During this presentation we cover the Five Fundamental Truths and the Six Essential Truths from one of the most important articles you can ever read about intelligence collection and analysis - "What I learned in 40 years of doing intelligence analysis for foreign policy makers..." In short, we've tried to distill this article into a few key points, all of which are relevant to the world of business today.

1. 40Years Of
Intelligence
Expertise
Distilled

2. The Article: What I learned in 40 years…
 Author: Martin Peterson
 CIA
 FullTitle: “What I learned in
40 years of doing intelligence
analysis for US Foreign
Policymakers…”
 Contains: Martin’s:
 Five Fundamental Truths
 Six Essential Truths

3. “Five FundamentalTruths”
 The product is optional equipment
 “It is not surprising then that policymakers do not always see how we can help
them: “After all, I, the policymaker, am smart and have excellent sources of
information (including all the ones you have), and I am very busy, so why
should I spend some of my most precious commodity on you?”
 The written product is forever
 “Once it is printed, there is no taking it back or modifying it.”
 The public does not segregate success or failure
 “…in the intelligence business success is transitory, and failure is permanent.”
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol.-55-no.-1/what-i-learned-in-40-years-of-doing-
intelligence-analysis-for-us-foreign-policymakers.html

4. “Five FundamentalTruths”
 Our collective credibility rides on every piece of
intelligence that goes out the door…
 “Our ability to “raise the level of the debate” or to “help policymakers make the
best decisions possible” or to “speak truth to power”—however one defines the
mission—rests on one thing and one thing only: our reputations for analytic
rigor, objectivity, and total integrity. Lose that and we lose everything.”
 Our customers are smarter and more sophisticated than
we give them credit for, they have their own independent
sources of information and analysis which we are
competing
 “We have to establish our credibility and usefulness individual by individual,
administration by administration.”
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol.-55-no.-1/what-i-learned-in-40-years-of-doing-
intelligence-analysis-for-us-foreign-policymakers.html

5. “Six EssentialTruths”
1) How one thinks about the mission affects deeply how one does the
mission
2) Intelligence failures come from an inability to step back and think
about:
a) UnderlyingTrends, Forces, and Assumptions – not from failing to connect the
dots
3) Good Analysis makes the complex comprehensible which is not
the same thing as simple
4) No substitute for knowing the domain
5) Intelligence starts when we stop reporting on events in our area
and start explaining them
6) Managers of intelligence analysts get the behavior they reward
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol.-55-no.-1/what-i-learned-in-40-years-of-doing-
intelligence-analysis-for-us-foreign-policymakers.html

6. Service vs. Product Mentality
 “A service mentality is the opposite of a product
mentality, which often seems to drive the work of
intelligence analysis…”
 “In a product mentality, the focus is on the producer,
who thinks of a product as his or hers. It is also about
packaging that product and disseminating it widely.
Success is measured in numbers—how many units
were produced or how many received each unit.”
 “Forty years of experience have taught me that
failing to identify a specific audience and an
intelligence question up front is often at the root of
the weakest analytic efforts.”
 “Success is measured not by the number of units
produced, but by how well the product addresses
and answers the specific concerns of an identified
and targeted audience.”
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol.-55-no.-1/what-i-learned-in-40-years-of-doing-
intelligence-analysis-for-us-foreign-policymakers.html

7. Competitive Intelligence…Resources
 The “Competitive Intel” Podcast
 Available on iTunes,Stitcher Radio, etc.
 Episodes have covered topics such as mining modern data sources and effective research methods, analysis
topics, etc.
 Going Beyond Google: Gathering Internet Intelligence – 5th Edition
 Our book focused on mining modern data sources
 Listed as a must read by the Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals society as early as it’s 1st
edition.
 Past Conference Presentations
 We’ve been fortunate to be asked to speak on 5 continents and have delivered a variety of competitive and
market intelligence talks at conferences and events around the world.
 In fact we deliver over 25+ talks a year to various industry associations and groups
To learn more about any of the above go to: www.cascadeinsights.com/resources

8. Cascade Insights
“Insight that drives better decision making…”
We provide competitive intelligence services to B2B
technology companies.
Companies use our competitive and market insights to:
• Outflank the Competition
• Capitalize on New Opportunities

9. Contact Info:
info@cascadeinsights.com
503.898.0004