I remember reading it as I was starting my intelligence career. The article's aim was to be a blueprint on how to do analysis. But it also hi-lighted common pitfalls of new intelligence analysts . This is my take on the topic. Usually, the intelligence newbie starts off his career after many years of college or university.
Academic work is different from intelligence work.
Do an initiation briefing stipulating that failures, like those mentioned, will likely happen and are normal Communicate your organization's sense of mission and vision Explain clearly the difference between academic and intelligence writing Present the intelligence analysis process clearly and thoroughly Provide positive reinforcement to help cope with early failures Competitive and business intelligence is a growth industry right now. This growth means that many more managers are trying to cope with a higher proportion of new analysts entering their organizations. While attempting to cope, after some time, many managers are ready to conclude that analysts are born, not made. This idea may have some truth to it, albeit somewhat extreme. We all know that there is no substitute for experience and the maturation of an analyst has no magic formula - mostly trial and error, with efficient coaching.