What is strategic purpose?

Most business leaders are aware that they must approach their finances strategically. And their marketing. And their HR development. But purpose? How can purpose be strategic? 

In fact, purpose or mission must be cultivated in a very strategic and thoughtful way for it to be effective. A long-lasting, durable, meaningful purpose must be carefully curated through every step of a company’s evolution and throughout every department. Cross-functionally, as they say. Or it’s a bust.

Example of Strategic Purpose

As reported in Time Magazine, only a few dozen world chocolate brands really live up to laudable environmental and social standards. The Chocolate Scorecard ranked some of the most popular chocolatiers and found the majority lacking, while only five received high marks for factors including traceability, providing a living income, preventing child labor, avoiding deforestation, implementing agroforestry, and reducing pesticide use.

Of the top-ranked chocolate brands was Tony’s Chocolonely, an Amsterdam-based chocolate maker selling whimsically-packaged chocolate bars worldwide.

Founded in 2005, Tony’s achieved an annual revenue of 100M euros in 2021 and then, astonishingly, 150M euros just two years later. The B-Corp company also ranked among the highest 5 chocolatiers in the world for sustainability by the Chocolate Scorecard, and has partnered with Ben & Jerry’s in the mission to make the cocoa industry 100% slave free. It’s also created “guardians” through an independent foundation called Tony’s Mission Lock to guarantee and safeguard Tony’s sustainability promises regardless of future leadership changes.

This is a respectable way to build a purpose within a company. My guess is that the strong goals set up by Tony’s did not come about by chance. They were strategically approached from a foundation of core values held by the founders and the employees.

How to Strategically Move Toward Purpose

As a consultant in the natural and organic product industry, I support core values as the beacon that drives purpose. You can’t know what your ultimate mission is if you don’t define your core company values—and be very clear about what you stand for and what you won’t tolerate.

I support establishing clear, bold values that crystalize what direction the company wants to move in. From there, developing a plan and process for a mission or purpose is straightforward. In the example of Tony’s, their work with cocoa farmers led to values that supported child-free labor and the end of slavery. This led strategically to a purpose wherein their profits support initiatives that end slavery and protect children. 

As their statement also says, a company’s purpose is larger than the company. To be a truly impactful mission, it must seek to change and benefit the industry as a whole… working diligently to address internal obstacles at the same time reaching beyond your team to partner with “competitors” to disrupt business-as-usual for the benefit of environment and humanity.

This takes a rebellious spirit, I believe, to achieve such a quantum mission, but it’s essential and it’s being tackled by more and more entrepreneurs and business leaders daily. I commend it, and I support the purposeful and strategic steps that will ultimately (even if it’s not immediately) result in women’s equity, earth-first (not just earth-friendly) capitalism, and more.

Strategy Consultant

I help businesses work strategically to identify core values, implement a company-wide, indelible purpose, and develop alignment strategies that are bold, progressive, and world-changing. If your company needs transformation, talk with me about team training, strategic planning, and next steps.

About the Author

Holly Bellebuono, MPA, is the founder of Selle Impact Consulting and is a fierce advocate for revolutionary company missions that elevate business and culture. She is a global speaker, 8X author, and strategist for values-based leadership. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration: Environmental Policy from Appalachian State University, and executive certificates in Nonprofit Finance, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and Impact Measurement & Management of the UN Sustainable Development Goals from Cornell, London Business School, and Duke University. She has served on the Martha’s Vineyard Climate Action Plan Steering Committee (Economic Resilience) and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s Community of Practice, among others. She is known for celebrating the human experience and empowering business leaders seeking a worthy purpose.