1 1
£16.69 GBP
£16.69 GBP
Sale Sold out
Free UK Shipping

Freshly Printed - allow 7 days lead

The Mission Generation
Reclaim Your Purpose, Rewrite Success, Rebuild Our Future

“At a time when technology is reorienting what we do for work, The Mission Generation is a reminder that answering why we work is what really matters. This incisive book will inspire people at every level to create impact that strengthens business and communities and helps build a better future for all.”
—Julie Sweet, CEO Accenture

“People are shocked when they find out we're friends given our opposing politics. But we've learned that our most meaningful contributions come when we cross lines others say we shouldn't. Gupta and Fewer give us language for what we've been doing– prioritizing our sense of ‘mission.’ That’s why this is the first book we've endorsed together.”
—Van Jones & David Urban, CNN Senior Political Commentators

“As institutions struggle to keep pace with accelerating change, this book equips individuals to find clarity, experiment boldly, recruit allies, scale their impacty—transforming disruption into direction. The most meaningful work of my career emerged at the intersections of the public and private sectors and across political divides. This book shows that cross-sector, cross-party collaboration isn’t an anomaly—it’s the future.”
—Gina Raimondo, Former Secretary of U.S. Department of Commerce, two-term Governor of Rhode Island, business executive

“When we established the United States Space Force, we set out to design an organization combining service with innovation, because our national security required it. "The mission generation” came running to us in great numbers. This book explains why and provides the guiding tools for those seeking a higher civic purpose.”
—Gen John W. Raymond (retired), U.S. Space Force

“If you want to feed the world, you have to start with one plate of food. Then you gather the right people and ingredients, and scale together. The Mission Generation is the recipe for turning your ambition into service and skills into impact. The world needs you showing up and taking action today."
—José Andrés, Chef and Humanitarian

"The challenges we face today demand a generation of leaders dedicating their full-time energy...The Mission Generation points the way to lives of impact—and explains why waiting is the only real risk.”
—Wendy Kopp, Founder, Teach for America

"We told a generation to find their calling, then trapped them in career systems built for a stable world that no longer exists. The Mission Generation shows the way forward. When your skills serve something larger, you gain clarity, confidence and credibility...Mission isn't sacrifice—it's your competitive advantage."
—Michael M. Crow, President, Arizona State University

“Our top priority is to ensure that the American Dream is available to everyone. There are as many dreams as there are people, and whether that dream unfolds on the corporate ladder, in a world-changing non-profit, in government, or across all of them over a lifetime, this book offers a perfect guide for the journey.”
—Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-Oklahoma) and Gov. Wes Moore (D-Maryland), Chair & Vice-Chair National Governors Association

“The Mission Generation lights a fire in the heart—inviting us to dream bigger, lead boldly, and believe again in the impact one person can make. Arun Gupta gets it and you will too.”
—General Ann Dunwoody, US Army Retired

"The Mission Generation is more than a clarion call—it's moral support to defy convention, research-driven confirmation that purpose matters, and a blueprint for building meaningful careers.... at any stage of life. I love this book."
—Ambassador Nate Fick, Tech CEO, Non-Profit CEO, New York Times bestselling author of One Bullet Away

“The Mission Generation is a fresh, instructive playbook for crafting and navigating a purpose-driven career. Gupta and Fewer’s manuscript will inspire a new generation to reconcile what work they choose with what impact they desire, and what tradeoffs they must make…”
—Toni Townes-Whitley, Nasdaq Board Director, Former Fortune 500 CEO & President, Microsoft

“In my world, people returning to work after caregiving, relocating, or ‘un-retiring’ aren’t just chasing a paycheck—they’re craving purpose. Increasingly, they want their next career chapter to make a difference. Lucky for them, The Mission Generation is the guidebook to get them there.”
—Carol Fishman Cohen, CEO and Co-founder, iRelaunch

“We need more than breakthrough technologies—we need breakthrough mindsets. This book offers the blueprint for those ready to scale impact across entire systems, not just companies. It reminds us that public service and entrepreneurial spirit aren’t opposites. They’re the core ingredients of durable change.”
—Jigar Shah, Former Director of DOE Loan Programs Office, Serial entrepreneur, TIME 100 '24

