By  Prof Linda Meyer, MD at Rosebank International and Visiting Professor at Nelson Mandela University

 

One of the key capacities of a leader is having a vision – the ability to see what an organisation could become and inspire others to help build it. Yet vision gains meaning when it is grounded in a purpose that reaches beyond personal ambition.

 

This is where the value of women’s leadership extends beyond representation. When women have the authority to shape direction, they bring their experience, values and judgement to deciding what an organisation could achieve and why that future matters.

 

A vision others can see themselves in

 

A leader’s vision only becomes powerful when other people can see their place in it. Employees may follow instructions, but genuine commitment grows when they understand where the organisation is going and how their work contributes to getting there.

 

Women in leadership have an opportunity not only to articulate that future, but to shape an ambition informed by experiences and perspectives that may previously have been absent from decision-making. A compelling vision gives people something meaningful to work towards and a reason to believe their contribution matters.

 

Purpose as a discipline, not a slogan

 

Purpose keeps vision connected to everyday reality. A leader brings it to life by linking strategy, targets and daily work to the difference the organisation exists to make. When difficult choices arise, purpose becomes a north star, guiding what is pursued, prioritised and protected. McKinsey’s research found that a strong sense of personal and organisational purpose was a principal source of boldness among the women CEOs it studied.

 

Under CEO Bertina Engelbrecht, Clicks Group offers a practical South African example of vision and purpose working together. Its commitment to increasing access to affordable primary healthcare gives its expansion a purpose beyond growth alone. Its longer-term goal of more than 1,200 outlets, with a pharmacy in every Clicks store in South Africa, provides a clear picture of the future it wants to create.

 

By February 2026, it had 999 stores and 797 pharmacies across Southern Africa. The group’s expansion strategy shows how a woman leading a major listed company can connect commercial growth to value for customers and society.

 

Expanding the vision of who can lead

 

Ultimately, the value of women’s leadership lies not only in who holds authority, but in what she uses that authority to build. Vision enables a woman leader to define a better future, while purpose keeps that future connected to the people the organisation serves and the difference it seeks to make.

 

When women lead with both, they can unite people behind a shared ambition, make decisions grounded in clear values and demonstrate that effective leadership does not have to conform to one inherited model. In doing so, they change not only the organisations they lead, but also what the next generation of women can imagine themselves achieving.

 

Prof Linda Meyer, MD at Rosebank International and Visiting Professor at Nelson Mandela University