Pushing a team to their limit – has its limits. Much like teens, though, food is a HUGE motivator.

When working overtime or at an event, you will find that employees get hungry. You as the boss might be motivated by the bottom line or a deadline. But when 5:00 hits those who are in it for the employment are getting hungry. Its mind-blowing how often a boss can get focused and be confused why everyone else in the company is not rallying behind them. Perhaps if they listened closely the roaring of hungry stomachs might act as a huge clue.

An employee is going to get paid the same amount whether they work hard or not. The boss, on the other had, is paid on performance or bonuses or commission. So how do you link the hourly/salary person with those who need to perform in order to get paid? Motivation is the answer…often in the form of food.

When people are working hard they are burning calories. They are going to get hungry. Aside from the basic breakfast, lunch and dinner, there is the afternoon snack many rely on. If you have a team of employees working all day you need to allow time for eating. While this might not seem cost effective when you are trying to raise money and/or cut expenses, you will find that if people are not fed they tend to not work at top speed. So just feed them.

If you are working an event off site order food to be brought in for lunch. Lunch and eating together provides the perfect opportunity to get a quick meeting in while keeping the troops happy.

If everyone is going to be working through the day for an event that happens during dinner time you need to make sure your employees are fed. There are two possibilities: either they eat with your guests at a possible dinner event or you can feed them prior to the event. This seems like a no brainer but it's mind boggling the number of fundraisers that go on with employees about to faint from hunger because they weren't fed prior to the event.

Either way, your employees won’t JUST be hungry if you don’t feed them while everyone else eats. They will also be grumpy, irritable and most likely not projecting the positive public image you would like them to. If you find that your employees are acting sub-par, keep in mind this is not their fault. You are acting like a slave driver and they are hungry. Feed them already.

Many managers/bosses will insist that they don’t need food when they are motivated by an event or a deadline. That’s all well and good. And while it’s endearing that you are a super hero for the company, everyone else is human. Its basic management 101 that if your employees aren’t happy, no one is going to be happy. And if everyone is miserable, you won’t discover you company’s true potential because you are too busy going without and expecting all those who don’t make as much as you and don’t have as much to lose as you do to do the same.