Toddler Soccer Problem

When everyone chases the same goal, teams trip over each other instead of playing complementary positions

Ami Vora
Making an impact through authenticity and curiosity

Toddler Soccer Problem

"That leads to what I call toddler soccer, where everybody just runs to the same surface or the same customer set or the same exact product where you can do this and it's measurable and you end up, everyone's tripping on each other, everyone's trying, nobody really gets contact on the ball, there's no coordination." - Ami Vora

What It Is

The Toddler Soccer Problem describes what happens when you give multiple teams the same goal without differentiation. Like toddlers playing soccer—where everyone just chases the ball in a swarm—teams converge on whatever surface is most measurable and immediately impactful, stepping on each other's toes instead of playing complementary positions.

The root cause is well-intentioned but poorly differentiated goal-setting. When you tell everyone "just go get revenue" or "just go get GMV," there are only a few places where that's guaranteed, measurable, and achievable. Everyone rationally runs there.

The solution is to detangle goals so each team has a different metric that ladders into the same ultimate outcome. Like actual soccer, where different players have different positions and responsibilities, but the team wins together.

How It Works

The Problem Pattern:

  1. Leadership sets a top-line goal (revenue, GMV, users)
  2. Multiple teams are told to move that goal
  3. Teams converge on the most measurable, movable surface
  4. Competition instead of coordination
  5. Everyone trips over each other; nobody makes real progress

The Solution Pattern:

  1. Map the full customer journey
  2. Identify all the metrics that ladder into the top-line goal
  3. Assign different input metrics to different teams
  4. Each team has room to run without collision
  5. Teams are naturally complementary

How to Apply It

  1. Start with the customer journey - Map out everything customers need to do to deliver the outcome you care about (purchase, retain, expand, refer, etc.).

  2. Identify input metrics - Break down the output metric (revenue, GMV) into its component inputs:

    • Number of people who visit
    • Conversion rate
    • Number who reorder
    • Average order value
    • Etc.

  3. Assign lanes - Give each team ownership of a different input metric. They should have clear swim lanes with room to grow.

  4. Verify the ladder - Make sure improving each team's metric actually moves the top-line goal. Don't create metrics that feel good but are disconnected.

  5. Play the whole field - Ensure you have coverage across the entire customer journey, not just the easy-to-measure parts.

Example

Bad: Three teams all goaled on GMV

  • Result: Everyone optimizes the checkout page, nobody works on discovery

Good: Teams goaled on different stages

  • Team 1: Number of new visitors to the platform
  • Team 2: Conversion rate from browse to cart
  • Team 3: Reorder rate among existing customers
  • Result: Full funnel coverage, complementary work

When to Use It

  • Annual or quarterly goal-setting
  • Org redesigns and team formation
  • When you notice teams competing instead of collaborating
  • When multiple teams are "working on growth" but metrics aren't moving
  • After acquisitions when integrating teams

Warning Signs

You might have Toddler Soccer if:

  • Teams are frustrated about stepping on each other's toes
  • There's competition for credit on the same wins
  • Some parts of the customer journey are over-resourced while others are ignored
  • The same features keep getting proposed by multiple teams
  • Teams optimize for attribution rather than customer impact

Source

  • Guest: Ami Vora
  • Episode: "Making an impact through authenticity and curiosity"
  • Key Discussion: (00:56:27) - The toddler soccer metaphor for misaligned incentives
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

Related Frameworks

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