Your management performance goals are targets for the effectiveness and productivity of your team. Based on my experience, performance is the most critical goal-setting area to focus on.
Why? Because team performance is the heart and soul of what you do as a manager.
Good managers must build, organize, and get the most out of the individuals and the team they manage. Thus, these goals should be focused on the people you manage today and the organization you and your team work for.
You can read more here about setting performance goals.
Examples of Leadership Goals For A Manager
The best leadership goals for managers that I highly recommend are:
- Read a self-help book about leadership
- Have a peer critique your leadership skills
- Think strategically
- Build better relationships
- Accept responsibility
- Build consensus
- Learn the art of persuasion
- Consult key stakeholders for decision-making
- Be decisive
- Become more proactive
- Promote positive thinking
- Increase your emotional intelligence
- Embrace change
- Implement flexible work schedules
- Develop a new workplace equal opportunity policy
- Address your poor performers
Pro tip: Accelerate your leadership abilities with this leadership skills and strategies course.
Management Leadership Goals: What Are They And Why Are They Important?
Managerial leadership goals are a set of objectives chosen to improve your skills as a leader of the people you head up.
These goals are important. It is virtually impossible to manage if you can’t lead.
Leadership development goals for managers, including your people skills, will serve you first in your current role. These goals will also travel with you no matter where you work or the size and nature of your team.
You can read more here about setting leadership goals.
Examples of Professional Development Goals Of A Manager
My recommended professional development goals for managers are:
- Develop critical listening skills
- Improve time management skills (Pomodoro)
- Improve organization skills
- Read regularly for news and knowledge
- Seek 360-degree feedback
- Learn to delegate effectively
- Identify and improve upon a weakness
- Avoid micromanaging
- Attend a workshop on conflict resolution
- Enroll in a negotiation skills seminar
- Embrace new knowledge about finance
- Cross-train in another area
- Increase problem-solving abilities
- Enhance public speaking & presentation skills
- Attend an industry-wide management summit
- Stay current with industry technology trends
- Take on a project outside of your current duties
- Make a lateral job move for development
- Participate in a relevant industry webinar or podcast
- Keep a daily diary of areas for improvement
- Join a non-profit board of directors
Managerial Professional Development Goals: What Are They And Why Are They Important?
Professional development goals for managers are objectives to expand knowledge, skills, and abilities.
These management goals are essential because you must continue to learn and grow.
The pace of change in the business world is accelerating. You fall behind if you sit on your existing capabilities without enhancing them regularly.
You can read more here about professional development goals.
Examples of Career Goals As A Manager
I recommend the following career goals for managers:
- Be great at what you do today
- Find career mentors
- Make a top-notch resume
- Craft the perfect cover letter
- Learn to interview like a pro
- Get an additional university degree
- Obtain a professional certification
- Become an expert in your field
- Win an award in your industry
- Stay active on Linked-in
- Be a thought leader on social media
- Create and nurture your personal brand
- Become a teacher in your area of expertise
- Develop a 5-year career map
- Become a higher-level manager within five years
- Become an independent consultant
- Take a career risk to accelerate your growth
Pro tip: You may like this online course about designing your perfect career path.
Management Career Goals: What Are They And Why Are They Important?
Career development goals for managers are milestones that you want to achieve in your chosen profession. They are also known as work, job, and professional goals for managers.
These managerial goals are important since your focus turns directly to yourself. In this light, you must consider what you want to accomplish beyond your current position and employer.
Thus, focus on putting yourself in the best possible position to exploit current and future career opportunities.
You can read more here about setting great career goals.
Examples of Personal Goals For Managers
I recommend the following personal development goals for managers:
- Manage your energy level
- Aim to sleep at least 7 hours daily
- Exercise at least three times per week
- Set boundaries
- Be kind and empathetic
- Better manage stress
- Find work-life balance
- Fully use your annual vacation time
- Be home for family dinners
- Develop a hybrid work-from-home schedule
- Have a monthly digital detox day
- Experience a new destination annually
- Volunteer monthly in community service
- Meditate for 10 minutes daily
- Develop a weekly self-care routine
- Be grateful for what you have
- Read a book for enjoyment
- Dedicate time each week to family and friends
- Join a local community group or club
- Set aside an hour each week for reflection
- Become financially free in 10 years
Personal Goals For Managers: What Are They And Why Are They Important?
