October 08, 2025

Episode 35: Purpose That Works - Signal and Substance

28 minutes

In this episode, Richard hosts Dr. Chris Blocker, a professor of marketing at Colorado State University and a distinguished research fellow, to discuss the complexities and frameworks of corporate purpose. Blocker delves into the rising challenges faced by Fortune 500 companies in sustaining purpose initiatives amidst public and investor scrutiny. He outlines a four-archetype framework to evaluate corporate purpose strategies and emphasizes the need for authenticity and alignment between a company's signal and substance. The conversation also explores practical tips for leaders to foster purpose within their organizations, measuring sense of purpose among employees, and the significant impact of integrating purpose into business operations on both internal culture and external market success.

Resources from the Episode

Dr. Blocker's article in Harvard Business Review - Are Your Company's Purpose Initiatives Working?

Ebook about his purpose research - Being Purpose-Oriented: A Practical Map from Noise to Impact

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: The Corporate Purpose Crisis

00:59 Meet the Expert: Dr. Chris Blocker

01:36 Defining Corporate Purpose

02:57 The Four Archetypes of Purpose

04:07 The Risks of Purpose Washing

05:12 Purpose Beyond Profit

08:27 Aligning Purpose with Operations

14:39 Purpose in Leadership and Sales

23:03 Practical Tips for Embedding Purpose

26:23 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Keywords

purpose, authenticity, leadership, sales motivation, employee engagement, intrinsic motivation, corporate culture, signal and substance, why who what framework, meaning at work, generational engagement, trust, alignment, organizational purpose, purpose-driven selling, brand credibility, transitional purpose, storytelling, measurement, performance, fulfillment, connection, resilience, value alignment

Soundbites

“There really has to be an alignment between three things: the why, the who, and the what. If you skip over any of them, bad things happen.”

“You can think about risk in two ways: sinking the boat or missing the boat. Signaling purpose without substance will sink you; ignoring purpose altogether means you’ll miss it.”

“The comp plan keeps the lights on, but purpose turns the lights up.”

“To have success externally today, you almost have to move into this quadrant I’d call transitional purpose. You’re making real changes, but you’re not shouting about them.”

“Leaders have to show up not just as competent people, but as the kind of people others actually want to follow.”

“Simplifying is probably the first step, going back to the origins of the organization to ask, why did we start this to begin with?”

“Purpose connects the paycheck to the person to who they are, to their clients, and to their broader sense of contribution.”

“Engaging veteran people who have rich stories about clients, stories a younger generation can grab onto, is one of the most powerful ways to build purpose.”

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By Richard Ellis