Embedding Purpose That Sticks: Moving Beyond the Slogan

There’s a quiet tension that exists in many smaller purpose-led organisations. It’s the space between the why, the deep commitment to making a difference, and the how; the everyday reality of delivering work, keeping people motivated, and somehow making the right strategic calls when everything feels urgent.

If you’re a CEO still close to the doing, you’ll know what this feels like. You’re passionate, involved, and deeply connected to your organisation’s mission. But the pace is relentless. Time is short. And while purpose remains your North Star, the path forward isn’t always clear.

The question we hear time and again is this: “We know what we stand for. But how do we bring it to life across the whole organisation consistently, practically, and sustainably?

This question sits at the heart of our work. And it’s exactly why we were drawn to the EY Beacon Institute’s Purpose-Driven Strategy Framework.

Purpose, Not as a Statement; But as a System

The EY framework breaks purpose down into four powerful dimensions:

Purpose Clarity & Vision Alignment – how clearly your purpose is defined and shared

Purpose-driven Strategy Alignment – how well your strategy reflects and prioritises that purpose

Purpose-integrated Operational Delivery – how embedded purpose is in your day-to-day operations

Purpose-Aligned Measurement & Improvement– how purpose is tracked, measured and reported

It’s comprehensive, but more importantly, it’s usable. It paints a picture of what it actually means to lead with purpose beyond mission statements and into decisions, behaviours, and impact.

At Three6, this model resonated deeply however we have really thought about how to make this framework useful and most importantly, practical. Working closely with purpose driven organisations  especially ones with limited resources and no real middle management we knew something was missing: Purpose-embedded Culture & Behaviours.

You can articulate your purpose beautifully. You can have a strategy that reads well. But if your culture doesn’t support it, if purpose isn’t lived in your daily rhythms, language, behaviours, and choices- it won’t stick. So we added a fifth dimension to the model:

Purpose-embedded Culture & Behaviours – how your people experience, embody and uphold the purpose in practice

Together, these five dimensions offer a holistic view of what it takes to not just have purpose, but to actually work through it.

Purpose Articulation: The Anchor of Clarity

Purpose articulation isn’t just about crafting a beautiful sentence for your website or pitch deck. It’s about how clear, consistent, and accessible your purpose is to everyone inside, and outside your organisation.  This dimension explores how clearly your organisation can articulate its purpose - and what it means to achieve it. Your vision should build on that clarity, describing what success looks like when your purpose is fully realised. Your mission then connects the two, defining what you do and how you do it in order to bring your purpose to life. Together, these elements provide direction, meaning, and alignment for your team.

We’ve seen that when teams don’t fully understand or connect with their organisation’s purpose, energy diffuses. Work becomes a task list, not a mission. But when purpose is well-articulated, it becomes an anchor and it shapes decisions, empowers communication, and reminds everyone why the hard stuff matters.

In small organisations, this can be a huge lever. You don’t need layers of communication plans. You just need everyone aligned around a purpose they understand, believe in, and know how to talk about.

Ask yourself: Could every person on my team explain what we’re really here to do, and why it matters?

Strategic Alignment: Purpose in the Planning Room

It’s one thing to have a purpose, it’s another to let it lead your strategy. Strategic alignment explores how well your organisation’s strategy, services, and business model are aligned to your purpose. A strong, purpose-driven strategy turns intention into action, it provides clarity on what matters most, how resources are allocated, and what services you deliver to create impact. It also considers how your organisation sustains that impact through a values-aligned business model.This dimension highlights whether your strategy is clearly defined, actively lived, and supported by services and revenue that reinforce your purpose.

When purpose leads strategy, the trade-offs become clearer. It becomes easier to say no to the things that don’t serve your mission, and more natural to invest in things that do, even when the ROI isn’t immediate.

For founders still close to delivery, this might mean pressure to chase the next quick win. But strategic alignment asks: What are we really here to achieve? And is this next opportunity truly taking us there, or distracting us from it?

Execution Integration: Making Purpose Tangible

This is the work that often gets missed. Not because people don’t care, but because purpose can feel too big to apply to the day-to-day.

