Exploring Essential Leadership Qualities For Managers
Today’s article addresses my top examples of leadership goals for managers.
It’s a subject near to my heart because, at my core, I’m a soft-spoken introvert that prefers to work behind the scenes. But unfortunately, my natural tendencies never lent themselves to effective leadership.
Thus, during my years as a manager, I constantly focused on improving my leadership skills.
As a result, many of the managerial leadership goals I set and achieved will work for you too.
Enough about me. Let’s go through it right now.
Examples Of Leadership Goals For Managers
My top 10 list of leadership goals for managers examples include the following:
- Think strategically
- Build better relationships
- Accept responsibility
- Build consensus
- Learn the art of persuasion
- Be decisive
- Promote positive thinking
- Increase your emotional intelligence
- Embrace change
- Address your poor performers
Next, let’s review each of these points individually.
Then before I wrap up, I will share several vital tips for writing your leadership development goals as a manager.
Disclosure: At no cost to you, I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
1. Think Strategically
As an experienced or new manager, I know you can get things done and problem-solve. Those skills are essential to your success thus far.
However, it is time to set a goal for improving your strategic thinking ability. Your continuing career development depends on it.
First, develop an intimate understanding of your company and its short and long-term objectives.
Second, understand how you and your team fit into achieving those company objectives. Then, form a strong connection between the two.
Your thinking, decision-making, and leadership objectives must revolve around your team’s relationship to the company’s goals and objectives.
Anything short of this approach marginalizes your team’s contributions. So whatever you do, don’t let that happen.
Several more tips I’ve found helpful for strategic thinking include the following:
- Observe and reflect often
- Set aside time to think
- Consider opposing viewpoints
- Remove yourself from execution
- Ask good questions
Okay. We are just getting warmed up here.
So, let’s move on to the second of our top 10 examples of leadership goals for managers.
2. Build Better Relationships
It is easier to lead people and get them to follow when you form solid relationships with them. You must strive to know them both as an employee and a person.
Here are some suggestions for building your relationships with team members:
- Have productive one-on-one meetings
- Practice active listening skills
- Coach and mentor
- Offer constructive feedback
- Show appreciation and empathy
Furthermore, take advantage of events and activities outside of the workplace. Doing so is a great way to get to know your team more personally.
Finally, know the strengths and weaknesses of the team and each member of that team. Strive to accentuate their strengths and improve upon their weaknesses.
Let’s move on to the next one of today’s leadership goals for supervisors, managers, and team leaders.
3. Accept Responsibility
To be a strong leader, you must accept overall responsibility for each team member. Also, the collective results your team delivers.
Accepting responsibility is easy when things go well.
However, when things go poorly, or one of your staff underperforms, you and only you are responsible for improving the situation. Thus, the days of pointing the finger at a colleague are over.
As a responsible manager, you must be:
- Transparent
- Honest
- Accountable
- Open to constructive criticism
- Quick to take corrective actions
- Ready to improve
These traits represent the essence of leadership by example and accepting responsibility.
Okay. It’s time to switch gears. The following several points relate to leadership and management style.
Most noteworthy, your management style is part of personal development and will dictate more precisely how you lead.
4. Build Consensus
First, command and control managers attain consensus by making all decisions and requiring their team to execute. Certain types of groups understand this approach and respond well to it.
Second, democratic managers build consensus by asking for input from their team. However, the manager makes all of the critical decisions.
Finally, hands-off managers allow their teams to build consensus independently and with little input.
Note that there are no right or wrong management styles. The best type is situation-specific and depends on your strengths and abilities as a manager. In addition to the company and organization you all serve.
Let’s move on to number five in today’s discussion about leadership skills for managers.
5. Learn The Art Of Persuasion
For managers, successful persuasion means getting the team to follow your lead, no matter your management style.
Here are some tips to become a more persuasive manager:
- Know the team and their expectations
- Maintain a positive attitude
- Exude confidence
- Be transparent and honest
- Paint vivid images of your objectives
- Explain what’s in it for them
This next leadership goal for managers is simple.
6. Be Decisive
Be decisive regardless of your management style and how many decisions you must make. However, being decisive does not mean being reckless.
Decisiveness means practicing good time management skills as you work through the following steps for every decision:
- Gather the facts
- Analyze the facts
- Determine alternative courses of action
- Arrive at a decision
- Implement that decision
Good leadership objectives for managers and supervisors also involve this next significant point.
