Managing the Millennials, 2nd Edition

Chapter 11Show Them the Big Picture: The Big Picture Does Not Exist Until You Help Them See It

Broadening the Myopic

They don't seem to understand the correlation between being kind, efficient, customer focused, and the tip.

—Restaurant manager

I just try to let them know that our first priority is the customer. If you are late to work or your attitude suffers, it ultimately impacts the shopper's experience. We have jobs because of the customers.

—Grocery store manager

He asked me to sponsor him in a 5k that was raising money to fight world hunger. I asked him if he knew what causes world hunger, and he said “no, but I am trying to do my part.”

—An aerospace manager

You would think the world was coming to an end because I traded shifts with someone who got paid overtime. How was I supposed to know? I am not a payroll expert. I thought I was doing my manager a favor.

—A Millennial

The way to show Millennials the big picture is to engage in a learning process that is involving, presents complexity, and allows the learner to challenge institutional assumptions. By involving, we mean facilitation. The best managers intuitively know this and create orientations, provide training, and teach through learning activities. They see their role as key to their employees' success. (See Table 11.1.)

Table 11.1 Broadening the Myopic

Broadening (Show Them the Big Picture)	Myopic
The ability to help Millennials connect the dots between everyday tasks and big picture objectives. Emphasis ...