Execution integration is where purpose meets process. It explores how well your internal operations are designed to deliver on your purpose, starting with the experience of the people and communities you serve. Purpose is achieved through action, and this dimension assesses whether your organisation’s systems, processes, projects, and governance structures consistently support and enable impactful delivery. It looks at whether feedback and experience drive continuous improvement, whether your value chain and operations are intentional, and whether your teams are supported by clear expectations and purposeful project delivery.

Do your hiring practices align with your values? Do your onboarding sessions talk about purpose as much as process? Is your client delivery just efficient, or is it intentionally reinforcing your deeper mission?

Embedding purpose at this level doesn’t require a full redesign. Often, it’s about small tweaks that align your daily rhythm with your longer-term vision ensuring that every action you take is helping you to achieve your purpose.

Measurement and Reporting: Tracking What Matters

For purpose-led organisations, success can’t be measured by revenue alone. And yet, many small teams don’t know how to track their impact in meaningful, ongoing ways.

Are you tracking stories of change? Are you measuring reach, relevance, or ripple effect? Do your reports reflect your values as much as your deliverables?

This dimension explores whether your organisation is measuring what matters, learning from experience, and adapting over time, all in service of your purpose. It looks at whether you’re using data and insights to guide decisions, continuously improving how you work, and approaching innovation in a way that is thoughtful, values-led, and grounded in real needs. Purpose-driven organisations don’t chase trends, they learn, adapt, and evolve with intention to stay relevant and impactful over the long term

Measurement is purpose’s mirror and it tells you whether you’re doing what you set out to do, and whether it’s making the difference you hoped for.

Cultural Enablement: The Heartbeat of Purpose

Culture isn’t the posters on the wall or the values written in a deck. It’s what people believe is expected of them when no one is looking. As mentioned in the above, this isn’t stipulated in the  EY Beacon Institute’s Purpose-Driven Strategy Framework, however we believe this underpins everything in the above. 

In small teams, culture is often shaped directly by the founder or CEO. But it’s also shaped by rituals, language, systems of recognition, and how decisions get made. Cultural enablement is about creating an environment where purpose can live not just in theory, but in conversation, in choices, and in how people treat one another.

You can have the best strategy in the world, but if the culture doesn’t support it, it won’t take root.

So ask yourself: Do we talk about purpose outside of planning sessions? Is it a living thing, or a line on a slide?

What We're Noticing in Small, Purpose-Led Organisations

Across the many organisations we work with, we’re seeing a familiar pattern. CEOs and leaders are deeply connected to their purpose, that’s never the issue. The passion is there. The vision is clear.

But they’re also leading lean, high-output teams. They’re wearing multiple hats, jumping between delivery and direction, and holding the weight of both strategic vision and operational execution.

There’s rarely time to slow down, let alone step back and reflect. Resources are limited. The idea of a full transformation project feels out of reach not because it’s not important, but because there just isn’t the capacity.

What we’re hearing is this: “We’re not short on motivation. We’re short on clarity.”

Leaders aren’t looking for complexity or a sweeping reinvention. They’re looking for something that helps them understand where they are, and where to focus next.

That insight has shaped so much of how we think about supporting organisations, and why our approach is always grounded in clarity, practicality, and purposeful action over perfection.

Purpose is Not a Project, It’s a Practice

We believe embedding purpose isn’t about rewriting everything. It’s about doing less, and doing it better. It’s about giving your people and your systems the alignment they need to move with clarity. It’s about understanding what’s already working and building from there.

When purpose is embedded well, you can feel it. Decisions are easier. Culture strengthens. Teams feel more connected. Outcomes shift.

But it starts with a clear-eyed view of where you are today.

Want to know more about where you should put your focus in right now? Our Purpose Diagnostic tool is this lightweight tool which gives you a clear snapshot of where you’re strong and where to focus next Our Purpose Diagnostic helps you assess your organisation’s maturity across five core areas:

•Purpose & Vision

•Strategy

•Operations

•Culture & Behaviours

•Measurement & Improvement

Built for purpose-led organisations who want to move forward with intention without burning out. It’s a powerful first step in embedding purpose not just in what you say, but in what you do, and how you lead.

If you're ready to move from knowing to doing, contact us to learn more.