Work Like a Spy: Business Tips from a Former CIA Officer

It turns out that corporate America can learn a lot from spies—not only how to respond to crises but also how to achieve operational excellence. Carleson found that the CIA gave her an increased understanding of human nature, new techniques for eliciting informa­tion, and improved awareness of potential security problems, adding up to a powerful edge in business.

Using real examples from her experiences, Carle-son explains how working like a spy can teach you the principles of:

• Targeting—figuring out who you need to know and how to get to them
• Elicitation—a subtle way to get the answers you need without even asking a question
• Counterintelligence—how to determine if your organization is unwittingly leaking information
• Screening—CIA recruiters’ methods for finding and hiring the right people

The methods developed by the CIA are all about getting what you want from other peo­ple. In a business context, these techniques apply to seeking a new job, a promotion, a big sale, an advantageous regulatory ruling, and countless other situations.

As Carleson writes, “In a world where infor­mation has a price, it pays to be vigilant.” Her book will show you how.