Leadership is Influence. Influence is Leadership.

What can business leaders learn from intelligence officers operating in hostile environments?

A great deal.

In a world shaped by geopolitical instability, economic uncertainty and rapidly shifting global alliances, organisations face increasing pressure to adapt, influence and lead effectively under conditions of ambiguity and change.
In this environment, technical expertise and positional authority are no longer enough.

Modern organisations succeed or fail on their people’s ability to influence others, build trust quickly, navigate complexity and sustain high-value strategic relationships across teams, cultures and stakeholder groups.

Some leaders achieve this naturally. Others struggle.

Many leadership teams face the same challenges:

• Difficulty influencing without formal authority
• Weak collaboration across teams, functions and cultures
• Challenges building trust with clients, colleagues and stakeholders
• Inability to communicate vision in a way that inspires action
• Poor understanding of the motivations driving other people’s behaviour
• Leadership styles that rely too heavily on process, hierarchy or control
• The consequences are costly: siloed thinking, weak stakeholder alignment, disengaged teams, damaged client relationships and missed commercial opportunities.

The Think Like a Spy Leadership Masterclass has been designed to address these challenges.

Based on Julian Fisher’s groundbreaking book Think Like a Spy, this highly engaging and interactive one-day programme introduces leaders to the interpersonal and influence skills used by intelligence officers in high-pressure environments.

In espionage, success depends on understanding people, building trust and influencing behaviour, leading to durable and long-term strategic relationships. The same is true of leadership.

This Masterclass is ideal for:

• Senior leaders and leadership teams
• Future leadership talent
• Business development and client-facing professionals
• Teams operating in complex stakeholder environments
• Organisations seeking stronger collaboration, influence and trust

Delegates are guided through Julian Fisher’s innovative Awareness Model of Leadership: a practical framework for developing more self-aware, adaptable, inclusive and influential leaders.

Participants will learn and practise nine ethical influence techniques used by intelligence officers to recruit high-value assets and inspire long-term loyalty under pressure: leadership in its purest and most practical form.

Through a dynamic combination of instruction, case studies, role-play and practical desk-top exercises, Julian translates the mindset and methods of espionage into powerful real-world leadership and sales tools.

Delegates will learn how to develop:

• Strategic and tactical planning: creating a clear and compelling vision
• Transformative storytelling: communicating vision with influence and impact
• Empathy and active listening: understanding motivations and building trust
• Environmental and cultural sensitivity: reading situations and adapting effectively

At the heart of the programme is the pursuit of your True North: heightened self-awareness, others-awareness and situational awareness.  These are the three pillars of both successful espionage and exceptional leadership.

By the end of the Masterclass, delegates will be equipped to build stronger strategic relationships, influence more effectively, lead with greater confidence and create meaningful commercial advantage.

Praise

‘We were delighted to host Julian Fisher, the esteemed intelligence and espionage specialist and author of Think Like a Spy, for an insightful workshop and lunch with our team.   It was refreshing to explore communication and relationship-building through his unique lens, drawing on principles that are highly adaptable to so many industries.

‘Much of what he shared translates seamlessly to everyday civilian scenarios, and even concepts like surveillance and counter-surveillance prove invaluable in navigating today’s landscape of AI and cyber threats.

‘Our time with Julian reinforced the importance of continuous learning from as many diverse and expert perspectives as possible.’

Head of Client Engagement for a Zurich-based wealth management company

‘In our ongoing commitment to cultivating adaptive thinking and operational agility within the Army Special Operations Brigade, we recently had the privilege of hosting Julian for his Think Like a Spy Masterclass. His session offered a compelling, unfiltered, and deeply insightful exploration of his mindset, cognitive frameworks, and real-world experiences. Julian’s ability to distil complex concepts into practical, actionable models resonated profoundly with both our soldiers and officers, fundamentally reshaping how they approach problem-solving and decision-making in dynamic environments. His teachings transcend the military context, offering universally applicable tools for navigating complexity and ambiguity in any domain. I am fully confident that the insights delivered in just a single day will have a lasting and transformative impact on the intellectual culture of our organisation.’

Major G Davies, Army Special Operations Brigade

 ‘Julian’s masterclass offers a fascinating exploration of how to build strong, lasting relationships across both professional and personal spheres. It focuses on identifying the right allies, securing their genuine investment both internally and externally, and motivating them to help deliver your vision. These are the fundamentals of executing any successful strategy, and they lie at the very heart of Julian’s approach. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging day, with lessons brought vividly to life through real-world, relatable examples.’

Head of External Relations for a London-based think-tank

 

Contact

To find out more or to book a Masterclass, please email Julian direct on jules@julesfisher.com

Available:
online, in-person,
one-to-one or in groups

Discounts for:
students, NHS staff
and third sector