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A review by marisa_n
A Spy's Guide To Taking Risks by John Braddock
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.0
In this short book, A Spy’s Guide to Taking Risks, the author tells the story of his first day going undercover. He uses the twists and turns as a jumping-off point to discuss how he makes quick mental calculations when operating in highly uncertain, highly time-constrained, and highly risky situations.
Take-aways:
- You can use rough estimates of probabilities to calculate risks and decide on the best course of action.
- If you can remove a necessary condition of the risk, you can eliminate the risk
- Add slack/ flexibility to your plans, so you have room to pivot and still achieve your goals
- Be mindful of “and” and “or” operators in your mental calculus
- Create more “or” operators high in the model that something will go right.
I would have given it 5 stars if, at the end of the book, the author had tied everything together by summarizing the key takeaways in a way that the average person can use. For example, if you are job hunting, you can create more "or" operators by applying for more jobs, as this increases the likelihood one of those branches will be successful (i.e. that one application leads to an offer). As is, the reader must intentionally stop and reflect on how his ideas might apply to their own life.
Take-aways:
- You can use rough estimates of probabilities to calculate risks and decide on the best course of action.
- If you can remove a necessary condition of the risk, you can eliminate the risk
- Add slack/ flexibility to your plans, so you have room to pivot and still achieve your goals
- Be mindful of “and” and “or” operators in your mental calculus
- Create more “or” operators high in the model that something will go right.
I would have given it 5 stars if, at the end of the book, the author had tied everything together by summarizing the key takeaways in a way that the average person can use. For example, if you are job hunting, you can create more "or" operators by applying for more jobs, as this increases the likelihood one of those branches will be successful (i.e. that one application leads to an offer). As is, the reader must intentionally stop and reflect on how his ideas might apply to their own life.