I occasionally work for a photography company, either shooting photos or as a “helper” to do paperwork and help with sales.

At one shoot, I was trying to understand why parents were willing to pay so much for the sports photos we shoot. They’re great photos, but I looked at them and wondered aloud if my co-workers would be willing to pay what we asked for any of them because I couldn’t fathom a case in which I could.

One of my co-workers looked over and said, “Yeah, I’ve thought about it, and I realized that it’s pretty different when it’s your kids. Plus, these folks like basketball way more than you do. Think about if it was a picture of you with your favorite band - you’d pay it for that, right?”

Of course I would pay that price for a picture of me with Led Zeppelin. (Well, the three who are left.)

After that, the whole thing made sense to me, and I was much more confident about our product, which any one in sales can tell you is essential to being able to sell it.

This was a case where the “why” of the situation was vital, and once I understood that “why,” I was better at my job.

The “why” that will motivate your Generation Y employees isn’t always going to be concerned with your processes. It could be about your customers, your vendors, your equipment, your employees, their co-workers, their families, their friends, or their place in the world.

Once you’ve answered that “why” for your Millennial employees, they’ll get focused on the “how” of it, which is what you’ve wanted them to do all along.