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SMART Goal Guide for Managers

Help your team set goals that actually stick - without doing all the work yourself.

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Written by Product
Updated over a month ago

Why It Matters

Your team’s Develop results highlight where growth will be most meaningful. SMART goals turn that insight into a plan. And the best part? You don’t need to handhold every step - you just need to guide the process.


What's a SMART Goal?

SMART

What It Means

Example Prompts

Specific

Focus on one clear behavior

“What would doing this well look like in your day-to-day?”

Measurable

Define what success looks like

“How will we know it’s working?”

Achievable

Make it realistic and doable

“What’s one step you can take this week?”

Relevant

Tie it to their role or current focus

“Why does this matter to your work right now?”

Time-bound

Add a timeframe to check progress

“Let’s check in on this during our next 1:1.”


How to Use SMART Goals With Develop

Let them lead.
Ask them to choose one attribute from their results they want to focus on.

“Is there a trait you want to stretch or strengthen right now?”


Make it SMART.
Turn it into a practical goal using the prompts above.

“I’ll strengthen [attribute] by [habit] [frequency] to [impact] by [date].”

(This turns into: “I’ll strengthen Influence by speaking up with at least one idea or suggestion in the next five team meetings to increase my visibility and contribution")


Capture it.
Use the Action Planner in Develop - or your regular 1:1 notes - to track progress.


Check in briefly during future 1:1s:

  • “What’s working?”

  • “What’s getting in the way?”

Pro Tip: Start Small

Choose one behavior. Keep it relevant to current projects. Build the habit gradually.

Use the template built into the Action Planner to make this even easier.

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