The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames by Kai Bird

[WaltBristow]

Robert Ames. I had never heard of him before reading this pre-release copy of his biography by Kai Bird. Now I feel like I'm a member of his family.

Of course, the purpose of a biography is not just to document a life. A biography should also lead the reader to epiphanies of lessons learned.

Bird leaves you with a feeling that Ames is larger than life. Not because of what he did but because of who he was and how he was able to help those around him discover in themselves qualities and abilities that perhaps they didn't know they possessed. That may seem a strange quality for a spy. But Ames was more than a spy. He was a mentor. He was an example. He was a teacher.

Now, on to the lessons learned by 'observing' the life of the spy. Or at least a couple of the lessons I learned.

Ames taught us the importance of relationships. Recent revelations about the NSA (and other intelligence organizations) demonstrate that we rely almost exclusively on electronic data gathering in the world of national intelligence. And we rely too little on human intelligence - the boots on the ground. Ames' experiences with the CIA show again and again the dangers of relying too much on electronic data gathering -- whether it's a spy in the sky or intercepting electronic signals. Yes, we may have the capability to listen in on Angela Merkel's phone calls. But is the content of those calls the ultimate goal?

Electronic intelligence may tell you what happened or what a person did. It is great at discovering facts. What Ames' life teaches us, and what Kai Bird so effectively shows us in The Good Spy, is that relationships between people help us understand more. Boots on the ground help us understand not only what a person does but also why they do it. And if understand the person, we are in a much better position to know how she will react when faced with certain circumstances in the future.

Of course, this is a lesson that not only applies to the world of international espionage. It is also a lesson that many businesses seem to not understand. How many businesses rely on predominately on metrics and give almost no credence to the relationship it has with employees, suppliers and customers?

Ames also believed that to understand someone, and to develop the relationship that helps you understand the why of his life, you must understand the world he grew up in and that he lives in. Ames spent many hours in studying the history and culture of the Arab people. He spent many more talking with Arabs in every walk of life. His understanding of the Arab mind was more than intellectual. His love for and deep understanding of these people is what allowed him to eventually become an adviser to presidents.

The lesson? See the world through the eyes of another before you criticize his actions. Walk a mile... Seek first to understand... There are many lessons but they all come down to an understanding that people are different. They don't necessarily think or feel the same as you do. And if you're going to ask them to do something for you (whether it is sharing state secrets or sharing your political or moral views), you're much better off talking with them about things that have nothing to do with what you want -- but that everything to do with what they want.

One wonders if the world today would be different had Ames been taken more seriously. Could there be peace in the middle East? Or at least could there be less violence? Would terrorism have become the tool of the Palestinians - and later the radical Islamists? Would there have been a 9/11? Maybe. Maybe not.