You can’t focus on fog

Monday, September 14th, 2009 | commentary, product vision

The CEO of a hitherto search engine company reportedly told the troops:

Let’s focus on a great Yahoo! Our average user is just trying to get through the day…looking to find out what’s going on in the big world and their own world. They want their Internet site to be great, and to work. They don’t care about how or about deals. They care that we are a trusted dependable site.

That is our simple mission. Focus on it!!!

Let’s itemize that. Yahoo’s simple mission is to:

Help users get through the day
Help users find out what’s going on in the world and their own world
Make an Internet site that is great, and works
Have a site that is trusted and dependable

That’s a rather hazy vision to try and focus on. Only #2 provides a modicum of guidance. And even that amounts to, “Let’s do more of what we’ve been doing for the past 10 years.” If that was the right strategy I doubt Yahoo would be where they are now.

Someone could use a little help with their product vision.

2 Comments to You can’t focus on fog

Steve Portigal
September 14, 2009

Hmm – I think this is a remarkable statement, since most companies focus on things like: Our Mission Is To Create A Great Search Outcome (no offense to the actual firm that I adapted this from) and sometimes, SOMETIMES, that leads itself to a inward-looking focus, and a ridiculous set of lingo around “the consumer” in a way that doesn’t map to any real person. (ahem). By characterizing customers as real people that just want to get through their day (a bit bleak, but still), there’s a sense there of hey, our stuff has to fit into THEIR lives. Their lives aren’t about our internal workings or money or brands, it’s about their lives. That’s a huge cultural leap for any Silicon Valley company, IMHO.

Philip Haine
September 14, 2009

Steve, I think you are right that she is trying to focus everyone on the users again, and not on petty in-fighting. Still, that’s a pretty low bar.

And what here is labeled a “mission” is way too vague to actually be of much use in guiding direction. ALL products have to fit into their customers’ lives. And they should ALL work, and be great, and be dependable and trustworthy.

Now… what are we supposed to build again? And where are we going strategically?