We all want to motivate our people and in truth it is not hard to do. Think about the best boss you have ever worked for. What did the boss do to motivate you? Do you do the same things with your team?

In practice, most of us respond to some simple motivational measures.  Here are eight practical tips.

1. Show you care for each member of the team, and for their career. Invest time to understand their hopes, their fears and dreams. Casual time by the coffee machine, not a formal meeting, is the best way to get to know your team members.
2. Delegate meaningful and interesting work which will  develop your team members. Be clear and consistent about your expectations.
3. Trust your team. Do not micro manage them.
4. Make your praise real, specific and near to the event. We all want to know that we are doing something worthwhile and well.
5. Criticize in private and make it constructive. Don’t hide or shade the truth. Honesty builds trust and respect.  Let people know what they need to do, not just what they need to stop doing
6. Share your vision so each team member will know where they are going and how they can develop their careers.
7. Be very clear about promotion prospects, bonuses and the required outcome of each piece of work. People hear what they want to hear. So keep it simple and repeat it often. Over communicate rather than under communicate and be sure to listen!
8. Don’t be their buddy.  It is more important to be respected than liked.  If your team trusts and respects you, they will want to work for you.