Ever wondered what people really meant when they told you to work smart, not hard? Well, one of the things that sets apart a great manager is the fact that his team rallies behind him. You can be a great leader too, if you can inspire and motivate your team members to greatness.
Ownership Is Everything
You want to hold them accountable for the job they’re doing, right? Won’t happen just like that! Unless, you create ownership.
Okay, so they’re new and you don’t trust them completely just yet. That’s fine. Create a special project as part of their normal job, and make them feel like they own that project.
Loosen up. Once you have briefed them and agreed on a schedule for regular discussions (They shouldn’t feel abandoned!), give them enough authority to call the shots.
And most importantly, when the time comes to celebrate the success, let them be heroes. Ya, this bit was a no-brainer 
The B+ Diet Plan
Make your team a happy one. It’s possible – yes, in the real world. People can feel genuinely happy and enthusiastic about coming to work and seeing their manager’s face. And you can be that manager
See the positive in your people. Don’t be the manager who only catches people making mistakes; catch them doing things right.
The happier your team is, the more productive they will be. So don’t be a nag. Repeatedly reminding them of their weaknesses is a huge energy-drainer.
There’s an epic scene in the animation movie Megamind when after listening to the crowd’s applause, Megamind freaks out, and turns to threaten them. His PR manager explains, “Sorry, sorry he’s just not used to positive feedback.”
Yup, just because so many managers hold back positive feedback, they turn those with a hero’s potential into villains!
Umm.. Who says animation movies are just for kids? They have life lessons, people 
Expect Great Outcomes
I am yet to come across anyone who isn’t automatically propelled to great things, simply because you expect it out of him.
Look back at your own student life, for example. If there was one teacher in school who thought you were above average, didn’t you go out of your way to impress her? Didn’t you want to score well in her subject, merely because you didn’t want to let her down? Because you wanted her to continue believing that you were capable of greatness
One of my favourite motivation quotes is (quite unexpectedly) is from the book Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl:
“If we take man as he is, we make him worse, but if we take man as he should be, we make him capable of becoming what he can be”
Life Changing!
The last one by the way, works everywhere – even outside of the work setting. This is the fool-proof way to bring out the best in other people
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