However, its authenticity is crucial, necessitating reflection on the organization’s strategy and adoption at every level. It must also be integral to the firm’s dedication to sustainability.

But how is this achieved? Last year, we guided a boutique design firm through the process of infusing its operations with a purpose that would not only serve as an umbrella for its sustainability initiatives but also offer clear direction to both the team and its stakeholders about the societal role the company aimed to fulfill.

Notably, numerous firms, particularly in the professional services sector, originate from a desire to depart from the detrimental norms in their field – like overworking employees, abusive management styles, or compromising on quality to cut costs. However, when people are galvanized by what they are determined to avoid, articulating and rallying around an actual purpose can become challenging. Without a defined purpose, it becomes difficult for the team to recognize the space that they actually have to lead.

For our client, the AGC Sustainability Purpose Strategy program. provided crucial insights. While they had previously engaged with sustainability efforts and employed well-established frameworks, these attempts hadn’t led them to the core of what they aspired to achieve—a realization that had always been there but lacked clear expression and communal understanding. With a newfound clarity of purpose, the actions the team needed to take—and perhaps avoid—in their sustainability efforts became evident.