SMART
Leadership
Development
Goals
2 / 9
1.
The
Goals
at
a
Glance
Ten
goals
covering
the
four
areas
most
leadership
frameworks
measure
:
talent
,
results
,
influence
,
and
self
.
01
Build
succession
depth
across
every
critical
role
Name
a
documented
successor
for
each
of
the
five
roles
that
would
take
more
than
60
days
to
backfill
.
TALENT
PIPELINE
·
SEPT EMBER
2026
02
Lift
team
engagement
from
72
to
80
or
higher
Focus
on
growth
and
development
,
the
lowest
-
scoring
of
twelve
engagement
drivers
on
the
2025
survey
.
T EAM
CULT URE
·
NOVEMBER
2026
03
Hold
a
reliable
coaching
and
feedback
cadence
Attend
96%
of
scheduled
one
-
to
-
ones
and
deliver
specific
feedback
within
one
business
day
.
COACHING
·
MONT HLY
04
Delegate
ownership
,
not
tasks
Cut
decisions
escalated
to
you
by
40%
by
transferring
three
recurring
decision
types
to
team
leads
.
LEADERSHIP
PRACT ICE
·
JUNE
2026
05
Develop
financial
fluency
and
own
the
budget
Take
ownership
of
the
$
4.2
M
department
budget
and
close
every
quarter
within
3%
of
forecast
.
BUSINESS
ACUMEN
·
QUART ERLY
06
Halve
cross
-
functional
decision
cycle
time
Chair
the
Platform
Steering
Committee
and
move
average
decision
time
from
11
business
days
to
6.
INFLUENCE
·
SEPT EMBER
2026
07
Bring
voluntary
attrition
below
9%
Act
on
the
growth
and
promotion
-
clarity
themes
raised
in
the
last
six
exit
interviews
.
RET ENT ION
·
DECEMBER
2026
08
Raise
the
internal
promotion
rate
from
18%
to
30%
Publish
next
-
level
criteria
for
every
role
and
move
at
least
four
people
into
growth
roles
.
TALENT
PIPELINE
·
DECEMBER
2026
09
Present
at
executive
level
,
not
just
in
writing
3 / 9
Deliver
two
proposals
to
the
executive
committee
and
cut
preparation
time
per
deck
in
half
.
COMMUNICAT ION
·
NOVEMBER
2026
10
Sponsor
two
underrepresented
high
-
potentials
Advocacy
rather
than
advice
:
monthly
meetings
plus
a
secured
stretch
assignment
for
each
.
INCLUSIVE
LEADERSHIP
·
SEPT EMBER
2026
4 / 9
2.
SMART
Breakdown
Each
goal
below
is
written
to
survive
a
review
conversation
.
Specific
states
the
behaviour
.
Measurable
states
the
number
.
Achievable
names
the
constraint
that
makes
it
real
.
Relevant
ties
it
to
a
business
outcome
.
Time
-
bound
fixes
the
date
.
S
Specific
M
Measurable
A
Achievable
R
Relevant
T
Time
-
bound
01
Build
succession
depth
across
every
critical
role
SPECIFIC
Identify
the
five
roles
on
my
team
that
would
take
more
than
60
days
to
backfill
and
name
a
specific
internal
successor
for
each
,
with
a
written
development
plan
.
MEASURABLE
5
of
5
critical
roles
have
a
designated
successor
carrying
a
readiness
rating
—
ready
now
,
ready
in
12
months
,
or
developing
—
and
at
least
2
are
rated
ready
in
12
months
by
the
December
talent
review
.
ACHIEVABLE
Requires
one
90-
minute
calibration
session
per
role
with
the
HR
business
partner
.
No
additional
headcount
and
no
new
budget
.
RELEVANT
Three
of
the
five
roles
are
single
-
incumbent
.
When
the
data
lead
left
in
2025,
the
team
ran
without
coverage
for
nine
weeks
and
slipped
two
committed
releases
.
T IME
-
BOUND
Successors
named
and
documented
by
September
30, 2026;
readiness
ratings
re
-
confirmed
in
the
December
2026
talent
review
.
02
Lift
team
engagement
from
72
to
80
or
higher
SPECIFIC
Improve
the
growth
and
development
driver
on
my
team
'
s
engagement
survey
,
which
scored
lowest
of
twelve
drivers
and
lowest
of
any
team
in
the
function
.
