Why vision alone no longer cuts it

We’ve all heard it before: “What this organisation needs is a bold vision.” But in 2025, that’s no longer enough. Vision might inspire a moment. Purpose sustains a movement.

This week, John Wadsworth and I have published a new NG&A white paper — Leading with Purpose: Why today’s leaders need more than vision. It’s a practical response to a question we’re hearing more and more often: What does leadership look like in a world where complexity, uncertainty and scrutiny are all on the rise?

The short answer? It looks very different from the leadership of old.

Today, leaders are not judged solely by their ability to deliver results. They are judged by how they deliver them — with what intent, what impact and who they bring along the way. What matters is clarity of purpose, adaptability and trust.

That’s the through-line of the paper: Leadership is evolving. And so must we.

In it, we argue that the best leaders today aren’t those with all the answers. They’re the ones who ask the right questions, empower others to act and create the conditions where purpose becomes more than words on a wall. They don’t simply lead for results — they lead for relevance.

We draw on examples from Aotearoa— from Kiwibank to Fisher & Paykel Healthcare — to show what this looks like in practice. These are organisations where purpose isn’t performative. It’s structural. It shapes governance, strategy and decision-making, giving people a clear direction and the confidence to act.

Importantly, the paper also explores how the Single Organizing Idea (SOI®) framework — developed over two decades and applied in dozens of boardrooms — enables leaders to embed purpose deeply and durably. It’s not a branding exercise. It’s a governance shift.

In an era where employee engagement, stakeholder trust and strategic clarity can no longer be taken for granted, this matters. Purpose is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’. It’s the clearest competitive advantage there is.

If you’re a leader wondering how to navigate ambiguity, align your people, or lead change that lasts — this paper is for you.

Read the full white paper here: https://neilgaught.com/leading-with-purpose-why-todays-leaders-need-more-than-vision/