The Chief Purpose Officer’s role is far too important to be folded into the CEO’s overflowing plate.

The CPO isn’t totally separate from the Chief People Officer or the Head of HR — in many ways, they bridge both.

The CPO is tasked with:

• Revealing the organisation’s purpose — and making it tangible.
  
• Developing leaders so culture and capability scale beyond one person.
  
• Embedding purpose in strategy, policies, and day-to-day actions.
  
• Measuring the ultimate impacts on people, performance, and society.
  

To achieve this, a Purpose Department should exist — a dedicated engine ensuring the company’s “why” is lived, not laminated.

The CEO is the steward of the vision.
The CPO is the architect of the people-and-purpose system.

When one person tries to be both, either the vision loses focus or the people lose the attention they deserve.

A company where the CEO “is” the CPO is like a band where the lead singer also tries to play the drums — impressive for a solo, but unsustainable for the whole concert.