A Spy's Guide To Taking Risks

A Spy's Guide to #3

by John Braddock

Do Amazing Things (Without Getting Killed)

On his first day in alias, John Braddock encountered a car crash, possible surveillance and a source who threatened to kill his boss. Fortunately, he was trained for all that. He was trained to think through the risks. And to structure them. And to take the risks, when the time was right.

You see through his eyes how to take risks when the stakes are high and lives are on the line.
You see the impact of small choices and situational awareness.
You see the structure of risks, the importance of understanding necessary conditions and having fallbacks.
You see how a spy takes risks.

Buy A Spy's Guide To Taking Risks today!

Genres: Psychology, Business, Self Help, Nonfiction, Audiobook

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 19, 2019

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is much like "A Spy's Guide to Strategy." The author probably should have made them into one book, instead of two very short books.

[Michael Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book on thinking and decision making.

Another valuable book by John Braddock following the thread of strategy, decision making, risk, and situations where you can use each model. The lessons are valuable for their practical usefulness, accessability, and ability to reuse them over and over to improve your outcomes. I see great use for them in business, any challenging decision, or general thinking.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of the Spy's Guide to Thinking and Spy's Guide to Strategy and this latest one does not disappoint. Simple and engaging. Not only does the author take a complex subject and distill it down to make it easily digestible, the examples are very entertaining.

I'm hoping that the Audible book comes out soon. The two previous guides had great Audible books and with whispersync I loved listening to isolated chapters which boosted my retention.

Risk also was very well integrated with the other two books and makes it easier to apply them in my daily life. I will definitely get the next one as soon as it comes out.

[Rod Zinkel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The little book, A Spy’s Guide to Taking Risks, by John Braddock is a quick read that is interesting for Braddock’s formulas for assessing risks. Start with what every fireman learns: fuel + oxygen + heat = fire. If you can remove one of the three, you put out the fire. From this Braddock adds complexity in looking at and/or statements, substitutes, and so on; but it starts with the beginning formula. To illustrate the risk assessment and use of formulas, Braddock draws on personal experience in intelligence gathering, just in the one event of meeting an informant.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third and last in the series of short books about how spies operate. Notes from the three books would give an author some pretty good ideas for plotting out the actions of a spy, super criminal or a noir detective in a novel or film. Almost all of the processes described are internal, so the story have to be constructed with lots of small motions that depict the internal thought process. I'm reminded of those fast-motion flash forwards in the Downey Sherlock movies.

[Juan Duarte · Rating 3 out of 5]

The map is not the terrain.

This short read ties together the other books in the series. The framework used to analyze risks seemed a bit flimsy, but then again, real-life doesn't fit into a framework.

[Paul Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 chance only

1 mistake costs life; if being a prolific spy, you can do anything. A very concise and easy to understand and easy to use the messages contained in the book.

[KHELLIAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent tome - everything in life is risk vs reward and this book outlines perfectly how to come to the best decision when everything is on the line.

[Agent 47 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guys as your brother in reading I need your help :I've searched on all websites I couldn't get this book as ebook type or Kindle edition, and because Covid19 if I wanna it to order in other types it will takes so many time so I can get it about over 2 months!!, I've already texted the author "jhon" but he didn't answer not on his Gmail account or Twitter.
So please if anyone can send me a ebook copy attached with his IBAN bank number, I'll be so thankful and I'll send you some money for it. Pls help
Contact me on this email : ictforgoodness@gmail.com

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in emergency service and like reading books on decision making, risk mitigation/management, etc. This had some ideas and information and some I had not. I did enjoy the practical application of both old amd new ideas into his micro and macro scenarios. Admittedly most decisions in emergency services are not time critical but when they are, tools like these in your pocket are so much better then shooting from the hip. Also, they reduce the stress of the moment because you already have a process to evaluate and deal with the issue at hand. Thanks for the Goodread!

[William Vochoska · Rating 5 out of 5]

pleasant and clear - a simple joy to read…and useful

The author’s style is spartan and clipped. He has a pleasant way of moving back and forth between brief discussions of how to assess risk as a spy in the field, and a story demonstrating how he used these techniques in his prior career as a spy. It’s pleasantly engaging, and easy to comprehend. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Brendan M Lawler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this along with the others

If you are in any profession, or organization, where you have to take decisions and take actions this easy to read, entertaining how-to story is a great tool to help you be a better decision make and leader (as well as the other in the series). Strongly recommend.

[Vikrama Dhiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

I have become a mini Braddock fan. Read 3 of his books today and they were all brilliant. The one on risk was perhaps the best - tightly edited and brilliantly told. Original like his previous books. Worth the time ;-)

[Judie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Risks explained in a simple way


The book describes risks in simple way which is quite interesting to know, and help the readers realising the daily risks we are taking which is quite important.

[Gregp · Rating 4 out of 5]

8 out of 10

[Yamen Saimouaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spion in wording 🕵️‍♂️

[Conor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but very readable

More of a pamphlet than a book, but a good read. Provides a risk analysis model that should be used in daily life.

[Darryl Blackbird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worthwhile

[David Blaylock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad I don’t take such risks.

[Aashutosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy and fun to read. Very short book. I liked the idea of breaking down a bad thing in terms of necessary conditions, finding substitutes for the conditions, and removing them to avert the risk.

[Gamal Hennessy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and satisfying introduction to adapting to circumstances and managing danger. His blend of striped down psychology and sanitized anecdotes are informative, entertaining and insightful.

[Justin Cramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read all of John Braddock's books to date. Though the thinking process and logic processes may harken to many other books I read, I find these quick to read books different in a good way.

I like the fact John's books are based in the world of spies and international politics. I like that they mix the lesson, stories of things that could have happened, and break downs of historical events. But what I like most is that his books build on one another.

I see my self reading whatever John puts out next

[Sandra Kirkpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

This book is a teaching book about taking risks. How to adapt to a changing situations. How one misstep can change a situation.