SMART goal setting (the version that actually works at work)

Most new grads don’t have a motivation problem.

They have a translation problem.

They show up with goals like:

• “I want to do well.”
• “I want to get promoted.”
• “I want to learn a lot.”

All good.

None actionable.

In real jobs, goals are only useful if they change what you do on Tuesday.

A quick metaphor that fixes a lot of this

Filing an expense report can take forever.

And yes — you should do it.

But it’s also the sports equivalent of running up and down the court at practice without ever taking a shot.

You can be busy without being productive.

That’s what vague goals create: motion without output.

SMART goals (done right) are how you turn effort into something your manager can point to.

Promise

In this post you’ll get:

• the “workplace” version of SMART (not the textbook one)
• a copy/paste goal template your manager will actually like
• examples for your first 90 days
• the common mistakes that make SMART feel pointless

What prompted this

Every review cycle, SMART goals trigger unusually strong emotions: some people swear it’s bureaucracy, others swear it’s clarity. The heat is understandable — most templates are vague and disconnected from real work. Two good snapshots: this manager thread on SMART not always being the best approach (https://www.reddit.com/r/managers/comments/1h16ti3/smart_goals_arent_always_the_best_approach/) and Ask a Manager on making performance evaluations useful (https://www.askamanager.org/2014/09/how-to-make-performance-evaluations-useful-to-your-team.html).

The problem SMART solves

Early in your career, you’ll often get vague direction:

• “Take ownership.”
• “Be proactive.”
• “Drive impact.”

SMART helps you translate that into:

• a specific output
• a measurable signal of progress
• a realistic scope for your level
• a deadline

That’s what your manager can actually support.

SMART goals, quickly (but with the workplace twist)

SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.

Here’s how each letter should feel at work.

S — Specific (what deliverable exists?)

Bad: “Get better at my job.”

Better:

• “Ship my first small win in production.”
• “Own the weekly status update for Project X.”
• “Publish a one-page ‘how we do X’ doc for the team.”

Make it something you can point at.

M — Measurable (how do we know it happened?)

Measurement doesn’t always mean a perfect KPI.

It can be simple:

• “Send 2 stakeholder updates per week.”
• “Close 5 onboarding tickets by Friday.”
• “Run 3 user interviews and summarize themes.”

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

A — Achievable (hard but plausible)

Stretch is fine.

Fantasy is not.

Ask:

• Do I control the inputs?
• Do I have access and permissions?
• Is the scope realistic for my skill level?

If the answer is “maybe,” shrink the goal.

A smaller goal that ships beats a bigger goal that stays hypothetical.

R — Relevant (does my manager care?)

Relevance means it ties to:

• your team’s priorities
• your manager’s expectations
• your role’s core outputs

If your goal doesn’t help the team win, it becomes “extra credit.”

T — Time-bound (when is the check?)

Deadlines create focus.

Also: they create decision points.

If a goal has no date, it becomes “someday,” and someday doesn’t show up on your calendar.

The “goal ladder” (the part people miss)

A good work goal connects upward.

Use this ladder:

1. Company goal (what the business cares about)
2. Team goal (what your group is responsible for)
3. Your goal (what you can control)

If you can’t explain how your goal supports the team goal, it’s probably not the right goal.

A simple SMART goal template (copy/paste)

Use this in a doc or Slack message to your manager.

“By [date], I will [deliverable], measured by [metric/signal], so that [team outcome]. Risks: [1–2 risks]. Ask: [decision/help needed].”

Example:

“By March 15, I will ship the onboarding email flow to 10% of users, measured by successful event tracking + QA sign-off, so that we reduce early drop-off. Risk: legal review timing. Ask: confirm whether welcome vs tips email is higher priority for v1.”

That is a manager-friendly goal.

SMART goals for your first 90 days (realistic stack)

Here’s a simple goal stack that works in most office jobs.

Week 2 goal: remove confusion

“By the end of Week 2, document the top 10 recurring questions for my role (links + owners) and share it with my manager.”

Why it works: you turn onboarding pain into an asset.

Day 30 goal: ship a visible small win

“By Day 30, ship one visible deliverable that reduces team friction (template, fix, analysis) and share the before/after with the team.”

Why it works: it’s low risk, high signal.

Day 60 goal: own something end-to-end

“By Day 60, own one small recurring responsibility end-to-end with minimal oversight (process, stakeholders, cadence).”

Why it works: ownership is the real promotion skill.

Day 90 goal: get the performance bar in writing

“By Day 90, confirm in writing what ‘great’ looks like in my role (metrics, behaviors, examples) with my manager.”

Why it works: it prevents you from guessing.

The 3 common goal-setting mistakes (and fixes)

Mistake 1: goals that are just vibes

“Be more strategic.” “Be a leader.”

Fix: pick an artifact.

• “Write a 1-page strategy memo.”
• “Lead the stakeholder meeting and send the follow-up.”

Mistake 2: goals you don’t control

“Increase revenue by 20%.”

Fix: set an input you control.

• “Ship X experiment by Y date.”
• “Contact 15 customers and summarize insights.”

Mistake 3: goals that aren’t aligned

Fix: run a 2-minute alignment check with your manager.

The 2-minute manager alignment script

Send this in a 1:1 or Slack:

“I drafted 2–3 goals for my first 90 days so I’m aiming at the right target. Can I send them for a quick thumbs-up? If you’d change anything, I’d rather adjust now than miss the bar later.”

That single move separates you from most people.

A quick note for each audience:

• Early-career: the goal isn’t to sound impressive. The goal is to be easy to coach.
• Manager: if you want better goals, ask for one extra line: “What does success look like in observable behavior or output?” It forces clarity.

Edge cases

• If your team uses OKRs, map your goals to the OKRs in the “Relevant” line. Don’t fight the system; use it.
• If your work is reactive (support, ops), set goals around response times, reducing recurring issues, or building repeatable runbooks.

Next step

Draft two SMART goals using the copy/paste template, then send them to your manager for a quick thumbs-up.

If you want a lightweight weekly cadence to keep goals real, use the Status update template.