Can We Take a Minute to Think?
Not long ago, The Wall Street Journal devoted an entire section to gadgets that one can take on vacation. The options numbered close to 30! Then there was the obligatory article on the best way to pack all these essential accessories. While I am the first to applaud new technology, this once again got me thinking about the relationship between technology and the generations.
As our digital natives are so ably demonstrating, it is possible to remain connected 24-7-365 whether at work, at home, in the car, in the can or on a beach in Hawaii. Most of their parents have now embraced these practices and navigate their way through the day on their handheld devices as well. At what point, however, do we stop to think? To reflect? To contemplate? To discover a solution or idea that cannot be found anywhere on the web?
Digital technology is a mixed blessing. Yes, it allows us to accomplish many boring and repetitive tasks in less time and with less effort. It allows us to locate people, places, or things within seconds. But it also discourages us from thinking. Notice I didn’t say "prevents," because we always have the option to power down and revel in the silence. But here is where the generations tend to depart in their perceptions.
Digital immigrants know deep, down inside that there is a lot of thought to be had without assistance from the wizards at Google, Microsoft, and Facebook. In fact, pretty much all original thought takes place outside of the digital environment. But let’s face it. As a society, we’ve become lazy thinkers. It’s easier to see what someone else has to say and quote them than it is to drill down in our own psyche and develop our own position. The problem with this is that most of us never research, if you can call it that, past the first two pages of a Bing, Google, or Yahoo search. So if I’m canny enough to position what I have to say in the first 10-20 entries on the topic being sought, chances are I will be widely quoted by pretty much everyone who types in that keyword or phrase. As Neil Gabler put it so eloquently, "We prefer knowing to thinking because knowing has more immediate value. It keeps us in the loop, keeps us connected to our friends and our cohort. Ideas are too airy, too impractical, too much work for too little reward."
But digital natives have had little of this experience. They arrived just in time for an all-consuming society. To them, spelling and grammar can be found in Office, Word Perfect, or on dictionary.com. All history can be found in an electronic search. All business knowledge can be accessed through the links provided on-line and so it goes with politics, entertainment, social practices, and everything else. Where digital immigrants remember a time before the digital conveniences that now pervade our every thought, their off-spring have no such touchstone. Is it any wonder then that many of them are accused of being shallow in their thinking?
But we can’t point to them and say, "You shallow thinkers!" They are a product of their environment. But ask yourself, "When was the last time, I encouraged/coerced my students/employees/children to think about something significant without the aid of digital prompts and resources?" If you’ve done this, you know how tough it can be. They’ll tell you it’s not fair. They’ll you it’s nonsensical (as in "Why would you make us think for ourselves when somebody will think for us?"). They’ll tell you that they don’t need think original thoughts because they already know how to think and choose not to expend the energy. Make them do it anyway!
The power of any culture is its thoughts and philosophies. For better or worse, we have allowed a generation of young people to mature into this society without embracing the benefits of thinking. Now it is up to us to reverse that course to ensure the strength of our culture going forward. Do your part today!
Facebook Survey’s Surprising Results
If you want to know how Millennials feel about anything, go to the source where they’re spilling it all – Facebook!
Millennial Branding recently researched 4 million Millennial Facebook profiles and discovered that many Millennials use their Facebook profiles as an extension of their professional "brand". Although 64% of this group don’t list their employers, they average 16 co-workers in their ‘friends’ group.
Other surprising results in this study include:
- Only 7% of Millennials work for a Fortune 500 company.
- "Owner" ranks in the top five job titles for Millennials.
- The US Military is the largest Millennial employer overall.
Case Study
I manage a restaurant that’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A few weeks ago, a server transferred in from another store in the chain. Daniel’s about 23 and one of the most friendly and enthusiastic people I’ve ever met. In fact, he’s so enthusiastic, he’s been doing cartwheels and back-flips on the floor next to customers’ tables. He has a background as a college gymnast.
The patrons love him, he gets phenomenal tips and he’s developed a following who come in for breakfast to see what he’s going to do next. But I’m afraid he’s going to hurt himself, hurt a customer or crash into a table or two. I hate to be the bad guy, but the store’s liability is at stake. I would also hate to lose a great employee and all the positive morale he’s generated. How do I find a balance? (pardon the pun)
Well, the bottom line is that you’ve got to stop him. I love an enthusiastic employee as much as the next person, but liability trumps fun in this situation. Great tipping customers could turn into instant plaintiffs if Daniel lands on top of their eggs and toast. The question is how?
Without knowing Daniel, I would venture to say that he has a little growing up to do. So appealing to his common sense may not achieve the understanding you desire. It’s obvious that he has not taken time to think through what could happen.
I would suggest pulling him aside discreetly and explaining the potential ramifications of what he’s doing. Tell him that you appreciate his efforts and enthusiasm, but that his actions present a liability for the store. Tell him that you, the staff, and customers certainly appreciate his efforts, but as a manager, this is not something you can allow.
Do you risk losing him? Potentially, but no one else is going to let him do cartwheels in their store either. Besides, he’s developed a reputation in this store so I would imagine that the stories about his actions will continue for quite some time which will give him some warm fuzzies.
You also need to explain to the customers why you have put an end to this "circus." Chances are, they will commiserate with you about all the limits in our litigious society and you can certainly agree. Blame it on the lawyers. The bottom line, however, will be that you have removed the liability from this situation without damaging customer relations or Daniel’s feelings or reputation.
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