There is a lot of communication around how purpose can drive business performance and motivate employees.

But there’s also a frustrating sticking point.

Although purpose is a motivator for senior leaders – and that’s not surprising, given the central role they play in defining it – it is often not trickling down to the rest of the organization. CEOs believe only 43 percent of middle managers and 24 percent of frontline teams have fully embraced their company’s purpose, according to new research from Brandpie.

This is a problem: these are the people who interact directly with customers, deliver products and services and embody your company’s brand.

So why is this happening? Why is purpose getting stuck with leaders in the boardroom, rather than cascading through the business to inspire tangible action? And most importantly, how do we change that?

Find your foundation

Often, organizations simply don’t know what to do with their purpose once it’s defined.

A useful starting point is to simplify what purpose is. Ultimately, it’s just an idea – a unifying thought that connects what your company does with what the world needs.

Nail that definition for your business, use it as the lens for everything you do, connect it to existing programs and the myriad benefits of purpose start to flow.

It sounds obvious, but a good purpose starts with a statement that’s rooted in what your business does while answering what role you play in solving a bigger challenge.

However, finding the right balance is critical. A purpose that’s too broad means employees may struggle to see how it relates to their specific responsibilities. It should be grounded so everyone from the boardroom to the production line can make meaning of it. The message is that everyone across the business can work together to achieve it.

This is true for healthcare organization Clario. Following a merger, we worked with the clinical trials business to unite two cultures around a single, unifying purpose: ‘Transforming lives by unlocking better evidence.’ Connecting this purpose through a new brand and values reminded people why the company exists and helped them connect with the end goal, which is to transform real lives.

Who owns purpose?

When employees feel like they have ownership over the company’s purpose, it will be more meaningful to them and be used as a lens through which they shape their decisions. At Clario, we saw an immediate impact. Employees from both legacy companies were energized through a renewed sense of pride, focus and purpose in the work they do every day.

Though results like this take time and effort to achieve, it’s worth it. When employees understand and align with a company’s purpose, they contribute their energy, creativity and commitment.

Consider AstraZeneca. The business wanted to make it easier for teams to get work done, cutting back complexity and red tape. Previous attempts to drive bottom-up change had focused on the rational benefits of simplification: what it was, instead of why it mattered.

AstraZeneca’s success is built on a clearly articulated purpose: ‘We push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines’. Connecting this to its simplification strategy created momentum and urgency among employees to work together to remove the red tape.

There was a bigger why powering the program. Employees across the business were challenged to save one million hours and refocus these on what really mattered: improving patients’ lives. The challenge inspired people and over 700 projects were initiated. The results? Two million hours were saved so that people could refocus on doing what really matters.

For frontline employees in particular, connecting day-to-day responsibilities to a higher purpose fosters pride, motivation and resilience. These team members are the face of your organization to the outside world, and their belief in your purpose directly influences how customers perceive your business.

Implementing purpose across the organization

To fully engage frontline employees through purpose, leaders should go beyond declarations and connect purpose to every facet of the organization.

In our experience, the most effective way to build understanding is to get people talking about it. While there needs to be some ‘broadcast’ communications to drive awareness, the real value comes in giving teams and individuals the tools and the time, to have a conversation that is relevant and meaningful to them.

This manifests itself in different ways: from action-planning sessions to structured conversation guides that enable teams to think about your purpose in terms of how you work together, the service you deliver to clients and, critically, how it connects it to your strategy, brand and values, so you’re telling one joined-up story.

As the leader of the organization, the CEO role is pivotal in shaping a purpose-driven culture. Employees look to you for inspiration and guidance. By championing the company’s vision and aligning business decisions with its purpose, you set the tone for the entire organization.

It’s also crucial to listen to frontline employees. They often have the most direct insights into customer needs and operational challenges. Engaging them in purpose-related conversations not only builds trust but also ensures that your vision remains relevant and impactful.

From words to action

In an era of fast change, fierce competition and heightened employee expectations, engaging frontline teams through purpose is no longer optional – it’s essential.

Ensure your purpose connects what you do and the impact your business has on the world. Then, focus on delivering action – because without it, purpose is just a word on a page – motivating leaders but not reaching any other stakeholders.

When you invest in getting people thinking and talking about what purpose means to them, you’ll drive a sense of ownership and make it relevant to them. A fifty-thousand-foot idea becomes a grounding reality that everyone can use in their day-to-day roles.

At long last, purpose moves from words to a strategic tool that inspires, motivates and unlocks performance.

Opinions expressed by The CEO Magazine contributors are their own.