Meet Eric Johnson

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Eric Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Eric, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

Confidence and Self-esteem are always tricky subjects! You need to have both to be successful in life. I feel like my confidence and self-esteem have come from two main things:

The first being, that I forced myself do to the hard things in my career and life, even when it felt overwhelming. We have a saying in my industry “Embrace the suck”. I forced myself to embrace the suck, and each time I did, it would increase my confidence and self-esteem even more. It was a cycle that continued to build me up.

The second was that I derived my confidence and self-esteem from multiple places. Sure, my work life contributed a lot due to the stressful positions I’ve held, or investigations I’ve worked, but it’s not the sole place. I realized you can’t put all of those “eggs in one basket”. I also derive my confidence and self-esteem from: being a good family member and friend, my hobbies, giving guest lectures, being an author, and keeping promises to myself.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m an author and security professional from Michigan, United States. I graduated with high honors from Madonna University with degrees in Criminal Justice and Homeland Security and hold over 20 professional certifications. I have worked in several security command centers, asset protection, and as an emergency manager and business continuity advisor. I’m lucky enough to also teach special guest lectures at colleges several times a year. My Father’s Story: The Murder of the Best Man I’ve Ever Known is my first book release. Since the book’s release at the end of September 2023, it has already become an Amazon Kindle eBook best seller in the Criminal Procedure category. The audiobook, eBook, hardcover, and softcover versions have already seen sales in countries around the world. I’m currently working on second book and hope to have it released early in 2025.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think three of the best things that got me to where I am today is: I never shied away from a challenge, I always wanted to learn and grow, and I found the right mentors, stuck to them, and learned everything I could from them. If I could give anyone advice who is starting out their journey, it would be:

1. Keep your head down, take on the hard challenges, work hard, and stay out of drama.
2. Network, build up your professional connections, and find those mentors.
3. Never be afraid of those higher up in your organizations. They are normal humans and actually like to be treated like humans too. Believe it or not… every morning the put on their pants, shirts, and shoes just like you.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

There are two books that were pretty impactful in my development, both by Mark Manson. They are titled: “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck”, and “Everything is F*cked: A Book about Hope”. I actually made a promise to myself to read both books once a year. There are so many impactful nuggets of wisdom from both, it’s hard to pick! I would suggest going to YouTube and watching Mark’s video summaries of both books and watch the “Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” documentary. But I will leave everyone here with one of my favorite quotes from each book:

“You too are going to die, and that’s because you too were fortunate enough to have lived.” – The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

“Don’t hope for better. Just be better. Be something better. Be more compassionate, more resilient, more humble, more disciplined. Be a better human.” – Everything’s F*cked: A Book About Hope by Mark Manson

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