Sign-In
Cart
Work Like a Spy: Business Tips from a Former CIA Officer
Hardcover
ManagementInternational Relations
ISBN13: 9781591843535
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: Feb 7 2013
Pages: 208
Weight: 0.85
Height: 0.90 Width: 6.10 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
When J. C. Carleson left the corporate world to join the CIA, she expected an adventure, and she found it. Her assignments included work in Iraq as part of a weapons of mass destruction search team, travels throughout Afghanistan, and clandestine encounters with foreign agents around the globe. What she didn't expect was that the skills she acquired from the CIA would be directly applicable to the private sector.
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.
Also in
Management
Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition
Patterson, Kerry
Switzler, Al
Grenny, Joseph
Paperback
Quiet Girls Can Run the World: Owning Your Power When You're Not the Alpha in the Room
Holman, Rebecca
Paperback
The Art of Communication: How to Be Authentic, Lead Others, and Create Strong Connections
Apps, Judy
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen)
Review, Harvard Business
Drucker, Peter F.
Gallo, Amy
Paperback
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
Guidara, Will
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How to Stop Worrying about What Other People Think of You by Michael Gervais)
Review, Harvard Business
Gervais, Michael
Duckworth, Angela L.
Paperback
Take Breaks, Work Better: Measure Impact, Not Hours, and Transform Your Profitability
Briggs, John
Paperback
Surrender to Lead: The Counterintuitive Approach to Driving Extraordinary Results
Terry, Joe
Kriegel, Jessica
Hardcover
How We Could: The Framework to Lead Without Drama, Build Alignment, and Call Teams to Greatness
Dorr, Alex
Hardcover
Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit
Brown, Brené
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Leadership, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Begin with Trust by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss)
Review, Harvard Business
Edmondson, Amy C.
Ibarra, Herminia
Paperback
What the Heck Is Eos?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS
Wickman, Gino
Bouwer, Tom
Hardcover
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever
Stanier, Michael Bungay
Paperback
Get Scalable: The Operating System Your Business Needs To Run and Scale Without You
Deiss, Ryan
Paperback
Stop Asking for Referrals: Build a Magnetic Business Through Intentional Care & Real Relationships
McNally, Flor de Maria
Paperback
The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you
Fitzpatrick, Rob
Paperback
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
Raz, Tahl
Voss, Chris
Hardcover
The Year in Tech, 2026: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
Review, Harvard Business
Anthony, Scott D.
Webb, Amy
Paperback
Bookkeeping - Accounting for Small Business: A Quickstudy Laminated Reference Guide
Epstein, Lita
Other
Influence and Persuasion (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Cialdini, Robert B.
Review, Harvard Business
Morgan, Nick
Paperback
Building Great Businesses: Create Momentum, Overcome Setbacks, and Scale with Confidence
Becker, Scott
Hardcover
The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter
Watkins, Michael D.
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads 2026: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review (Featuring the Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift by
Review, Harvard Business
Meyer, Erin
Flyvbjerg, Bent
Paperback
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving in
Fisher, Roger
Ury, William
Patton, Bruce
Paperback
Anchored, Aligned, Accountable: A Framework for Transcending Bullsh*t and Transforming Our Lives and Work
Bethea, Aiko
Hardcover
Take It Personal: How to Succeed by Building Relationships and Playing the Long Game
Grutman, David
Hardcover
What Could Possibly Go Right?: The Essential Journey to Scale an Enduring Culture
Meyer, Danny
Hardcover
The Algorithm: The Hypergrowth Formula That Transformed Tesla, Lululemon, General Motors, and Spacex
McNeill, Jon
Hardcover
Feedback That Works: How to Build and Deliver Your Message, Second Edition
Center for Creative Leadership
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Strategy, Updated and Expanded (Featuring the Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy by Michael E. Porter)
Kim, W. Chan
Review, Harvard Business
Porter, Michael E.
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on High Performance, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Nine Things Successful People Do Differently by Heidi Grant)
Review, Harvard Business
Grant, Heidi
Goleman, Daniel
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing People, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Are You a Good Boss--Or a Great One? by Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback)
Review, Harvard Business
Goleman, Daniel
Hill, Linda A.
Paperback
The Phoenix Project: A Novel about It, Devops, and Helping Your Business Win
Behr, Kevin
Spafford, George
Kim, Gene
Paperback
Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation
Wild, Jason
Hill, Linda A.
Tedards, Emily
Hardcover
Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World
Iansiti, Marco
Lakhani, Karim R.
Hardcover
Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away
Gelles, David
Hardcover
The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success
Dethmer, Jim
Chapman, Diana
Klemp, Kaley
Paperback
The Way of the Shepherd: Seven Secrets to Managing Productive People
Pentak, William
Leman, Kevin
Hardcover
The 360 Degree Leader Workbook: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization
Maxwell, John C.
