Sprint reshuffles networks team: Saw promoted, Elfman and Azzi to leave company

[grapkoski]

If you want this site to shut down then we can do a lot of things to attract the attention of softbank/sprint.... Their legal teams...

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

Oh they already know... Anyways, they should focus on pressuring backhaul providers to deliver and 'working with' local governments for expedited permits.

[twospirits]

All of these boxing references...

 

 

And now you get your ears boxed for quoting the entirety of Robert's lengthy post just to add a one phrase reply.

 

AJ

 

 

 

And, they need to become familiar with S4GRU.  I am serious on this point, not joking.

 

S4GRU has identified virtually every problem and shortcoming of Sprint Network Vision since its very inception, and the intelligent and insightful members, Sponsors, Premiers, and Staff have presented well-thought-out solutions to almost all of them, long before Sprint would even publicly admit their existence.

 

So, I ask, how can we, as supporters of this forum, get the attention of the Executive level of Sprint/Softbank?

I agree with this, and I do believe they already know about this place.

 

As for the last part, maybe send Masa a tweet on his twitter account.  

 

TS

[miguell2]

With Shouts and Hugs, Sprint Boss Masayoshi Son of SoftBank Drives Turnaround

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304071004579408402707389832?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304071004579408402707389832.html

 

Few notable quotes.

 

 

"Are you stupid?" yelled Masayoshi Son

 

Around the same time last fall that Mr. Son called Sprint's advertising strategy "stupid," the wireless carrier announced to employees that two executives overseeing sales and marketing would leave the company.

 

 

And he is bringing in about 1,000 SoftBank employees from Japan, who will try to help turn around the struggling mobile carrier and develop new services that SoftBank can use back at home.

 

Sprint now tracks sales data in real time, including hourly figures on specific stores and employees. The change was suggested by officials at SoftBank. Its stores in Japan report the hourly sales logged by each employee.

In Japan, Mr. Son uses the information to track down the worst underperforming sales employees and their managers, according to two people familiar with the matter. He then pesters them for hourly updates on their progress.

 

At a meeting last year to fend off a bid for Sprint from satellite-television operator Dish Network Corp., Mr. Son insisted on using red in a bar chart meant to outline Dish's offer in a presentation to investors, says a person who heard the comments. The reason: In the business world, the color evokes negative images of being "in the red," says a person who heard the SoftBank CEO.

Edited March 7, 2014 by miguell2

[irev210]

Also, I don't understand this hatred or anger against executives.  Someone has to do that job.  And they aren't going to do it for $50,000.  Someone who is responsible for a $10 Billion network and a $20 Billion five year upgrade needs to paid accordingly for how much they are responsible.  They earn the money.  The market decides what is fair compensation.  Good for them.

 

I think too often we can be bitter and angry about these people.  There really are not that many of them.  It's just not healthy to think like that.  It's like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.  I bet if we actually knew some of these people, we would feel really ashamed to say such things.

 

Robert

 

If anything, it brings about accountability.  Feelings are rather irrelevant in the scheme of things.  Angry, happy, sad, not sure why people put as much emotion into it as they do.

 

Any organization that can't hold employees accountable lacks organizational control and can't have predictable outcomes.

 

Changing the ranks has two advantages in this situation.

1)  The organization sets the expectation that failure of established/agreed upon goals is unacceptable.

2)  Opportunity arises for new members of the organization to take established/agreed upon goals and are held accountable.

 

 

We'll see how this shakes out.  Dan Hesse said that he wanted to under-promise, over-deliver back in 2008.  Let's see if that's the case in 2014 and onward.

[irev210]

Or just google search the title to get around paywall.

[dstar2002]

Not the spelling and grammar industry, e.g. "loosing" and "must of."

 

 

AJ

My sincere apologies as I did not proof read my post before I sent it. The edit option of Tapatalk is painful.

:-P

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

 

 

[dstar2002]

Really? What industry do you work in? That stuff happens all the time.

I have two jobs. One is a government job as state worker in public safety. No executives are ever fired in this sector, so I will move forward.

