It's true that CIA officers have access to tools and resources you corporate types can only daydream about during slow staff meetings -- things like drones, wads of foreign currency, and permission to shrug off pesky laws that get in the way.
But before you get all Skyfall-eyed with envy, don't forget one thing: spies still have to close the deal. And instead of corner-booth business dinners in overpriced steakhouses, they're selling their wares, so to speak, in combat zones, dark alleys, and less-than-friendly territories a dozen time zones from home.
Working under this kind of pressure teaches CIA officers a thing or two about the world, about people, and about getting the job done. So it shouldn't be surprising to hear that, though they may operate very differently from their corporate counterparts, spies quickly develop skill sets that translate handily into the business world. Many of these hard-earned lessons, however, contradict long-held business truisms.
Here are just a few of the business tips from the clandestine world that might be counterintuitive to those of you who don't make it a practice to show up to work in alias.
For even more tips, see my book Work Like a Spy: Business Tips from a Former CIA Officer ($25.95, Portfolio/Penguin Group USA).