The Gift of Time

Today I hired a new pool man. He's a college student who was working for another pool company and decided to go into business for himself. He wanted to be his own boss. I think we are going to see alot of young people opting for Entrepreneurship as they clash with old guard management. Why? Because their concept of what is good enough in the workplace isnt necessarily our concept.



This is one of those aspects of millennial behavior I can't directly tie to a teaching or parenting practice. I'm not quite sure why young people don't view things the way we do. Perhaps its the fact that they view their time as more valuable that we do. We overscheduled so many of them that they didnt have a moment to breath, so now they guard their personal time as a priceless commodity. Perhaps its that they see the forest and we see the trees. In any case, sometimes their work ethic isn't ours and we see that as a bad attitude.



Again, it is simply a communication issue. Millennials need to understand how what they do fits into the big picture more than prior generations. These are the kids who did the math on their overall academic performance. A poor grade or two isn't of concern because their overall GPA would still warrant honor roll or principle's list. These are the kids who were spoon fed standardized tests with no measurable impact on their lives. Only when someone took the time to explain that higher standardized scores meant "cooler" classes and "cooler" classes mean a better college and that in turn means a better job. And yes, these conversations are happening with fifth graders.



So what does that mean for us. Well, the "Do it because I said so" is not going to work. You need to take the time to show how each individual effort affects the overall outcome and almost more importantly how it will impact the employee. "This project is a good stepping stone, its the first step on the management track. Complete this then do that and that and you'll be prime for promotion."



Yes it sounds selfish but its not as egocentric as it appears on the surface. Milliennials value the time they invest. They want to make sure its not being wasted, that it fits into the overall plan for their lives. Don't resent them for this behavior simply because we have lost that value. Our identity is now integrally tied to our work, theirs isn't. It's not bad, its simply different.