The true deficiency in modern business is not a scarcity of “Chief Purpose Officers.” It is an alarming abundance of executives who have abandoned the study of authentic leadership. They are masters of finance, supply chains, and Six Sigma, yet utterly illiterate in the critical subjects of the human condition, inner self-awareness, the societal contract, […]
Imagine proposing to someone after a 45-minute coffee date. You don’t know their values, how they handle stress, or what their “DNA” really looks like. It sounds absurd, yet this is exactly how most companies approach recruitment. We treat hiring like a transaction when it should be a courtship. A true professional partnership—much like a […]
For decades, corporate structures have mirrored an age of rigid hierarchy—where authority flowed from the top and innovation often stalled at the bottom. But the modern age demands something different. Today’s most forward-looking organisations flatten their hierarchies, empowering people at every level to think, decide, and lead. The shift isn’t about removing structure—it’s about replacing […]
Before we talk about hiring a Chief Purpose Officer, we must pause and ask a harder question: is the organization ready for one? If the company’s pulse beats for profit alone, the answer is no. A purpose officer cannot thrive in a system built solely to count, not to contribute. The purpose-maker seeks transformation, not […]
Over the past three months, we have embarked on a global search to identify the top 1% of organisations whose purpose, culture, and measurable impact are driven by genuine meaning—not marketing. Along this journey, we uncovered a sobering truth: behind the many purpose statements and polished certifications, too many companies still fall short of the […]
They call it leadership… but let’s be honest—what most people are doing is management in disguise. 99% of those sitting in “leadership” positions are busy keeping the machine running—tracking KPIs, following standard operating procedures, holding meetings that drain energy instead of sparking it. They’re managing efficiency, not leading transformation.They maintain momentum, but never ignite purpose.They […]
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: To achieve this, a Purpose Department should exist — a dedicated […]
We live in a world saturated with leadership titles — CEOs, Directors, Chief This and That — and most recently, Chief Purpose Officer. At first glance, this evolution seems promising. After all, the rise of “purpose” in corporate vocabulary should reflect a deeper shift in how we lead, right? Not quite. Dressed for Purpose, Wired […]
Kamil Toume, author of Chief Purpose Officer and Founder of Purpose Vanguards, argues that the world’s leading businesses are no longer run by managers—they’re led by meaning-makers. For the top 1%, appointing a Chief Purpose Officer (CPO) is no longer optional; it’s a strategic necessity. In an era defined by disruption, disconnection, and rising expectations […]
The quality of our questions directly shapes the quality of our answers. Ask, “What went wrong?”—and you’ll likely get defensiveness or blame. Ask instead, “What can we learn from this?”—and you unlock reflection, growth, and forward momentum. In leadership, the way a question is framed can shift the entire tone of a conversation. Insightful questions […]
