Description

Discover the secrets skills of persuasion taught to intelligence officers and learn how to apply them yourself.

Every day, intelligence officers achieve the unimaginable. So, what does a spy do? She travels to far-flung, unfamiliar places, under a variety of covers. There, she identifies powerful and influential figures in politics, high-commerce and the military. Or active members of criminal or terrorist gangs. She befriends them and, over time, persuades them to support her country’s national interest by sharing secrets about their countries and causes. To become traitors, in fact. And they do it for her willingly, despite facing the threats of public humiliation, imprisonment and, in some cases, torture. Even execution.

It seems like an unimaginable task to persuade someone to commit such betrayals. But, every day, ordinary people from all over the world work towards and achieve such triumphs. They can do this thanks to their command of the nine secret skills of espionage. In Think Like a Spy, you’ll learn these secrets and how to apply them in your own life.

Publisher Review

If I was a young graduate looking to gain an advantage in the workplace, this is the first book I would turn to. Part memoir, part tutorial, Think Like A Spy is as close as readers are likely to get to the secrets of intelligence recruitment. A fascinating and instructive guide -- Charles Cumming, bestselling author of BOX 88 Think Like a Spy is an indispensable guide to influencing and persuading others. Fisher has walked the talk. In it, he shows you how to apply the secret techniques used by spies the world over, to achieve your goals in both your personal and professional life -- Scott Walker, kidnap-for-ransom negotiator and Sunday Times bestselling author of Order Out of Chaos A veritable treasure trove of intelligence gems . . . an espionage tradecraft handbook from an authentic insider -- Nigel West, intelligence historian Fisher deftly guides us into a secret world, then demythologises it, illuminating how the ordinary can achieve the extraordinary. The world's second-oldest profession, he reveals in this thrilling account of human behaviour, was not built on betrayal and blackmail, as Hollywood fantasists would have it, but the not-so-dark art of influence and alliance building. Fisher gives us the tools we need to achieve our goals and live a life of adventure and intrigue. Spies, he teaches, are made not Bourne -- Tyler Maroney, author of The Modern Detective: How Corporate Intelligence Is Reshaping the World For anyone looking to grasp the art of persuasion, interpersonal skills and alliances, Fisher's book belongs in your back pocket. Peppered with case studies and personal anecdotes, Think Like a Spy is at once instructive, insightful and entertaining -- I. S. Berry, author of The Peacock and the Sparrow A rare and insightful glimpse into the spy's box of tricks -- James Wolff, author of The Man in the Corduroy Suit It is hard not to find this an endearing as well as a thought-provoking read -- Jake Kerridge * The Daily Telegraph * It's rare to find a book that is not only intensely personal but deeply practical. Julian Fisher has somehow pulled it off, in this fascinating and engaging guide to the art of influence. Think Like a Spy is a fantastic read, full of eye-opening espionage tradecraft as well as insightful tips on how to achieve your business goals. Highly recommended -- Henry Hemming, author of Four Shots in the Night