We recently had the chance to connect with Eric Johnson and have shared our conversation below.
Eric, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. When was the last time you felt true joy?
The last time I felt true joy was just a few weeks ago. I went up north to visit a family friend and celebrate my birthday. I had a few hours before meeting up with the friend in the morning, so I got a cold brew coffee and drove to the Arcadia overlook. It’s a scenic park that has a platform 120 steps up that looks over Lake Michigan. It was such a gorgeous place to have my coffee and take in the morning!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a security professional and author from Michigan, United States. I graduated with high honors from Madonna University and hold over 10 professional certifications. My degrees are in the areas of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security. I’ve worked in several security command centers, asset protection, and as an emergency manager and business continuity advisor for a large mortgage company. I’m honor to also teach special guest lectures at one of the colleges I attended several times a year.
In September 2023, I released My Father’s Story: The Murder of the Best Man I’ve Ever Known, my first book. Since the book’s release 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 currently am in the middle of writing my second book and working on the structure for a third book as well.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
The man that taught me the most about work would be my friend and mentor Dave Gillies, or as we affectionally called him… The Old Man. I was lucky enough to start my career, as a surveillance operator, working for the Old Man and then being an equal with him later as an Asset Protection Team Leader. The biggest work lesson he taught me was about being a true servant leader. Everyone that worked for, and with, the Old Man loved him dearly. What the Old Man realized was that he may not have been the smartest man in the room, the quickest, the most tech savvy, or the most knowledgeable… but he knew if he took care of his team, his team would take care of him. I took a lot from him in my crafting my own leadership style and regard him as the best leader I ever had. Sadly, The Old Man passed away on February 12th, 2025. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t miss him and wish I could ask him more questions about life. Miss you Old Man! You are never forgotten!
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The biggest wound in my life came in 2021 with the murder of my father (aka Pops), and his dog Xena. Pops was not only my father, but a best friend… and Xena was a 130-pound loveable, funny, obedient, and very well-behaved Italian mastiff. To be honest, I’m not sure I can find words to describe the wounds that occurred when Pops was murdered. I think the wounds created I’ll never fully heal from, but I can say I’ve made progress in healing.
I think one of the first big steps I made in healing them was writing my first book, My Father’s Story. It was healing for me on a few levels: first, I got to really take my time and process all the information about what happened. Second was being able to provide closure to my family/friends who could not attend the hearings but had questions. Lastly, was being able to share the story with the rest of the world. I’ve had many people reach out and tell me it helped them with their trauma and the legacy of their loved ones that have passed on. Each one of those messages I’ve received has helped with the healing process.
The second big step in healing would be something I found in working on the second book. The second book is all about the life lessons that came out of dealing with Pop’s murder. One of the chapters is all about figuring out that my father would want me to follow my own dreams and not his dreams, because they were his… but you will have to wait for the second book to hear more about that!
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies the corporate security industry tells itself is these manufactured “security and safety” trends. I constantly see security professionals posturing, talking, and posting on the hot trend of the month. How organizations need to focus on and drop money to combat these trends… The truth is if you get your security procedures down, clear lines of communication, and organizational buy-in you will stop the vast majority of threats to your corporation. While no corporation is ever completely free of threats… the truth is security professionals should be focused on optimizing those procedures and making adjustments as they change over time and not worry about the trend of the month. And if your corporation doesn’t have security procedures at all then… well… you are really behind the ball. Give me a call!
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace doing two different things… First would be working on or driving my car! I’m a big car guy and have one of my dream cars. I got Subaru to build me a 2024 WRX-GT! Also, Life’s too short to stay stock, right? So, it has a lot of upgrades done to it! The second thing would be when I’m writing music or playing with my band, Underrated. Hopefully we will be recording our first EP soon.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Ericjauthor
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericjauthor1/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericjauthor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ericjauthor