MEASURABLE
Overall
engagement
score
of
80
or
above
,
up
from
72,
and
a
growth
-
and
-
development
sub
-
score
of
4.2
of
5,
up
from
3.4,
with
survey
participation
at
90%
or
above
.
ACHIEVABLE
Delivered
through
one
90-
minute
development
conversation
per
person
per
quarter
,
scheduled
inside
existing
one
-
to
-
one
time
.
Fits
inside
the
current
meeting
load
.
RELEVANT
Engagement
is
the
strongest
predictor
of
voluntary
attrition
in
our
two
-
year
exit
data
.
Six
of
the
last
nine
leavers
cited
limited
growth
as
a
primary
reason
.
T IME
-
BOUND
Team
action
plan
published
by
February
28;
measured
in
the
Q
4
survey
window
in
November
2026.
5 / 9
03
Hold
a
reliable
coaching
and
feedback
cadence
SPECIFIC
Hold
every
scheduled
one
-
to
-
one
with
my
six
direct
reports
and
deliver
specific
,
behaviour
-
based
feedback
within
one
business
day
of
observing
the
behaviour
.
MEASURABLE
46
of
48
scheduled
one
-
to
-
ones
held
,
a
96%
completion
rate
.
A
quarterly
self
-
audit
logs
feedback
timeliness
,
and
the
direct
-
report
pulse
question
"
My
manager
gives
me
timely
,
useful
feedback
"
scores
4.2
of
5,
up
from
3.5.
ACHIEVABLE
Two
one
-
to
-
ones
per
month
are
consolidated
into
a
recurring
protected
calendar
block
;
feedback
is
logged
in
the
same
template
already
used
for
one
-
to
-
one
notes
.
RELEVANT
Feedback
speed
and
consistency
was
the
top
theme
in
my
last
two
360
reviews
.
It
is
also
the
mechanism
that
makes
goals
7
and
8
possible
.
T IME
-
BOUND
Cadence
live
from
February
1, 2026;
audited
on
March
31,
June
30,
September
30,
and
December
31.
04
Delegate
ownership
,
not
tasks
SPECIFIC
Transfer
three
recurring
decision
types
to
three
named
team
leads
:
vendor
selection
under
$
25
k
,
sprint
scope
changes
,
and
contractor
renewals
.
MEASURABLE
Decisions
escalated
to
me
fall
from
a
January
baseline
of
23
per
month
to
14
or
fewer
by
June
30.
The
three
leads
report
decision
confidence
of
4
or
above
out
of
5
in
the
mid
-
year
check
-
in
.
ACHIEVABLE
Each
transfer
includes
a
written
decision
charter
setting
boundaries
and
a
four
-
week
shadow
period
,
so
leads
are
never
handed
authority
without
context
.
RELEVANT
Escalation
volume
is
my
single
largest
time
cost
and
is
the
documented
reason
two
development
goals
slipped
in
2025.
Removing
it
creates
capacity
for
goals
5
and
9.
T IME
-
BOUND
Charters
signed
by
March
31, 2026;
targets
measured
on
June
30
and
September
30.
6 / 9
05
Develop
financial
fluency
and
own
the
budget
SPECIFIC
Take
full
ownership
of
the
$
4.2
M
department
budget
,
including
quarterly
reforecasting
and
variance
commentary
presented
with
Finance
.
MEASURABLE
Each
of
the
four
FY
2026
quarters
closes
within
plus
or
minus
3%
of
forecast
,
and
by
Q
3
I
present
the
reforecast
to
the
VP
of
Engineering
without
support
from
the
FP
&
A
partner
.
ACHIEVABLE
Two
-
day
Finance
for
Non
-
Financial
Leaders
course
,
completed
alongside
monthly
45-
minute
reviews
with
the
assigned
FP
&
A
partner
.
RELEVANT
I
take
budget
sign
-
off
in
2027.
Our
Q
2 2025
overspend
of
7.8%
was
escalated
by
the
CFO
and
is
still
referenced
in
planning
reviews
.
T IME
-
BOUND
Course
completed
by
March
31, 2026;
first
solo
reforecast
presented
by
September
30.
06
Halve
cross
-
functional
decision
cycle
time
SPECIFIC
Chair
the
Platform
Steering
Committee
and
remove
the
specific
bottlenecks
that
cause
decisions
to
stall
between
teams
rather
than
inside
them
.
MEASURABLE
Average
decision
cycle
time
falls
from
11
business
days
to
6,
and
at
least
90%
of
decisions
are
logged
with
a
named
owner
and
a
due
date
in
the
committee
decision
log
.