“America was founded on independence, and the future will be built on interdependence. This book serves as both a compass and a catalyst, showing how purpose, trust, learning, and lived experience can power a generation to rebuild what comes next. It invites us to move from the sidelines of history and become active participants in shaping America’s future.”
—John Hope Bryant, CEO Operation Hope, author of Financial Literacy for All

“The magic our nation is seeking is found in the missions that we embrace together. I have spent my life alongside people committed to something larger than themselves, and I've seen both individuals and outcomes improve most powerfully when they are fueled by a bold mission. The Mission Generation provides the formula for bringing a purpose-driven approach to our toughest problems—and this is the path to victory.”
—Justin Fanelli, Chief Technology Officer, US Navy

Arun Gupta (Author), Thomas J. Fewer (Author)

9781394408177, Wiley

Hardback, published 20 April 2026

272 pages
23.1 x 15.8 x 2.5 cm, 0.476 kg

"We all seek to build a meaningful career, but that’s easier said than done. Finally, we have a guide that shows us how to do it. Read Arun Gupta and Thomas J. Fewer’s wonderful The Mission Generation to deploy your ambition in service of others.”
—Arthur C. Brooks, Harvard Professor and #1 New York Times bestselling author

The Mission Generation isn't defined by age—it's bound by conviction. This book offers a new blueprint for every age and stage, one that doesn't force you to choose between making money and finding meaning.

The old scripts are broken. The average person will now have four to six careers in their lifetime—not jobs, careers! Meanwhile, AI disruption, environmental crisis, political polarization, and geopolitical conflict are fracturing the institutions we once relied on. The ladder has collapsed. The 30-year plan doesn't exist anymore.

Whether you're a first-time job seeker, midlife pivoter, or legacy-minded leader, you're probably asking: Does my work matter? What am I really building? How can I keep contributing?

Inside The Mission Generation you'll discover:

  • The four forms of resistance blocking your path to meaningful work—and the specific strategies to move past them
  • Compass Capital: Six forms of capital (mission, trust, health, learning, experience, and financial) that compound even in uncertain times—your true competitive advantage when traditional credentials no longer guarantee security
  • The Mission Flywheel: A practical model for turning conviction into momentum through small, strategic actions that build on each other and create exponential impact over time
  • Real stories from Gen Z tech founders, Millennial innovators, Gen X career switchers, and Boomer legacy builders—proving that mission transcends age, background, and circumstance

The loss of career stability isn't a setback. It's your opportunity to design something better: careers that are impactful, rewarding, and built to adapt. When you join The Mission Generation, you stop asking "What should I do?" and start asking "What needs doing?" Because purpose isn't a detour from achievement. It's the compass.

This is the invitation: Reclaim your purpose. Rewrite success. Rebuild our future—together. The Mission Generation shows you how.

Prologue: The Call We Couldn't Ignore ix

PART I The Reckoning and the Rebuild 1
Chapter 1 The Illusion of Stability: How to Build Your Compass When the Old Maps Fail 3
Chapter 2 From Crisis to Calling: The Rise of the Mission Generation 17

PART II From Resistance to Resolve 35
Chapter 3 Why We Resist: When Purpose Meets Pushback 37
Chapter 4 Why It Pays to Have Purpose: Aligning Financial and Mission Capital 57
Chapter 5 The Hidden Capitals That Give You Direction When No One's Watching 77
Chapter 6 Investing in the Compass Capitals to Compound Your Impact 93
Chapter 7 Your Big Breakthrough Will Be a Thousand Small Ones: The Mission Flywheel 111

PART III The Dual Citizen Advantage 129
Chapter 8 The Courage to Be Wrong: How Small Early Bets Compound into Big Careers 131
Chapter 9 When Success Stops Being Enough: The Mid-Career Pivot That Preserves You 147
Chapter 10 It's Not Too Late: Start the Most Impactful Chapter of Your Career with a Beginner's Mindset 163

PART IV Designing a Life of Enduring Contribution 183
Chapter 11 Rewriting Success: The Portfolio of You 185
Chapter 12 Civic Platforms: Building a More Perfect Union 205

Epilogue: Mission 2036 231
Notes 233
Acknowledgments 245
About the Authors 247
Index 249

Subject Areas: Business & management [KJ]
View full details