One of the most insightful quotes in the tech industry comes from legendary venture capitalist, John Doerr, who famously stated, “we need teams of missionaries, not teams of mercenaries.” This simple yet profound statement encapsulates the essence of effective leadership, strong organizational culture, and high-performing product teams. It highlights the critical distinction between teams driven by purpose and passion versus those motivated solely by extrinsic rewards.
It’s remarkably easy to differentiate between these two types of teams. Missionary teams are characterized by their deep engagement, intrinsic motivation, comprehensive understanding of the business context, and genuine empathy for the customer. They are driven by a shared vision and a belief in the value of their work. Conversely, mercenary teams lack a sense of ownership or accountability, display little passion for the problems they are solving, and have a weak connection with end-users and customers. They operate on a purely transactional basis, focused on completing tasks rather than achieving meaningful outcomes.
In my experience working with numerous product teams, the contrast in morale, agility, and, most importantly, results between missionary and mercenary teams is stark. Missionary teams consistently outperform mercenary teams, delivering superior products and fostering a more innovative and productive environment.
So, why do many companies inadvertently cultivate mercenary team environments despite the clear advantages of missionary teams, as advocated by figures like John Doerr? There are typically three primary reasons:
1. Leadership Deficiencies. A significant number of executives and stakeholders operate under the misconception that they possess all the answers and resist collaborative decision-making. They seek teams that simply execute their directives without question or input. Ironically, these same leaders often lament slow team velocity and errors, attributing failures to the team while overlooking their own leadership style as a contributing factor. This top-down, directive approach stifles initiative and breeds a mercenary mindset, directly contradicting the principles John Doerr champions for fostering innovation.
2. Inadequate Staffing Strategies. Some leaders recognize the value of missionary teams but inherit or create organizational structures that inadvertently promote a mercenary culture. This is often exacerbated by outsourcing key roles like designers or engineers. When team members are employed by external companies and contractually obligated to fulfill specific instructions, it becomes nearly impossible to cultivate a missionary spirit. Such arrangements inherently define the team as mercenaries – hired guns focused on task completion rather than shared mission and ownership. This approach, focused on simply fulfilling requirements, often leads to significant inefficiencies and wasted resources as teams lack the intrinsic motivation to proactively identify and solve problems.
3. Counterproductive Processes. Many product development methodologies, particularly those marketed to large enterprises, are implicitly based on a mercenary model. While these frameworks may not explicitly advocate for this approach, their rigid structures and emphasis on process over people can inadvertently foster a mercenary mindset. For instance, the SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) framework has been critiqued for its prescriptive nature. While I have no direct experience with SAFe from strong product companies, its reputation suggests a model that may be misaligned with the fluid and innovative requirements of technology-driven product companies that rely on continuous innovation. In contrast, the Spotify model, with its emphasis on autonomy and decentralized decision-making, aligns more closely with the missionary team concept. This contrast will be further explored in future articles, examining alternative approaches to scaling agile effectively.
These three challenges – leadership, staffing, and process – are interconnected and often reinforce each other over time. Transforming an organization to embrace best practices and cultivate missionary teams requires addressing these deeply rooted issues.
So, how can organizations shift from a mercenary to a missionary mindset, aligning with John Doerr’s vision for high-performing teams? The transformation begins by tackling these same three core areas:
Firstly, it’s crucial to educate the leadership team. Leaders need to understand the profound impact of team motivation and empowerment on product success. They must learn to foster environments where teams are encouraged to contribute their ideas, challenge assumptions, and take ownership of outcomes. This shift in leadership philosophy is foundational to building missionary teams.
Secondly, organizations must raise the bar for talent acquisition and development, particularly for product managers, product designers, and senior engineers/tech leads. Building missionary teams starts with recruiting individuals who are not just skilled but also intrinsically motivated and passionate about the company’s mission. Furthermore, transitioning to durable, cross-functional, co-located (when feasible) product teams – or “squads” as in the Spotify model – is essential. This structure empowers teams, fosters collaboration, and enhances the sense of shared mission.
Finally, adopting processes and techniques that empower teams to demonstrate their capabilities is paramount. This involves establishing a compelling product vision, communicating clear business outcomes (objectives with measurable key results – a methodology championed by John Doerr himself), and granting teams the autonomy to determine the best path to achieve those outcomes. By focusing on results and empowering teams to own their journey, organizations can unlock the full potential of a missionary mindset.
If your organization exhibits characteristics of mercenary teams rather than missionary teams, it’s imperative to critically examine the underlying causes. Assessing your organization’s capability and willingness to undertake this fundamental transformation is the first step towards building a more engaged, innovative, and ultimately successful future, guided by the wisdom of John Doerr’s “missionaries, not mercenaries” principle.
