Page 240 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

keeping up with the phoneses � 219

` keepIng up By keepIng on

The ability to execute, with persistence and character, is a metaskill
that we didn’t mention above but that we want to end with. The abil-
ity to succeed, over time, depends on sticking it out—like LearnKey
did during its difficult, risky forays into new technology during the
1990s. It means having the character to stick to the platform and the
strategic direction when short-term, attractive technology choices
glitter, demanding you buy them when you know they are fool’s gold.
It means carrying out a strategy for developing metaskills such as
learning, renewing, consilience, collaboration, and assessment.
You can keep up with the Phoneses, the Joneses, and the Kar-
dashians, if you want. You just have to have a strategic plan, a plat-
form, and keep on keeping on.

` summAry

Keeping up with the Phoneses has more to do with the metaskills
that will serve you over time, than with making sure you have the lat-
est technology. In this chapter we shared five metaskills—out of any
number of others you might find advantageous—that you may wish to
consider integrating into your mobile workforce strategy. Metaskills
are a key part of your platform—they are anchors for you when ev-
erything else is changing, and they allow you to evolve strategically,
rather than pell mell.
In our next chapter we cover virtual teams, and we start out by
comparing them to massive online games like World of Warcraft.
It’s time to saddle up your avatar and get into the mix. Talk about
collaboration—we’re just getting started!