A Spy's Guide to Thinking

By: John Braddock

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Length: 1 hr and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Head wounds bleed. All those vessels going to the brain. Carrying nutrients so you can think. Which I hadn't...I was stunned. But I hadn't lost yet. I still had the phone. And two options."

There are a select few people who get things done. Spies are first among them.

In this 45-minute listen, a former spy introduces two simple tools for thinking. The first describes how we think. The second helps us think ahead. They are the essential tools for getting things done.

The tools are applied to an incident in a subway car in Europe where a spy faces a new enemy. Then, they're reapplied to Saddam Hussein's stockpiling (or not) of weapons of mass destruction.

John Braddock was a case officer at the CIA. He developed, recruited and handled sources on weapons proliferation, counter-terrorism, and political-military issues. A former university research fellow, he is now a strategy consultant. He helps people and organizations think more effectively about their strategy, their customers, and their competition.

©2015 John Braddock (P)2015 John Braddock

Just Not Enough

This is a good listen, but there is just not enough content to make a complete statement.

There is only one example given from which to draw all of the author's conclusions. This example is broken down bit-by-bit, move-by-move, piece-by-piece - which is great! The only problem, is that this book really needed (a minimum) of about three examples to clarify and drive home the author's points.

A Smart Guide to Thinking

Would you listen to A Spy's Guide to Thinking again? Why?

I have already listened to it three times and have been taking notes. It is a good, concise, guide to proper thinking, and leads to effective actions. When you are in the fog of making a decision, this book will give you a good method to collect data, analyze that data, make decisions, and take action. In short, it is a very smart way to handle many daily personal and business situations.

What other book might you compare A Spy's Guide to Thinking to and why?

In one respect, I have to refer to Sun Tzu's, "The Art of War". In both of these books, you are given some effective ways to look at situations and develop solutions, then carry out actions. They both raise your thinking to higher levels.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Pierce’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to a number of Kevin Pierce's performances and have always enjoyed them. In fact, that is the reason I opted to listen to this audiobook. Kevin has made some good choices in his narrations. I have never been disappointed.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

That is what is funny about this book. Yes, being an hour of so in length, it is easy to listen to in that time. However, there is so much information, pared down in a simple form, it is worth listening to several times.

Any additional comments?

Disclaimer: This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. My first thought is that this is a very "smart" book. It is compact, and concise. John Braddock has been able to throw in a good spy story to show how to properly think in a stressful situation. The four steps are collecting data, analyzing the data, deciding on a course of action, and taking that action. Each step is important. As you get to the action part the cost of this process increases, when you take that course of action. So your decision making, based on your analysis, based on your data collection, must be good. I work as a boat captain. I collect data on the weather, and condition of the ship and crew. I analyze this information to determine the best course to take. I make a decision to take a course of action. I take that action. After taking that action, I collect more data, analyze that data, make more decisions, and take appropriate action. This thinking loop is what a captain does. So this thinking process is what I do, but did not put this into perspective until John Braddock put it into this context. The book also gets into "games", re zero sum games, positive sum games, and negative sum games. This helps to conceptualize transactions that take place between people, governments, and businesses. As I said, this is a very smart book that will give you tools for more effective thinking. At the end of this book, John mentions he will have a follow up book on Strategies. I am looking forward to reading this. If you like Sun Tzu's "The Art of War", you will like John Braddock's, "A Spy's Guide to Thinking".

Excellent short story

For now I've been listening to the self help/motivational types of books and this one was very interesting. It contained a nice blend of the author's story and through that, a small bit of new knowledge to have bouncing around in my head as I make my way through my own life. Being literally only a couple minutes over an hour means you get only one story but I am growing to appreciate these shorter books that don't contain unnecessary filler and repeated parts.

Self indulgent

Unless I'm missing something big this might be the most self explanitory and self indulgent thing I've listened to in a long time.

Extremely disappointing.

I'm not really sure what I just listened to. It really just sounded like an excuse for a narrator to pretend to be a spy. Not going to get an Oscar for that one though. Truthfully, this was probably the most useless book I've ever listened to. And I'm not much for leaving negative reviews. I just don't want anyone else to have to endure that.

this is basic

a waste of money. you will learn nothing. i would not consider ot a book. it does have a good title though.

Very good introduction to logical thinking

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It is a short read, but packs a powerful punch. It is filled with very useful information and tools. The example used is very instructive.

What about Kevin Pierce’s performance did you like?

Well paced and fit the tone of the book well.

Any additional comments?

Waiting for the next volume by this author.

Great Read

I enjoyed this book. I listened to it a couple of times. The entire family listened while we were on a road trip. My children listened as it played in the background. There are helpful and suggestive hints that can be used in a variety of situations. You do not have to be a spy to gain insight from this book. It is about thinking strategically and logically.

if you can already think you don't need this book

Walk, talk, chew gum, navigate the lunch room at school and come home alive. Your thoughts are private, 'secret' so that's a given. Your action and reaction time during stressful situations is critical somewhere around kindergarten, so if you have figured out how NOT to piss yourself when a bell rings or when a bully pushes you down on the playground you've taken your first class in being a 'normal human being' or in this book, a 'spy.'
When traveling in a foreign country the first question you have to ask yourself when approached by a native is not whether or not he knows you're a spy, it's: "Can he help me find the bathroom?" or, "Does he know where my luggage is?"
If you imagine yourself behaving better than you usually do, and work to create a better world, you won't be so stressed out and life will not require 'thinking like a spy.'
think about that.

Short and sweet

Perfect performance, succinct and easily understood. Nice to see a short book like this. Many authors would think it had to be longer and regurgitate content to that end. Will be looking for more work by this author.