ACHIEVABLE
The
committee
already
meets
fortnightly
.
The
change
is
in
pre
-
read
discipline
and
a
standing
decision
log
,
not
additional
meetings
or
escalation
paths
.
RELEVANT
Three
of
four
delayed
Q
4
releases
traced
directly
back
to
unresolved
cross
-
team
decisions
,
which
cost
the
platform
team
an
estimated
six
weeks
of
schedule
.
T IME
-
BOUND
New
operating
rhythm
in
place
by
April
30, 2026;
measured
across
Q
2
and
Q
3 2026.
7 / 9
07
Bring
voluntary
attrition
below
9%
SPECIFIC
Address
the
retention
drivers
identified
in
the
last
six
exit
interviews
,
led
by
limited
growth
and
unclear
promotion
criteria
.
MEASURABLE
Voluntary
attrition
below
9%
for
the
12
months
ending
December
2026,
down
from
a
baseline
of
14%,
with
manager
relationship
rated
4
or
above
out
of
5
in
every
exit
interview
.
ACHIEVABLE
Actions
rely
on
existing
development
and
internal
mobility
programs
.
No
new
budget
and
no
retention
bonuses
required
.
RELEVANT
Replacing
an
engineer
costs
an
estimated
$
68
k
fully
loaded
,
and
the
team
has
carried
two
open
roles
for
two
consecutive
quarters
.
T IME
-
BOUND
Baseline
confirmed
January
31, 2026;
measured
monthly
and
reported
to
HR
in
December
.
08
Raise
the
internal
promotion
rate
from
18%
to
30%
SPECIFIC
Create
a
visible
growth
path
for
every
team
member
,
with
documented
criteria
for
what
the
next
level
requires
rather
than
criteria
shared
verbally
in
reviews
.
MEASURABLE
Internal
promotion
rate
rises
from
18%
to
30%
of
roles
filled
internally
,
and
at
least
four
team
members
move
into
a
promotion
or
lateral
growth
role
by
year
end
.
ACHIEVABLE
Criteria
are
drafted
with
HR
and
reviewed
in
the
H
1
and
H
2
talent
reviews
.
No
new
roles
or
reorganisation
needed
.
RELEVANT
Two
team
members
left
in
2025
for
roles
they
could
have
grown
into
here
,
and
both
departures
were
avoidable
.
T IME
-
BOUND
Criteria
published
by
March
15, 2026;
all
moves
completed
by
December
15, 2026.
09
Present
at
executive
level
,
not
just
in
writing
SPECIFIC
Present
two
substantive
proposals
to
the
executive
committee
in
person
rather
than
circulating
written
updates
and
waiting
for
a
written
response
.
MEASURABLE
At
least
80%
of
attendees
rate
each
presentation
4
or
above
out
of
5,
and
preparation
time
falls
from
12
hours
to
6
by
the
second
presentation
.
ACHIEVABLE
Each
proposal
is
rehearsed
with
my
manager
and
built
on
a
standard
one
-
page
structure
:
problem
,
options
,
recommendation
,
ask
.
RELEVANT
Two
proposals
missed
the
Q
4
planning
cycle
entirely
because
they
never
reached
the
executive
committee
in
time
to
influence
the
decision
.
T IME
-
BOUND
First
presentation
by
June
30, 2026;
second
by
November
30, 2026.
8 / 9
10
Sponsor
two
underrepresented
high
-
potentials
SPECIFIC
Sponsor
two
high
-
potential
women
or
underrepresented
leaders
outside
my
reporting
line
,
which
means
active
advocacy
for
their
work
rather
than
advice
about
their
career
.
MEASURABLE
20
of
24
monthly
sponsorship
meetings
held
,
each
sponsee
secures
a
stretch
assignment
or
visible
project
,
and
both
are
named
by
me
in
at
least
one
formal
talent
review
.
ACHIEVABLE
Pairs
are
matched
through
the
existing
DEI
council
,
and
the
time
commitment
is
one
hour
per
month
per
person
,
which
fits
inside
the
calendar
.
RELEVANT
Our
leadership
pipeline
is
31%
women
against
a
company
-
wide
benchmark
of
47%,
and
sponsorship
is
the
intervention
with
the
strongest
internal
evidence
.
T IME
-
BOUND
Sponsees
matched
by
March
15, 2026;
stretch
assignments
secured
by
September
30, 2026.
9 / 9
