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Do you know who's the perfect example for the post? These guys: >“Asana’s mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work together effortlessl

by neya 9y ago

Do you know who's the perfect example for the post? These guys: >“Asana’s mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work together effortlessly.“ Underline: >help humanity thrive Let that sink in. This post has long been coming. Someone had to write this. On an unrelated note, If you start your own company, please, PLEASE don't write BS for your mission statements, vision, etc. They're supposed to mean something. It will otherwise contribute to a lot of negative things, including trust issues and poor employee morale. Write something you truly believe in.

AndrewKemendo 9y ago
What exactly is the problem with Asana having that as a mission statement? I'm not arguing that it's good or bad, but I don't quite see how it "contribute[s] to a lot of negative things, including trust issues and poor employee morale" I think the argument you're making is that the Asana statement was written cynically and they don't really believe that. I think it's impossible to truly know, but I know a lot of founders who really do believe in their mission statements.
- neya 9y ago
  What I mean is, that mission statement is going to be hanging around in their company somewhere. Every time an employee looks at that, he's going to think "Am I really helping humanity thrive with my little python script I write here daily? No." I know I and many others like me would think so. Contrast this with someone like Sony. > "At Sony, our mission is to be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity. ground-breaking new excitement and entertainment in ways that only Sony can. Everything we do, is to move you emotionally." The products they release resonate with their mission statements. Have you used Asana? I recommend you give it a try, once you try it, you'll realize how exaggerated their mission statement is. This thread is a good read: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16271279 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16271279
  - pspeter3 9y ago
    What do you think their mission statement should be? Do you also think it really affects day to day work
askafriend 9y ago
What's interesting is that on their front page, they have a far more reasonable proposition which should actually be their mission: > "Asana is the easiest way for teams to track their work—and get results." Whoever wrote that is great with words and has a grip on reality. However then they have as their real mission: > “Asana’s mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work together effortlessly.“ which is just laughable, and that's considering that I'm the type of person who's likely to give people benefit of the doubt on things like this.

by neya 9y ago

AndrewKemendo 9y ago

What exactly is the problem with Asana having that as a mission statement? I'm not arguing that it's good or bad, but I don't quite see how it "contribute[s] to a lot of negative things, including trust issues and poor employee morale" I think the argument you're making is that the Asana statement was written cynically and they don't really believe that. I think it's impossible to truly know, but I know a lot of founders who really do believe in their mission statements.

neya 9y ago
What I mean is, that mission statement is going to be hanging around in their company somewhere. Every time an employee looks at that, he's going to think "Am I really helping humanity thrive with my little python script I write here daily? No." I know I and many others like me would think so. Contrast this with someone like Sony. > "At Sony, our mission is to be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity. ground-breaking new excitement and entertainment in ways that only Sony can. Everything we do, is to move you emotionally." The products they release resonate with their mission statements. Have you used Asana? I recommend you give it a try, once you try it, you'll realize how exaggerated their mission statement is. This thread is a good read: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16271279 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16271279
- pspeter3 9y ago
  What do you think their mission statement should be? Do you also think it really affects day to day work

askafriend 9y ago

What's interesting is that on their front page, they have a far more reasonable proposition which should actually be their mission: > "Asana is the easiest way for teams to track their work—and get results." Whoever wrote that is great with words and has a grip on reality. However then they have as their real mission: > “Asana’s mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work together effortlessly.“ which is just laughable, and that's considering that I'm the type of person who's likely to give people benefit of the doubt on things like this.