How do you walk the tightrope between the world as it is and the world as you wish it could be?
This tension between idealism and pragmatism—hope and reality —comes to the surface whenever getting things done threatens to compromise your principles. If you let it, the paralysis this friction creates will stop you from acting in time to influence how risks and opportunities will affect your future. And that problem is multiplied whenever we’re working together in teams where our values diverge or even conflict.
We call these two mindsets The Missionary and The Mercenary and they both live hidden inside you.
If circumstances mislead you into leaning too far to one side or the other, you risk making mistakes that can send you and your stakeholders tumbling out of control.
We’ve discovered that experience mastering the Missionary + Mercenary balancing act is what leadership really means. Unfortunately, the kind of experience that leaders are made of is earned by making mistakes. And today the stakes are simply too great to make very many or we risk not having any future at all.
Most people think leaders are in charge because they have all the answers. In reality, leadership has never been about having all the right answers, but by asking the right questions.
We’ve spent decades distilling the most critical questions leaders must ask if they want to get everyone pulling in the right direction to control their future. This is our guidebook to making the choices that will help you control your future, too.
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Praise for The Missionary & The Mercenary:
The Missionary and the Mercenary challenges us all to take a deeper look at ourselves, our colleagues, and even our family. It provides a unique and compelling framework to understand how we naturally operate in business as well as in personal relationships. As you read through each chapter, you will find yourself naturally assessing where you fall on the Missionary vs. Mercenary spectrum, but the underlying lesson of this book is true success requires both sides of the spectrum. The authors brilliantly intertwine personal storylines to amplify how both Missionary and Mercenary traits work in tandem. It encourages us all to find a balance; whether that be within ourselves or by partnering with those who possess traits we lack. This book is an excellent self-awareness tool that is relevant for any industry or profession.
Alysse Nockels
VP, Competitive Intelligence at Palo Alto Networks
The Missionary and Mercenary is an insightful guide for leaders seeking to balance purpose-driven innovation with strategic decision making. It’s practical frameworks, like under-certainty and the impact-imminence-certainty model, provide actionable strategies to navigate complex challenges in rapidly evolving industries like healthcare technology. This book is an invaluable resource for companies like ours, offering the tools to align practical leadership with sustainable growth while staying adaptable in uncertain markets.
Joe Pleshek
CEO of Terso Solutions
This book is a literal gift to the intelligence community. A brilliant blend and documentation of the Johnson brother’s journeys, experiences, and wisdom. A must read for anyone charged with understanding stakeholders, bringing clarity, and influencing strategic decisioning, where asking the right questions and challenging false assumptions to close knowledge gaps are necessary. Readers will come away with a plethora of pragmatic explanation of concepts, methods and frameworks needed to understand leadership mindsets and to manipulate these mindsets toward action. As a former Auroran, it is refreshing to also see how Aurora WDC’s guiding principles, via the memoirs, can also be thought of and leveraged for both professional and personal challenges. Bravo!
Michel Bernaiche
Senior Director – Data Analytics & Market Intelligence, Inspire Brands
From the first section on discovery, The Missionary and The Mercenary quickly shifted from ‘casual reading’ to ‘self care’. I had no idea there were so many patterns to how I framed my perspective on my personal and professional experiences. The last time I learned this much about myself was when I became a mother and realized how little I knew. This isn’t just a book on leadership or intelligence, it’s a journey of self discovery that Arik and Derek walk you through like old friends. If you only read one non-fiction title this year, make sure it is this one!
Raleen Gagnon
Chief Executive Officer – TalentEdgeAI
The Missionary and The Mercenary is an insightful and thought-provoking book that challenges conventional norms and offers a unique take on leadership, strategy, and personal growth. Brothers Arik and Derek Johnson masterfully weave together compelling anecdotes and actionable frameworks to empower readers to balance idealism with pragmatism in their life journeys. Intellectually stimulating and practically applicable, it’s a testament to the profound legacy of two remarkable minds.