Work Like a Spy

November 26, 2012
In this clever twist on the career self-help genre, former CIA agent Carleson takes the principles that she learned in clandestine service and applies them to today's business world. "CIA officers may not face the same legal, logistical or financial constraints that business professionals do. They do, however, have goals, objectives and aspirations, just like their counterparts in the corporate world," she notes. Without revealing sensitive CIA information or advocating corporate espionage, the author explores a wide range of topicsâamong them, basic principles of intelligence, developing one's "operational instincts," employee recruitment, crisis management, and fending off competitors. Honestyâwhich one might expect to be in short supply in the cloak-and-dagger worldâis strongly recommended, as is behaving ethically even in the face of great temptation. Carleson also offers advice on problem solving and managing one's personal life so it reflects positively in a business sense. Crisis management issuesâand eight strategies for dealing with themâare explained in detail, with lessons learned from how the CIA reformed itself after 9/11. This quick and enjoyable read offers plentiful nuggets of information, which can be put to good use by any career-minded reader.

February 1, 2013

Former CIA officer Carleson applies the techniques she learned from her years undercover to jobs in the corporate world. Her tips are intended to help readers succeed on the individual level and to help them create better organizations. Heavily emphasizing human intelligence and interpersonal skills rather than technology, Carleson organizes her book into three sections that cover the basic skills used by CIA agents: building rapport, elicitation, and corroboration. She then explains how these skills can be used in work situations, including scenarios drawn from the business environment and the world of clandestine operations. VERDICT While this book includes anecdotes and scenarios from Carleson's work in the CIA, it's not intended for aspiring secret agents. However, the tips will prove helpful to those looking to improve their efficiency and work relationships.--Elizabeth Nelson, UOP Library, Des Plaines, IL

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2013
Even though the CIA has been prominent in the not-so-great-news department of late, there are some intriguing takeaways from its operatives. Offering no tell-all story, former operative Carleson applies her learning from eight years at the CIAduring the aftermath of 9/11to corporate America and business success. Many of her easy-to-read lessons concern informationhow to get it and how to use it legitimately when applied to internal and external competition and to the improvement of performance and outcomes. For the first third of the book, she concentrates on boot-camp tactics and follow-up exercises, such as targeting, corroboration, and strategic elicitation. The rest of the book is concerned with how to use those tactics in a host of situations, from recruitment, ethics problems, and crisis management, to sales, compliance, and using competitive intelligence. It's certainly not a dry read, since Carleson inserts some harrowing (and declassified) accounts of her CIA adventures. Although a hard-to-categorize book, it nevertheless is a useful guide. There is information for the taking that can change the entire playing field for you and your organization. Getting this information is a matter of asking the right people the right questions in the right way. Learn it, use it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)