What Values Look Like When They Grow Up

Do You Even Purpose, Bro?

(or 5 Signs of a Purpose-Driven Company)

I’ve been thinking a lot about purpose at work, how you can tell if a company actually lives its values. Everyone says they’re purpose-driven these days. It’s trendy. But it’s hard to tell who means it and who’s just parroting the language.

Over time, I’ve started noticing a few things that feel like good indicators. Not perfect, but solid clues.

1. Money talks.

If they care, they fund it. Whether that’s people, programs, causes, doesn’t really matter what the category is. What matters is that they’re not just giving it lip service. They’re allocating real budget. That’s always a signal to me.

2. You don’t have to squint to find the purpose.

Some orgs bury it under layers of branding or internal nonsense. But the good ones? You could explain what they stand for to a stranger in two sentences. You feel it when you interact with the people there. It’s not complicated.

3. People doing the right thing are noticed.

When someone pushes for impact or lives the values out loud, does the company see it? Do they actually reward that? I pay attention to whether those moments are ignored or encouraged

4. Mission, Maybe

If it’s just buzzwords and aspirational posters, it’s a no for me. The companies I trust are the ones where purpose shows up in actual decisions: how they hire, how they build things, how they show up publicly. Quiet integrity says more than a manifesto... there, I said it.

5. They’re in it for the long haul.

You can always tell when a company’s chasing headlines versus building something that lasts. The ones I admire take the slow road. They’re okay with steady, meaningful change. They don’t need it to be flashy.

I guess I’ve just been more attuned to this lately. Maybe because I’m in a role now that lets me bring my whole self to work. And that’s rare.

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