 

My second job is with a national company that specializes in revenue management and public safety software solutions. We do not see executive turn over frequently, and when we have, it was all a shuffle to better streamline the company. We have never once moved people just to "mix it up" In fact, when some were let go in the past, it came out to the rank and file about how the change was going to be positive. I have never seen a mix up of top leaders in any company "just because" There is one reason a for profit company changes its leaders, and the reason is they think the change will result in better outcomes that bring in more money. Period.

 

I think Roberts post said it best. I am not happy a guy lost his job and suffers any effects from it. On the flip side, if a guy has to downsize his multi million dollar house to a million dollar house, I have a hard time loosing sleep over that. How many people below him lost a job because of his decisions? Those are the victims. They are the ones that suffer. Not the top tier executive.

 

I am for every person making what they are worth and a company will pay them. If the Sprint tech leaders make 10 million a year, I could care less, If the product is there and the service is great, I actually think they deserve crazy pay if they deliver. Now, the company needs to look bigger and bolder, and maybe the guys leaving aren't the root cause fault of the poor past network, but, they took "no" for an answer one too many times for their bosses liking.

 

Does anyone out there think letting these guys go was a bad move by Sprint?

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

 

 

[radem]

Some executives specialize in expanding companies.  Some are turn-around experts and specialize in downsizing, rightsizing and re-organizing the organization.  Some excel at setting up companies to be agile, quick decision making machines.  Some are great at making the shareholders feel warm and fuzzy.  Some are great at tracking the financials and generating return on investment.  Some are very good at managing people, retaining talent, hiring new talent.

 

There are all kinds of executives at companies that are spectacular at their jobs until the organization changes and they get a different role.  Then what they are good at may no longer be what the company needs.  The choice then is to let them work in an area that sets them up for failure and hurts the company at the same time, wait for them to learn their new job, or to replace them with a different specialist who is good at what the company needs now.

 

Two reasons why executives get paid so highly:  1) There are not many people available who can do what they do.  Decision makers for billion dollar companies are not sitting around at the unemployment office or reading the classified ads looking for work.  Try making complex million dollar decisions all day every day with a bewildering amount of information quickly thrown at you and see how your stress levels work out.  2) People of that level are always at risk of being unemployed if the organization changes or even sometimes by doing their job.  A turn-around specialist has no use in a company after he has already turned the company around.

 

I suspect that these individuals who are being "let go" from Sprint were good at something other than what Spring needs now. 

 

Maybe this will stop the behavior where Sprint spent a fortune blanketing the airwaves for the "New Sprint Network" in Chicago when at that same time, data did not work at all in the downtown area because of spectrum capacity and hand-offs of voice calls between towers in the suburbs were still dropping calls.  Many people in Chicago joined Sprint based on the marketing, found that the "New Sprint Network" did not work for them where they needed it to work and returned to the Sprint store to demand their money back never to return.  That marketing decision alone should have got some people fired.

[owensri2]

Agreed.. I don't think I have ever seen a Truck or van marked with Sprint. Would be cool to see one day. 

 

I saw a Ford Fusion with Sprint logos on the doors in Hartsville, SC driving around about a year back.  Wonder who that may have been...

[Rawvega]

 

There's a lot about the guys heading out of the door. Here's a little about the guy stepping up to the plate:

 

http://newsroom.sprint.com/executive-team/john-saw.htm

 

http://www.telecoms.com/196931/interview-svp-for-technical-architecture-at-sprint-we-have-the-ability-to-build-a-bigger-pipe-than-the-competition-because-of-our-spectrum-position/

[bcltoys]

I don't have the answer. But are two new head's going to change anything I think not. Sprint need's to hire hundred's of good people not just two. And start cracking more then two whip's.

[Dkoellerwx]

On another note, I'm going to drive by this tower that's in progress here.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

I have a feeling there has been / will be more changes. Most of those aren't considered as "news worthy" as two of the top guys being shown the door, so we're not likely to hear much about them.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

[Dkoellerwx]

Bad quote, can't edit from Tapatalk -_-

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

[MrZorbatron]

Is it a good thing that the market I live in is a Samsung then? lol 

No.  Ericsson maintains that, too.