7. Promote Positive Thinking
Having a positive attitude is a must for every manager.
First, being positive sends the right message to your team. Furthermore, employees will fall in line with a positive leader. However, if you are negative, your team will be too.
Second, managers experience problems and challenges every day. It’s best to tackle these challenges positively.
Finally, a positive attitude will improve your performance as a manager.
Here are some tips to have and promote a positive attitude:
- Have a healthy lifestyle
- Get enough sleep
- Surround yourself with positive people
- Practice positive self-talk
- Smile and act upbeat
- Celebrate successes
- Find the silver lining
Next, here is another essential point encompassing leadership for managers.
8. Increase Your Emotional Intelligence
Managers achieve their leadership objectives by managing emotions, reducing stress, expressing empathy, and communicating effectively. Doing so means operating with high emotional intelligence (EI).
Not only is the ability to express and control your emotions essential. However, so is the ability to understand, interpret, and respond to the feelings of others.
Here are some professional development tips related to improving your emotional intelligence.
First, be open and accepting of others.
Second, practice humility. Be quietly confident about what you do and how you do it.
Third, self-assess and improve upon your weaknesses.
Fourth, keep your emotions in check when things go wrong. The business world places high value on your ability to do so.
Finally, consider the impact on others before taking action.
Next, here is another leadership quality that strong managers must develop.
9. Embrace Change
Managers who lead effectively have a growth mindset. Furthermore, an effective leader accepts, promotes, and embraces change.
First, change presents opportunities, and leaders love to capitalize on opportunities.
Second, great managers identify and solve problems. But, most importantly, underlying every solution is the need for change.
Here are some tips for becoming a change agent:
- Take risks
- Step outside your comfort zone
- Ask for help
- Set goals at work
- Improve your skills
- Consider changing an adventure
This last point may be one of the most significant leadership goals for new managers.
10. Address Your Poor Performers
Here’s what managers who are good leaders do as part of career development. First, they build great teams. Second, they surround themselves with the best talent.
Talented people don’t threaten them. In contrast, leaders empower their high performers to flourish.
On the other hand, leaders must address their poor performers. Allowing them to exist undermines the efforts of everyone else.
However, it takes a lot of work, especially for new managers. So, remember these tips when addressing performance problems with employees:
- Don’t procrastinate
- Be direct but respectful
- Provide examples
- Document discussions
- Set clear expectations for improvement
Nevertheless, when coaching and mentoring are not enough to bring a specific team member to an acceptable level of performance, good leaders know when to cut their losses and move on. Most importantly, managers who are good leaders have no choice but to do so.
Otherwise, allowing performance issues to continue creates a void and divide within the team.
Okay. That concludes my review of 10 leadership goals examples specifically for supervisors.
Before concluding, I will discuss how high-performing managers set leadership goals. Also, provide you with another great resource.
How To Set Leadership Goals For Managers
Setting SMART goals for managers and leaders is the best course of action in business.
SMART is an acronym that stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
You can read more about goal-setting best practices here. Otherwise, let me give you a few tips for setting SMART goals now.
Write your goals down. Be as detailed as possible about the outcome you desire.
Define achievement. How will you measure success? Understanding with measurement comes results.
Stretch yourself, but be smart by setting goals that are achievable and that are relevant to your current situation.
Finally, a leadership SMART goal for managers always has a deadline. So, set up milestones for work and drive toward the desired result. Finally, periodically measure your progress and make adjustments as necessary.
Leadership Courses For Managers
Finally, consider upskilling by taking a formal course in leadership training. If interested, check out this online leadership training for managers course to further improve your leadership skills.
MasterClass on Leading A Winning Team
The class is an excellent resource for improving your ability to lead as a manager. Click the link above to learn more about the course now. You won’t regret it!
Okay. That’s all I have for today.
So, allow me to wrap up with a few parting thoughts.
Final Thoughts: Examples of Leadership Goals for Managers
Leadership goals are essential for your success as a manager.
Thus, you can only manage at a high level if you are a strong leader. Therefore, the terms leadership and managers go hand in hand.
And if you are like me, leadership may take hard work before it comes naturally to you.
So, honestly assess yourself and set reasonable goals to improve your leadership capabilities. Then, strive to get better every day as a team leader.
Okay. That’s all I’ve got. Before you go, please scroll through our robust archives of
You will find many professional development goals and tips for becoming your best.
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.