Personal development goals for managers dramatically increase your horizons. These managerial objectives relate to your beliefs, habits, behaviors, life experiences, and self-growth mindset.
First, the benefits of achieving your personal goals are immense since they stay with you no matter what you do, where you work, or who you manage.
Furthermore, they make you the person you want to become.
Finally, a solid personal foundation is a must for every good manager.
You can read more here about building yourself up with personal goals.
Okay. That’s our complete list of goals for a manager with examples. Plus, some additional information and resources to further your knowledge, skills, and abilities about goals as a manager.
But don’t go. I have some essential additional topics to share.
Development Goal-Setting For Managers: Selecting, Setting, And Achieving Your Goals
A comprehensive guide to managerial goal setting is incomplete without addressing choosing, setting, and achieving your goals.
Let’s do that next…
Choosing Your Managerial Goals
You can’t tackle all of these management goals at once. So, here are my recommendations to narrow your focus and choose your objectives.
First, I always suggest being great at what you do today.
So, seek to improve your team’s performance. Thus, choose one or more performance goals for managers.
Second, choose one or more leadership goals. Solid leadership abilities will help you now and in the future.
Finally, assess your current capacity, weaknesses, and priorities to fill out your goals from the other discussed areas.
As a result, I recommend you settle on 5-7. Your goals should form a strong group of individual development plan goals for managers (IDP goals for managers).
Next, you need to set your goals. Here’s how…
Set SMART Goals For Managers
I recommend committing to your goals in writing using the SMART goal-setting system.
SMART is an acronym. It stands for:
Specific. Be as detailed as possible, documenting exactly what you want to achieve.
Measurable goals for managers. Determine and write down exactly how you will measure the successful completion of your goals.
Achievable. Stretch yourself, but don’t waste time on goals you cannot achieve.
Relevant. Make sure your goals apply to your situation. They should relate only to improving you and your team’s current and future capabilities.
Time-bound. Every goal must have measurable milestones and a final deadline for completion.
You can read more here about the SMART goal-setting system.
Next, as long as we are talking about timing and deadlines…
Goals Of A Manager Must Have A Timeframe
First, I suggest a healthy mix of manager goals and objectives examples that can be achieved quickly. Thus, complete a 30-60-90 day plan for your first three months in a new management role or the first few months of the new year in a continuing position.
Next, some of your objectives should be longer-term in nature. Thus, think of your possible business goals in time buckets.
First, short-term goals should be completed within a year. They are more tactical versus strategic. Look for critical problems that have lingered but must be solved.
Second, target completion between 1 and 5 years for medium-term goals. These objectives should bridge you from short-term problem-solving into meaningful development opportunities for managers.
Finally, long-term goals have a time frame greater than 5 years. Be strategic and think big. Do not be held back by limiting beliefs.
Next, what about your team and their goals? Let’s discuss…
Employee Development Goals For Managers
Managers are responsible for their goals and their team member’s goals.
Depending on the size of your team, the volume of it all can make goal-setting a real challenge. Thus, here’s an excellent resource about setting goals for your employees.
Last but not least…
Best Way To Achieve Business Management Goals
Choosing and setting goals isn’t enough. Managerial goal setting is about getting results.
You are well on your way with the SMART goal-setting system for managers. However, there’s a good process I have used to ensure every goal set gets achieved.
It is…
- Create the right mindset
- Make a plan
- Take action
- Create an environment for success
- Monitor your progress
In brief, focus on individual development planning, getting things done and monitoring progress to achieve the results.
Read more here about the critical steps required to achieve goals.
Okay. That’s all I have for today.
Please allow me to wrap up with a few parting thoughts…
Setting Goals As A Manager
You now have a comprehensive list of manager goals examples.
So, spend a little time going through the objectives you must achieve as a manager that I introduced at the beginning of the article.
To refresh your memory, they are…
- Improve your team’s performance
- Upgrade your leadership skills
- Focus on professional development
- Enhance your career development
- Better yourself as a person
Then, select 5-7 goals from today’s list that fit your situation, with a mix of short-medium and long-term goals for managers.
Then, get busy with the five suggested steps to realize your goals.
All for now. Thanks for reading, and good luck.
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Author Bio: Tom Scott founded the consulting and coaching firm Dividends Diversify, LLC. He leverages his expertise and decades of experience in goal setting, relocation assistance, and investing for long-term wealth to help clients reach their full potential.