At the next Interchange on November 5, we will be focusing on innovating toward your mission and specifically, how CEOs can align change with purpose.

The Context: Too often, innovation drifts from purpose. New initiatives chase trends, not truth. But the most trusted, enduring organizations innovate toward their mission—keeping their purpose as the north star that guides every experiment, investment, and pivot.

To prepare for the discussion, please read this article from HBR and watch this short Simon Sinek video. The below outline also includes some questions as this topic requires some introspection as well as visioning. Please don't feel the need to go through all of them but notice which one resonates where you are as a leader. 

Revisit the “Why” Before the “What”

Before you launch a new idea or product, pause and ask:What problem are we uniquely called to solve?

When people connect innovation to purpose, they engage their creativity at a deeper level.

• How clearly can your people articulate why your organization exists—beyond profit or growth?

• What would innovation look like if it was driven by your mission, not just your metrics?

Make Purpose the Filter for Experimentation

Innovation involves risk, but not every risk aligns with your reason for being. Use your mission as a decision filter, not a wall.

• Which current projects feel off-mission or disconnected from your core purpose?

• Where might focus—not expansion—be the most innovative move?

Reward Learning, Not Just Results

Mission-centered innovation requires curiosity, not just performance. When people feel safe to test and learn in service of something meaningful, energy and ownership multiply.

• What signals do I send when experiments fail—encouragement or retreat?

• How might I celebrate learning as much as winning?

Keep the Horizon and the Heart in View

Your job as CEO is to hold two things at once: the horizon of possibility and the heart of purpose. Innovation that forgets the latter loses direction; one that ignores the former loses relevance.

• What part of our mission is timeless—and what part needs reimagining for the next decade?

• Who in our organization keeps me honest about whether we’re still true to the “why”?