Paperback
Generative Ai: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
Review, Harvard Business
Mollick, Ethan
Cremer, David De
Paperback
Getting You Ready for Power: A Woman's Guide to Building Confidence, Community, and Career Success
Meruelo, Alexis
Paperback
Indispensable: How to Become the Company That Your Customers Can't Live Without
Calloway, Joe
Hardcover
Biblia del Vendedor: Tecnicas Efectivas Para El Vendedor Competitivo
Dey, Alejandro
Dey, Alex
Paperback
The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth about Extraordinary Results
Papasan, Jay
Keller, Gary
Hardcover
The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team
Lencioni, Patrick M.
Hardcover
The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability
Smith, Tom
Hickman, Craig
Connors, Roger
Paperback
Demand-Side Sales 101: Stop Selling and Help Your Customers Make Progress
Engle, Greg
Moesta, Bob
Hardcover
The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People
Chapman, Gary
White, Paul
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence, Updated and Expanded (Featuring What Makes a Leader by Daniel Goleman)
Review, Harvard Business
Goleman, Daniel
Ibarra, Hermina
Paperback
Playing to Win, Expanded with Bonus HBR Articles: How Strategy Really Works
Martin, Roger L.
Lafley, A. G.
Hardcover
The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You Like Dirt
Sutton, Robert I.
Paperback
The Heart Work of Modern Leadership: 6 Differentiators of Exceptional Leaders
Grossman, David
Paperback
Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life
Murphy, Jim
Paperback
The Hard Thing about Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Horowitz, Ben
Hardcover
How to Win Friends and Influence People: Updated for the Next Generation of Leaders
Carnegie, Dale
Hardcover
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
Stone, Douglas
Heen, Sheila
Patton, Bruce
Paperback
The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation
Le-Brun, Phil
Werner, Jana
Hardcover
Say This, Not That: How to Master 7 Dreaded Conversations As a Leader in the Modern Workplace
Flickinger, Chris
Paperback
Never Settle: Persuasion and Negotiation Skills to Get What You Want
Qureshi, Attia
Richardson, John
Hardcover
The Things We Hide: A Guide to Identifying Hidden Barriers and Leading with Authenticity
Dickerhoof, Tyler
Hardcover
You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere, Can Make a Positive Difference
Sanborn, Mark
Hardcover
Team Topologies, 2nd Edition: Organizing Business and Technology for Fast Flow of Value
Skelton, Matthew
Pais, Manuel
Paperback
Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential
Wilkins, Muriel M.
Hardcover
The Founder's Mentality: How to Overcome the Predictable Crises of Growth
Zook, Chris
Allen, James
Hardcover
Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential and How You Can Achieve Yours
Chamine, Shirzad
Hardcover
How to Work with Complicated People: Strategies for Effective Collaboration with (Nearly) Anyone
Leak, Ryan
Hardcover
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business
Lencioni, Patrick M.
Hardcover
The Leading the Unleadable: How to Manage Mavericks, Cynics, Divas, and Other Difficult People
Willett, Alan
Paperback
The Trusted Advisor: 20th Anniversary Edition
Galford, Robert
Green, Charles
Maister, David H.
Paperback
The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
Thorndike, William N.
Hardcover
The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World
Heifetz, Ronald A.
Grashow, Alexander
Linsky, Marty
Hardcover
The Lean Six SIGMA Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to Nearly 100 Tools for Improving Quality and Speed
Rowlands, David T.
Price, Mark
George, Michael L.
Paperback
Rewired: McKinsey's Playbook on How Leading Companies Win with Technology and AI
Smaje, Kate
Levin, Robert
Lamarre, Eric
Hardcover
Be Our Guest-Revised and Updated Edition: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service
The Disney Institute
Hardcover
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
Maxwell, John C.
Hardcover
The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
Michelli, Joseph A.
Hardcover
Human + Machine, Updated and Expanded: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI
Daugherty, Paul R.
Wilson, H. James
Hardcover
The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done
Drucker, Peter F.
Paperback
Fight Less, Win More: How Master Negotiators Influence Hearts, Minds, and Deals
Gaunt, Derek
Smith, Jonathan B.
Hardcover
The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues
Lencioni, Patrick M.
Hardcover
The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a New Section: On Robustness and Fragility
Taleb, Nassim Nicholas
Paperback
Harvard Business Review Entrepreneur's Handbook: Everything You Need to Launch and Grow Your New Business
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Tax-Free Wealth: How to Build Massive Wealth by Permanently Lowering Your Taxes
Wheelwright, Tom
Paperback
Inside the Owner's Box: Conversations on Power and Leadership in Sports
Rubenstein, David M.
Hardcover
The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization
Maxwell, John C.
Paperback