[Qu3st]

Hopefully, Hesse is next to get the axe.

[joshnys8913]

Hopefully, Hesse is next to get the axe.

I think Hesse is doing a good job and is trying the best he can considering everything that has gone on in the past before he became CEO, hes doing a h*ll of a lot better then the previous one.  

[utiz4321]

Hopefully, Hesse is next to get the axe.

This statement is something I don't understand at all. Hesse has done just about as good a job as CEO as anyone could expect. When he came to the company it was in free fall after one of the worst cooperate mergers in history, the company had an even worst reputation than it does today and the leadership seemed to be completely clueless as to how to reverse the situation. Hesse stopped the free fall, bought some semblance of customer service back to sprint, guided it through the worst economic condition since the 1930's, and tied the company up with SoftBank. Perfect no, but I don't really think anyone could have do better given where sprint was and the economy.

 

I forgot about getting the company the iPhone, which many people predicted would bring death to sprint but turned out to be a home run instead.

[Rawvega]

 

I think perhaps some people would prefer Sprint's CEO to be some pandering assclown that dresses like a juvenile making sophomoric tweets on Twitter pretending that he's some kind of superhero. 

[z250kid]

i seen one in a driveway lol thats it.   Hire in house techs just like cable companies have both.  

[Terrell352]

It is 2014 so I would say this is exactly what everyone wants to see.   

 

 

I think perhaps some people would prefer Sprint's CEO to be some pandering assclown that dresses like a juvenile making sophomoric tweets on Twitter pretending that he's some kind of superhero. 

 

[JossMan]

There aren't really Sprint trucks.  Sprint has outsourced its network maintenance to Ericsson.  You most likely see Ericsson trucks going around to Sprint sites.

 

Robert

White Chevy Silverados with blue "Ericsson" marking on them, I see them driving all the time around here.  Just saw one at a Sprint only site yesterday, I thought it was the guy I knew but was a different employee.  He was integrating the 3G at the site that has only been "4G Complete" it should be making its way too your acceptances within a few weeks.  

[Rawvega]

It is 2014 so I would say this is exactly what everyone wants to see.   

 

I'm sure that schtick holds some sway over Generation Z types that fawns over Justin Bieber and has trouble keeping their pants up around their waist, but "everyone"? Nah, I'd beg to differ. 

[JosefTor]

I agree that Hesse probably is good for Sprint but... It shouldn't have taken softbank to fire bad leaders. Also, as a leader, you are fully accountable for the work produced by your employees. The two people who got fired, just lost site of what they were supposed to be doing and how to go about it. The new commercials in the past couple of weeks are infinitely better than the previous ones.

[richy]

Very uncommon.  As it would have to be a Sprint employee outside of their network management.  Not many Sprint logo'd fleet vehicles out there.

 

Robert

 

Money better saved for spending elsewhere, like NV! It speaks volumes about the approach some companies take, money for artwork on a van (and that seriously isn't cheap across a fleet) but sod all spectrum, whats they saying about all skirt and no panties? I'd much rather see sprint continue to invest in it's network rather than crayola-ing a third party fleet, then again I'm no fan of advertising.

[runagun]

I have a thought. To me Hesse has been passive. Not something I'd really want a Ceo to be. He's not brimming with confidence. Imagine you ask your boss a question and get a feeling like oh well. That's sprint. Son don't take shit, Hesse does. Going to the famous Dennis green quote. As this moment sprint is who we thought they were.

People can knock the Ceo of T-Mobile all they want. He's getting results. Hesse hasn't, It's always next year. Feels like I'm watching the Cubs with him. He must be a Cubs fan if he thinks that's a good excuse.

I'm not one to mimic the Ceo of T-Mobile. At least he's putting back swagger to the organization. Something that sprint desperately needs. Which Son is bringing in not Hesse. Don't forget Hesse has been Ceo of sprint for quite a few years now. And a lot of Strategic decisions can under his watch.

Am I calling for him to go? No, but if things don't start happening soon. Maybe the best decision he ever did was getting Son to buy the company and give himself a golden parachute.

I wrote this on my phone so pardon the spelling errors AJ...