Why Values and Purpose Matter More Than Mission and Vision
Walk into almost any boardroom, and you’ll find a glossy poster or plaque on the wall with a company’s mission and vision carefully word-smithed and approved by executives. They look impressive. They sound strategic. But here’s the question: how often do the people on the frontline—those serving customers, designing products, or solving daily challenges—actually use them?
For decades, organizations have leaned on mission and vision statements as guiding beacons. The problem is that these are often created in the executive suite and handed down in a top-down manner. They are management-driven, sometimes wordy, and rarely make it into the daily conversations of teams. In fact, I’ve been in businesses where the mission statement is so long that even the CEO stumbles trying to recall it.
This is where values and purpose play a very different role. Values and purpose are not handed down; they are lived. They are not slogans; they are behaviours. And most importantly, they are not crafted in isolation—they are co-created and team-driven.
Mission and Vision: A Leadership Exercise
Let’s start with the basics.
Mission usually answers: What do we do? It describes the organization’s role in the marketplace.
Vision answers: Where are we going? It paints a picture of a future state.
Both are useful—but they are management constructs. They help investors, stakeholders, and sometimes regulators understand what the business wants to achieve. They are, in many ways, external-facing.
The challenge? Employees often see them as abstract. They don’t always connect with the mission in their daily work, and the vision often feels too distant to influence today’s decisions.
Values and Purpose: A Cultural Compass
Values and purpose are different.
Purpose is the “why” of the organization. Why do we exist beyond making money? What greater contribution do we make to our customers, our industry, or even the world?
Values are the “how.” They are the behaviours, principles, and commitments that guide how people act and interact every day.
When done well, values and purpose are the cultural compass of an organization. They are short, sharp, memorable—and lived in the boardroom and the break room. They empower every team member to make decisions aligned with the culture, without needing a manager to dictate the answer.
The Simplicity Test
One of the greatest mistakes companies make when defining values is overcomplicating them. Long sentences. Paragraphs of explanation. Multiple overlapping ideas.
Values should pass the simplicity test: can every employee remember them without a cheat sheet? Can a team member on the shop floor explain them to a new hire on their first day?
Let me give you two examples that illustrate this beautifully.
Company 1 Values:
Fun
Authenticity
Accountability
Curious
Courageous
Five words. Easy to remember. Each one is simple enough to understand, but broad enough to apply in different situations. If I am in customer service, “Fun” might mean creating a light-hearted, engaging interaction. If I am in product development, “Curious” reminds me to ask better questions and explore creative solutions.
Company 2 Values (PROPEL):
People
Results
Originality
Passion
Excellence
Learning
Here, the organization created an acronym: PROPEL. It not only makes the values memorable but also tells a story: these values propel us forward. Acronyms can be gimmicky if forced, but when they fit naturally, they provide a powerful anchor. Employees can recall them easily, use them in decision-making, and even weave them into recognition programs.
Why Values and Purpose Win Hearts and Minds
I’ve spent over 30 years building businesses across two continents, in industries as diverse as mining, education, finance, and now speaking and consulting. In every sector, the organizations that thrive long-term are those where people don’t just know the strategy—they live the culture.
Here’s why values and purpose resonate more deeply than mission and vision:
They are human-centric. People don’t connect emotionally to “be the leading provider of…” statements. They connect to words like authenticity, learning, courage, and excellence.
They are behavioural. A mission is aspirational. Values are operational. They tell me how to behave when faced with a choice. For example, if one of our values is Accountability, I know that hiding mistakes is not acceptable—I need to own them, learn from them, and move forward.
They build alignment. Teams that co-create values feel ownership. Instead of compliance, they feel commitment. Instead of being told what to believe, they choose how to live it.
They drive consistency. When values are embedded, they become the filter for hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, and recognition. Culture becomes less about the personality of the CEO and more about the DNA of the organization.
Embedding Values into Daily Life
Defining values is only the first step. Living them requires intentionality. Over the years, I’ve seen organizations succeed (and fail) at this. The difference lies in how values are embedded.
Here are a few practices that work:
Storytelling. Leaders share stories of values in action. “Last week, Sarah demonstrated our value of Curiosity by asking the tough question that led to a breakthrough with a client.” Stories make values tangible.
Recognition. Celebrate people not just for hitting results, but for living values. A salesperson who meets quota by cutting corners may achieve the mission but destroy the culture. Recognition anchored in values keeps the focus balanced.
Decision filters. Teach people to ask: “Which option best reflects our values?” This shifts culture from theory to practice.
Recruitment. Hire for values fit as much as for skills. Skills can be trained. Values misalignment cannot.
My Personal Lens: Why Values Matter More Than Ever
In 2013, I faced a personal wake-up call. After a season of triathlons, I was training for a marathon when I discovered two severely blocked arteries. Within days, I had two stents in my chest. It was a near miss—and it forced me to re-evaluate everything.
That experience cemented my belief that the “soft stuff” is actually the hard stuff. Purpose matters. Values matter. Excellence is not just about performance metrics—it’s about showing up as the best version of ourselves every day.
In my work with businesses across 25+ countries, I’ve seen cultures transformed not by clever mission statements, but by living, breathing values. I’ve seen organizations navigate change and disruption by holding fast to their purpose. And I’ve seen teams rally together, not around financial targets, but around shared commitments to authenticity, accountability, and learning.
A Call to Leaders
If you are an executive, ask yourself: when was the last time your team referenced your mission statement in a real decision? And when was the last time someone in your organization used a value to guide their behaviour?
If the latter is happening more often, you’re on the right track. If not, it’s time to rethink how you define and embed your culture.
Values and purpose are not fluffy HR concepts. They are the foundation of sustainable excellence. They provide resilience in uncertainty, clarity in complexity, and alignment in diversity.
So, keep your mission and vision if you must. But don’t stop there. Craft values that are simple, memorable, and meaningful. Invite your teams to own them. And let your purpose be the heartbeat of your organization—not a plaque on the wall, but a compass in the hands of every employee.
Because in the end, companies don’t just succeed by knowing where they’re going. They succeed by knowing who they are, why they exist, and how they choose to behave along the journey.
