Vision Isn’t a Slogan - It’s Purpose Communicated Out Loud

Most organizations and leaders mistake vision for a list of new initiatives. They roll out a slogan, a campaign, a fresh set of goals—then wonder why the energy fades. Initiatives shift. Slogans disappear. Vision only endures when it’s anchored to something deeper: purpose.

Purpose doesn’t move. It doesn’t trend. It doesn’t expire when the quarter ends. It’s the reason your organization exists.

Angela Duckworth’s work on Grit makes this clear. Grit is passion and perseverance toward a long-term purpose. People don’t stay committed because something sounds clever. They stay committed because they believe the work matters, and that belief gives them the resolve to push through the inevitable friction.

That’s the real function of vision. Vision is how leaders communicate what their purpose can accomplish. It turns purpose into a picture—clear, compelling, actionable. Vision gives people something to see, something to stretch toward, something to rally around.

And leaders who are rooted in purpose communicate differently. Their voice has weight. Their message has conviction. They’re not selling jargon or corporate clichés. They’re inviting others into something meaningful.

So here’s the real question: What is your purpose?

If you lived it out—fully, consistently, courageously—for the next five years:

• What would change in your organization?

• What would change in your community?

• What would change in you?

That picture is the beginning of vision.

From there, you distill it. You shape it into something that’s easy to communicate, emotionally resonant, and immediately relatable. But you never confuse the talking point with the thing itself.

Because true vision isn’t about the line—it’s about the life behind it.

It’s about what it represents and the invitation it extends.

Purpose fuels grit. Grit fuels commitment. Commitment fuels vision. And vision—real vision—moves people