09-05-2025
The Purpose-Driven Bottom Line
Dr. Moby Kazmi is the President and Co-founder of COPILOT Provider Support Services.
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Pouring over spreadsheets every day can take some of the humanity out of corporate work. That's why savvy business leaders want to create work environments where purpose is paramount.
In my experience, the best work gets done when a team believes their work creates a positive impact on the individuals they serve while contributing meaningfully to the larger world. That is why it is crucial to weave values and purpose into the core of any business. When accomplished properly, values fuel culture, trust and growth in ways even the most well-crafted financial strategy can't.
Some companies see profit as its own end, but increasingly, members of a motivated workforce seek purpose as part of their output. According to a 2024 Deloitte survey, 89% of millennials and 86% of Gen Z say purpose is important to overall job satisfaction. While individuals may find purpose-driven commitments outside of work, I believe corporations should take the lead in defining and encouraging a focused set of values that resonate across the organization.
Purpose Attracts And Retains Talent
Hiring the right people is one of the most powerful ways to shape and strengthen a company's culture. When we look for new team members, one of our most heavily weighted criteria is that their values align with our company's culture of service and impact. Top candidates often choose to work with us not because we offer the highest salary or the flashiest perks, but because they believe in our mission.
Team members who share the company's values also tend to stay longer. I've found that shared values around giving back and contributing to something meaningful foster stronger retention. When people see their work as tied to something bigger than themselves, they commit for the long haul.
Purpose Alignment Creates Efficiency
When a team isn't aligned around a shared purpose, individual goals can become muddied or even contradictory. But when everyone sees their contributions as vital parts of a larger whole, efficiency prevails.
I aim to nurture a culture where everyone is aligned around a unified mission. Shared values create a common reference point that helps teams navigate disagreements or tough decisions. This clarity keeps everyone rowing in the same direction.
Purpose also strengthens peer relationships. A shared sense of meaning pulls team members out of their silos and into genuine collaboration. Consider developing internal communications that regularly reinforce how your organization's work makes a difference in the world and how it can help team members reconnect with a deeper sense of purpose.
Values Enhance Trust For Stakeholders And Customers
A purpose-driven narrative tells your company's story better than any balance sheet. Partners, clients and even regulators are naturally drawn to organizations that lead with conviction and clarity. A values-forward message allows stakeholders to imagine what it's like to work with you and gives your marketing and sales teams a deeper story to tell.
Social Impact Propels Sustainable Growth
Business growth is influenced by many factors, and partnerships are among the most important. When partnerships are grounded in social impact, they generate goodwill that often translates into organic growth and new opportunities.
Whether it's local community projects or international humanitarian work, shared values can unite businesses in meaningful collaborations. These relationships can open doors to new products, markets and moments of shared purpose.
True North, Mission, Vision And Values
My mentor used to say, 'Everything can change — except True North.' That's the non-negotiable goal. Once a company aligns on it, that direction drives every decision.
Too often, companies define True North purely as a financial target. But when you build your pyramid with people at the top — for example, making 'Build the best team; Keep the best culture' the first and most important part of your True North — everything else falls into place. Client satisfaction, client retention and yes, revenue and EBITDA, all matter. But sustainable growth starts with people. When you invest in your team and culture first, performance follows, not the other way around.
When companies define a clear True North along with a purpose-driven mission and aspirational vision, it allows every team member to understand what they're aiming toward and why. Values then anchor how they show up along the way.
It's not just a framework — it's a cultural compass. And when done right, it turns strategy into belief and belief into momentum.
Good Work Is Its Own Reward
Of course, the most important reason to lead with purpose is because it's the right thing to do. Purposeful work uplifts the people we serve and inspires the people we work with.
One of our most deeply held values is: Change Lives, Create Futures. We don't settle for surface-level impact. Through both our day-to-day work and our broader social impact efforts, we strive to equip people with real skills, open meaningful opportunities and create lasting change — one life at a time.
In part two of this article, I'll walk through the specific philanthropic journey that brought this value to life in our organization and how it shaped both our culture and our growth.
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