Day 9 of "The 10 Days and Nights Until New Year!" — celebrating the amazing people in independent restaurants AND bars during the busiest time of the year.
The goal of this article:
- Understand the five parts of being an Energizer (reading energy, finding real joy, planning breaks, connecting with people, handling tension)
- Use a Marathon Mindset to keep the team going strong during long shifts and tough times
- Use team motivation skills for parenting, work, caregiving, and your own goals
The Scene: 6:15 AM, December 30th
The kitchen lights buzzed on at 6:15 AM. New Year's Eve prep started in fifteen minutes.
For most of the team, this was day 8 of non-stop work. Christmas had blurred straight into the NYE madness. Today’s shift? A breezy 14 hours of prepping, stock-taking, and tweaking the menu.
By 11 AM, things were getting a bit…fragile.
Mise en place was slower than usual. The usual chat was non-existent. Someone dropped a container of stock, and instead of the usual dark humour, just…silence.
The team was running on fumes.
The Talent: The Energizer
The Energizer doesn’t fake it. That’s just exhausting (and see-through).
Instead, they spot real moments of joy and pump them up. They clock the room's vibe, not just the to-do list. They know when to push, and when to give everyone a breather.
At 11:30 AM, Kai – a commis chef who’d been at the restaurant for a couple of years – noticed the zombie-like atmosphere.
The Intervention
It started small.
"Right, I'm making coffee. Who needs one? If you don't raise your hand, you're getting decaf, you monsters."
A few tired chuckles. Hands shot up.
While the coffee brewed, Kai whacked on some music – not the usual kitchen stuff, but something completely random: 90s pop. The head chef rolled her eyes but, I swear, I saw her crack a smile.
"Come on, Maria. You know the words to this one."
The ice was breaking.
Over the next hour, Kai pulled off a series of mini-interventions:
12:00 PM: Noticed the pastry chef staring into space, looking wrecked. Quietly took over her task for ten minutes. "Go sit down. I've got this."
12:30 PM: Brought snacks to the prep station without being asked. "Fuel stop. No arguments."
1:15 PM: When tension flared up over the prep schedule, Kai stepped in with perfect timing: "We're arguing about lemons. Lemons! We'll all be fine. More coffee, anyone?"
2:00 PM: Organised a ten-minute break for everyone. At the same time. "Right, everyone, stop. Now. Ten minutes. Outside if you want. Then we're back in it."
By 3 PM, the vibe had totally changed. Not crazy energy – that wouldn't last. But steady. Manageable. Occasionally, even…fun.
The Science of Energy Spreading
Research on how teams work shows that feelings are contagious. Exhaustion spreads. Negativity spreads. But so does energy.
One person’s consistent good mood can lift the whole group. Not by being bossy or fake, but by finding real moments to connect.
The secret is being real. Fake positivity is draining, and everyone can spot it. Real positivity – finding actual joy, humour, and connection – is energizing.
Kai wasn’t pretending the shift wasn’t hard. They were finding real reasons to smile, even when things were tough.
From Kitchen to Life
Being an Energizer is super useful for getting through tough times, whatever you're doing.
Parenting: Those endless school holidays. The night feeds that never end. Rainy weekends with kids climbing the walls. The parent who finds real moments of fun – not just forced activities, but real laughter – changes everything.
Work Sprints: That project deadline that needs weeks of hard work. The colleague who sees when someone’s struggling, who brings a bit of fun, who suggests a break – they stop burnout before it starts.
Caregiving: Looking after a parent or someone you love for a long time takes massive energy. The Energizer finds moments of joy in the hard times – a shared joke, a real connection, a break to recharge.
Personal Goals: Training for a marathon. Changing careers. Renovating a house. You need to keep your energy up. It's not about going all-out all the time. It’s about knowing when to rest and when to push.
The Parts of Being an Energizer
- Energy Reading: Spotting when people are struggling before they crack.
- Genuine Joy Finding: Not faking it, but finding real moments to enjoy.
- Break Architecture: Knowing when rest is more important than getting stuff done.
- Connection Moments: Making real human contact in a busy environment.
- Tension Diffusion: Using humour to stop small problems becoming big arguments.
The Marathon Mindset
Keeping going isn't about pushing yourself until you break. It's about seeing energy as something you need to manage.
Research on ultra-endurance athletes shows that pacing is key. The runner who starts too fast will crash. The runner who listens to their body, adjusts their effort, and finds a rhythm – they finish the marathon.
Hospitality teaches you this over and over. Every service is a marathon. Learning when to sprint, when to coast, and when to recover is what separates the teams that fall apart from the ones that succeed.
Building Energizers in Your Team
The Energy Check-In
Halfway through the shift, do a quick check-in:
"On a scale of 1 to 10, how's your energy? What do you need?"
This makes it okay to talk about energy, instead of hiding how you feel.
The Break Plan
Plan breaks for long shifts. Don't just wait until everyone's exhausted. booteek Intelligence data shows that regular short breaks are better than pushing through.
The Joy Habit
At the end of a tough shift, name one good thing that happened:
"What made you laugh today? What was one good moment?"
This trains your brain to find the good stuff, so it's easier to do when you need it most.
The Resolution
At 7:45 PM, the prep was done. New Year’s Eve was ready. The team stood in a kitchen that was cleaner than it had been that morning, stations set, stocks made, and mise en place done.
Kai was wiping down the last counter when Maria came over.
"You kept us going today. You know that, right?"
Kai shrugged. "We're a team. That's what teams do."
But they both knew it wasn’t that simple. Plenty of teams fall apart on day 8. Plenty of long shifts end in arguments and exhaustion.
This one ended with a group photo, a quick toast with whatever was in the fridge, and a team that would show up tomorrow ready for the biggest night of the year.
Energy is contagious.
Be the one who spreads it.
Action Points
This Week
Do the Energy Check-In mid-shift: "Scale of 1 to 10, how's your energy? What do you need?" Make it normal to talk about how you’re feeling.
This Month
Plan breaks for long shifts with the Break Plan — don't wait until everyone's exhausted. Regular short breaks work better.
Ongoing
End tough shifts with the Joy Habit: "What made you laugh today? What was one good moment?" Train your brain to find the good stuff.
Think About This
Before you finish, ask yourself:
- Self-Assessment: When have you been the one to lift the team's energy? What did you do? When were you too tired to help? What was different?
- Application: Where in your life – family, work, friendships – are you in a marathon that needs energy for weeks or months? Who helps you in that situation?
- Commitment: What will you do this week to be an Energizer for someone else? Not fake – real connection or finding joy.
Tomorrow in "The 10 Days and Nights Until New Year!": Orchestrated Chaos – New Year's Eve itself.
About this series: The 10 Days and Nights Until New Year! celebrates the talents that make independent restaurants AND bars great, and the life skills they learn along the way. From December 22nd to December 31st, we're looking at one key skill each day.
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