Reality Check: Fast. Pass. Talk.

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our weekly Reality Check column. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile industry to give their insights into the marketplace.
With school-aged children come many responsibilities, including coaching youth sports. I’ve had the pleasure of working with my son’s soccer team for several years – some of the boys even continue to call me “coach.” My first real test occurred when the boys jumped from a younger to an older age division. The boys were anxiously excited about the size and responsibility of a larger team and field. As we are huddled before the opening kick, ten faces looked to me for wisdom, and I racked my brain for simple, relevant advice. “Remember three things,” I said. “Fast. Pass. Talk.” Along with a highly effective incentive program (e.g., if each individual scores a goal, the coach treats the entire team to Dairy Queen), this mantra would live with those boys for many years after that season.
For those of you who know the game of soccer, this isn’t bad advice. Games are won and lost on ball control, and if you don’t move quickly to the ball you can’t control field play. As our team grew throughout that year, they began to realize that one star cannot carry the entire team; they had to develop a coordinated approach that emphasized passing. Further, as I repeatedly reminded the boys, you have to communicate as some of the best plays might be behind you. Individual skill development remains a critical component of sports, but a lot of teams, young and old, could stand to adopt a “Fast. Pass. Talk.” mantra.
How’s that corporate team doing? Are you seizing the opportunities proactively and encouraging your team to take the initiative to steer the industry, rather than be steered? Is your company still playing “bumble bee” ball (everyone moving as a cluster) with no coordinated product or service strategy? How’s your passing strategy between functions in your company? Is communications the role of a separate department, or a critical individual skill each employee develops? Do you have “heroes” that might score one goal, revel in that score, but get shut out for the rest of the game? How are you doing as coach – are you consistent, simple, and contained in your message, and are you allowing your team to scrimmage (learn) in between competitive matches?
“Fast. Pass. Talk.” These three words could replace a lot of presentations circulating throughout corporate America during the strategy and budget planning seasons.
Jim Patterson is CEO & co-founder of Mobile Symmetry, a start-up created for carriers to solve the problems of an increasingly mobile-only society. He was most recently President – Wholesale Services for Sprint and has a career that spans over eighteen years in telecom and technology. He welcomes your comments at jim@mobilesymmetry.com.