Code name Intrepid. Sir William Samuel Stephenson is one of those unknown people who have greatly impacted our world that very few people have heard of...that is unless you happened to be Sir Winston Churchill or FDR. Setting up in Rockefeller Center in 1940, under the guise of the British Passport Control office, Stephenson established the British Security Coordination (BSC) to channel communications between MI6 and US intelligence at a time when the United States was attempting to help, but remain neutral in the growing war in Europe.
The following year in a joint effort between the Canadian military and MI6, Stephenson, a real-life James Bond, opened a special training facility on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario to build a network of spies to be used during the war and developed a system called Hydra to transmit encrypted telegraphs and intelligence information. The facility known only as Camp X, opened 83 years ago on December 6, 1941...the day before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and plunged the United States headfirst into battle.
"Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, 'Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.'" (Joshua 2:1)
Spycraft is nothing new. Back in the day, even Joshua used clandestine operations to gather the required Intelligence to establish an edge in the coming battles. It's not always the strongest that wins, but the one with the most knowledge. The collection of information and the wisdom to distill it into an action plan will beat brute force the majority of the time. Going into battle better prepared than the opposition is crucial.
Being the expert speaks to this. Practicing scripts, pre-planning objection management, establishing alignment, superior knowledge of product and process, and artfully engaging in active listening are all essential to success. If you want to win in any endeavor, win the battle for information.
"Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge." Proverbs 18:15
Be in constant pursuit of knowledge and learn how to apply it. Be the expert. Be an intelligence agent.
And one other thought about spycraft. There are always people listening, so protect yourself, your family, your business, and your brand by governing your mouth. If the ears and eyes are what ingests information, the mouth is what compromises it...and you. Loose lips sink ships, gossip is dumb and there’s always a quiet bird just waiting for you to drop a crumb.
"Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don't make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom. For a little bird might deliver your message and tell them what you said." (Ecclesiastes 10:20)