Organizational Vision

What really lies in an organisation’s purpose and vision?

Consider these two statements: “BRINGING SCIENCE TO THE ART OF HEALTHY LIVING” vs “REALIZE THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER OF EVERYDAY CARE”.

The first was the vision of Johnson & Johnson Consumer, the organisation where I began my career. The second belonged to Kenvue, the organisation it later became.

I remember the first vision being rolled out just as I was transitioning into a new role on LISTERINE. It was a crystal-clear, energising, and unambiguous “lodestar” for every department – from R&D to Marketing to Sales – to deliver on. It made the organisation’s intent unmistakable, both internally and externally. For me, having working on brands like JOHNSON’S baby and LISTERINE, it instilled immediate meaningfulness, setting clear, measurable objectives for what we needed to deliver, achieve, and how we should approach innovation.

Years later, when I saw the new vision as an outsider, my initial concern was about dilution. Why shift from something specific and directional to something less tangible, less distinctive? And variations of the word “care” already echoed across much of the healthcare, retail, and CPG world. While words like “extraordinary” and “power” were high on inspiration, they lacked a delivery focused vision.

In a few months, the company will merge with Kimberly-Clark and hopefully adopt its next purpose – “BETTER CARE FOR A BETTER WORLD.” I believe it marks a vital strategic correction, returning to a definitive foundation necessary for unifying and aligning all stakeholders again. And with that, I genuinely hope to see how this more focused, outcome-driven purpose will unleash the potential of some of the most brilliant brands and products in the portfolio.