Spies, Inc.: Business Innovation from Israel's Masters of Espionage (Hardcover)
by Stacy Perman
Do not pick this book up thinking it is another thriller from Israeli intelligence community whose exploits beat any fictional thriller hands down.
Read this book if you want to pick up some entrepreneur sparks. This is also a good book for entrepreneurs who are feeling down. It can certainly uplift the spirits of such people when they realize the adversity against which Israeli entrepreneurs triumph on daily basis.
We do not have to go too far to find out the proof for success of Israeli entrepreneurship. Israel ranks number three for the number of companies listed on NASDAQ after US and Canada. Many spectacularly successful companies such as Checkpoint software came out Israel.
The author has a done a superb job of showing that side of Israel which is not shown many times. People read about Israeli military activities either with awe or hate and that's about it. Of course, violence in that region dominates all sorts of media.
Due to security concerns Israelis do not wish to buy sensitive technology. They either develop in internally or steal it from out side and modify it to make it unique. The incidence where Israeli intelligence had influenced an Iraqi pilot to defect with Russian built MiG fighter jet got a lot of publicity.
Israeli entrepreneurs mainly come from military background. After having been thru several years of innovating under huge pressure they are far more hardened than regular entrepreneurs. Israelis have mastered the art of getting best of entrepreneurs even when they are part of military. Who says discipline kills creativity? On the other hand, entrepreneurs thrive in well organized environment. It may be fatal to ask such smart people to follow process, organize, keep everything meticulous but if they are provided such support they excel. That's the reason behind putting an outstandingly well organized project manager to help manage a very creative team.
This book is full of many successful entrepreneurial stories from Israeli military, how innovations are encouraged and fostered, how people are allowed to carry on their ideas after they complete their military service etc. are well described.
Great book to get a totally difference perspective on entrepreneurship. After reading this if any entrepreneur complains about how hard it is to be an entrepreneur, ask him/ her take a job, at least for a while.
Cheers!
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