Purposeful not peripheral: Leadership becomes existential

In this excerpted dialogue, Daryl Brewster, CEO of Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose^® (CECP) and RHR CEO Jessica Bigazzi Foster share insights from their experiences coaching CEOs to lead with purpose during uncertain times.

Jessica: Daryl, you’ve had a front-row seat to how CEOs think about purpose. How have you seen that conversation shift?

Daryl: Purpose used to be peripheral—something discussed at offsites or reflected in glossy reports. Now, it’s central. CEOs are being asked to answer: “Why do we exist? What value do we deliver to all our stakeholders? And how does that align with the challenges we’re facing, from global instability to employee well-being?”

Jessica: It sounds like leaders can’t escape these questions anymore.

Daryl: Exactly. Stakeholders—employees, customers, even investors—want clarity. And purpose helps cut through the noise. It offers a grounding point amid chaos. But it’s not just a statement; it’s a lens for decision-making and leadership behavior.

Jessica: How do you help leaders get from aspirational purpose to real impact?

Daryl: First, we help them clarify what their purpose truly is—not the tagline, but the core. Then we look at how that shows up in leadership choices. For example, if a company’s purpose is to empower innovation, are they fostering psychological safety? Are they investing in professional development? You can’t just post a corporate purpose on the wall—you have to live it.

Jessica: What do you do when a CEO struggles to articulate or own that purpose?

Daryl: That’s common. I start by asking: “Why does your company exist beyond profits?” We unpack their personal values, too—often, those are deeply connected to the company’s story. It’s also about courage. Leading with purpose sometimes means taking a stand. That can be uncomfortable, especially when the ground is shifting beneath you.

Jessica: What happens when values collide with business pressures?

Daryl: Great question. That’s when purpose becomes most powerful—and most tested. I worked with a CEO whose team wanted to scale back diversity initiatives due to external pushback. But their purpose explicitly included advancing equity. The CEO decided to hold the line—not performatively, but because it was a leadership moment tied to who they are. That decision rallied the team and deepened overall trust.

Jessica: That kind of alignment is powerful. But it must also come with real risk.

Daryl: It does. That’s why having a strong internal compass—your “true north”—is essential. When you’ve done the work to articulate what matters most, you can lead through backlash with confidence. You may adjust tactics, but you don’t abandon your core.

Jessica: Let’s shift to the coaching moment. You’re sitting across from a CEO wrestling with how to lead with purpose amid market chaos. Where do you start?

Daryl: I listen first. What’s weighing on them? What’s the tension between business performance and values? Then I ask: “What decision would you make if you were leading from your highest sense of purpose?” That unlocks clarity. We may then layer in stakeholder implications but starting from purpose centers the conversation.

Jessica: Do you find yourself coaching around personal values more than before?

Daryl: Yes—and it’s more urgent now. CEOs are being pulled into social and political issues they didn’t anticipate. They’re asking, “What’s appropriate for me to say or do?” We work together to define those personal guardrails—what they stand for, where they draw the line, and how that maps to company commitments.

Jessica: How do you manage when your own values as a coach come into play?

Daryl: It happens. I try to stay focused on helping the leader connect to their own values, not mine. But if I feel tension, I use it as a mirror. What’s being triggered in me? Why? That can be useful for deepening empathy or refining my coaching stance.

Jessica: I appreciate that honesty. And I think it models something important—that we’re all human in this work. Purpose isn’t clean or easy. It’s layered.

Daryl: Absolutely. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being intentional and reflective. And it’s about impact. One CEO I worked with took the time to articulate his personal purpose and then began opening his town halls by sharing one story a week of how that purpose showed up in the business. It shifted the tone across the whole company.

Jessica: That’s such a simple but powerful example. Any other practices you recommend?

Daryl: Yes—create space for pause. Leaders are inundated. But carving out even 30 minutes a week to reflect—“Am I leading with purpose? Where did I show up well? Where could I do better?”—makes a big difference. And build feedback loops. Purpose-driven leadership is iterative.

Jessica: Final thoughts?

Daryl: Purpose isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity in today’s environment. When done well, it anchors culture, strategy, and communication. And for leaders, it becomes a source of resilience. That’s why this work matters so much—and why I feel grateful to be part of it.

Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose^® (CECP) is the only nonpartisan business counsel and network dedicated to driving measurable returns on purpose. CECP promotes responsible purpose-driven business as it increases customer loyalty, builds employee engagement, improves brand trust, attracts top talent, connects with strategic investors, and contributes to the bottom line. More than 200 of the world’s leading companies seek to improve their return on purpose through access to CECP’s solutions in insights and benchmarking. With its companies, CECP harnesses the power of purpose for business, stakeholders, and society. For more information, visit https://cecp.co.