The FBI Way audiobook

In this era of "alternative facts" and "anything goes", the author provides insight into how the FBI maintains it's high standards and excellence. Using a core set of principles, the FBI sets their expectations on conduct right from the beginning of an agent's career, and does not bend for any reason. Personally, I prefer this type of organization. It let's you know exactly what is expected of you, and of your co-workers. Not a different set of rules for a bosses favored people. It reminds me of what I was taught early in my own law enforcement career. "Act in a manner that was firm, fair, and consistent". Follow those three rules and everything else will fall into place. The author goes into much more detail, but I believe the bottom line is the same. Good book.

Must read! Great powerful fun read.

“You can’t live by two codes at once. You also can’t spot and avoid the kinds of codes and conduct that threaten your values if you never even develop a strong sense of what it is that you value. You’ll never see the threat coming... Our lives and livelihoods are enhanced when we know what we stand for.” ~ Frank Figliuzzi FBII can’t begin to describe how much I enjoyed this book! It wasn’t just full of interesting FBI scenarios and facts, but I also learned a lot about values and how to build integrity in my daily life. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the FBI, as well as those who are looking for an interesting self-improvement book. The FBI Way is two in one, and it’s a book I’ll be reading again and again.

The book was exactly what I assumed it would be based on the promotional activity Frank engaged in this year. A leadership/management manual, but not the obnoxious kind. All seemed pretty logical and well conveyed to me.Plus the stories. All of them were engaging, some of them more serious and poignant, some had their amusing side (never thought I'd emit a few guffaws reading about an anthrax attack investigation). Yes, there could have been more stories in the book, but frankly, I enjoyed the book's succinctness. And yes, as I assumed going in, it was indeed very nice to read an FBI book that had nothing to do with The Emails and contained only trace amounts of The Former Guy.A note: I'm not really an audiobook kind of person, so I don't have an Audible subscription. This was the first time I was regretting it, since this particular Mr Former Agent has a voice my ears find very pleasant and a way of speaking I enjoy. Oh well, maybe at some later point I'll just buy the damn audiobook.

I received a free proof of this book with the suggestion that I review it. I've skimmed some of the other reviews, a few of which seem to miss Figliuzzi's point. I also have to admit that one of his sons is a former student of mine (who did well) and that I'd already "wished" for the book on Amazon. Figliuzzi writes about how to lead and create an organization that almost always achieves its goals and makes almost all of its members responsible for that accomplishment and maintains good morale -- a "field-tested playbook for unlocking excellence." He mentions several times that he is not recommending how to create a perfect organization. He uses his lengthy service to the FBI to illustrate the elements of a good organization. He does drop a political opinion here and there. After all, one of his jobs since he retired from the FBI is as a frequent national security contributor on NBC and MSNBC. However, these opinions, too, are examples of the very thing he's discussing: how an organization achieves its goals or doesn't and sometimes why it does or doesn't.While I read Figliuzzi's book, I thought how useful it would have been when I was teaching team work in my technical writing classes. Rather than the rather boring step-by-step process text I was using (however relevant), it seemed as if The FBI Way would have been more interesting to read and more relevant for those students who needed team work skills in the jobs they'd be performing in a few years.Not really a "pulse-pounding memoir," as Amazon calls it, not a "tell-all" or biography, and not all boring textbook, either, The FBI Way is an interesting way to get some tips on how the FBI does "it" and how those principles can be applied in one's own organization or family (to some degree).I gave it four stars because, since it was an uncorrected proof, it had no index and a few grammar issues.

THE FBI WAY, by Frank Figliuzzi, is part memoir, part how-to, and part history/current events. It actually transcends genres and its central focus is the institution known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Figluzzi had worked with the FBI for 25 years in multiple capacities, rising as high as Assistant Director of Counterintelligence. Because of this, he has served as National Security Analyst for TV Network MSNBC. Figliuzzi opens with an Introduction. He spreads his actual content across seven chapters. He wraps things up with an Epilogue, following it with Acknowledgements of those who made this volume possible.From the beginning, the target audience for this book is anyone who fills any position of leadership. Your leadership can consist of running a nonprofit, a business, a place of worship, a faith-based ministry or mission, or occupy any position of power or authority. Having filled leadership positions throughout his entire career, the author speaks from his experiences in the FBI. He takers what he calls the core FBI principles and sets out to use them, showing how the reader can and should apply them to any type of leadership position he or she fills at the moment. Figliuzzi writes in easy to understand language, so that any reader can understand what he is getting at. I did not learn much more about this author from what I already knew from what he has shared on TV and from research. He provides much information about the FBI, their mission, and about how and why they operate as they do. I would have liked to learn more about Figliuzzi the man, but from what I knew of his TV persona, I wasn't surprised about the limited personal content. His WIKIPEDIA profile, for example, contains virtually no personal details about Figliuzzihimself. I thought he was quite tough on certain FBI leaders who appeared to have operated in good faith but exercised lousy judgement in some of their action, but he was fair.I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the FBI, especially anyone who may eyes set on working for this institution. I also recommend this book for anyone in leadership who wants to improve their leadership skills, or develop these skills.I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy for a book giveaway. Changes may have been made in the final volume since its publication.

If you’re expecting a dry read, this isn’t it. I’ve enjoyed Frank Figliuzzi’s appearances on TV and podcasts so when I saw this offered on Netgalley, I decided to give it a try. It never dragged or got bogged down in technical details. Instead, the author uses storytelling to illustrate the points, namely, the seven essential traits to the success of the FBI, and by extension, any business or organization: code, conservancy, clarity, consequences, compassion, credibility, and consistency. It’s a great concept and I wish more organizations took this approach.Some of my favorite quotes/words of wisdom included: “...we perform at our best when we’re accountable for something beyond ourselves.” “Trust comes from transparency, and transparency breeds accountability.” “Restoring damaged credibility can take years, even decades, if it happens at all.” I learned a few things too. For example, the trigger pull on the Wesson .357 Magnum revolver requires about nine pounds of pressure. “If you want to get a feel for the trigger-pull test, find a full bottle of wine, grasp it with both hands, and fully extend your arms out in front of you. Hold that position for thirty seconds,” to comprehend the weight of the gun. The trigger portion is even more demanding, best likened to picking up a full one-gallon jug of milk with only your index finger, repeatedly, over thirty seconds. It’s safe to say I won’t be applying for the FBI.I also learned something that might be common knowledge, but I found it appalling nonetheless. “According to FBI statistics, the average age a child prostitute fell prey to a pimp was thirteen. The average life expectancy for that child after becoming a prostitute was just seven years.” This means, on average, these children are barely making it to adulthood.There’s a fascinating story told about a covert car chase from Colorado to New York as various FBI agents surveilled a suspected terrorist by the name of Najibullah Zazi. “FBI surveillance units in state after state had been handing off Zazi like a toxic baton in a deadly relay race.” The wording of this was clever enough to capture my attention.There’s also the story of the anthrax outbreak at AMI in Florida. The details were riveting, and I found myself having a whole new appreciation for the work done by those agents. In fact, I have a whole new appreciation for everything that they do and the underlying principles that drive them: Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity. This timing of this book could not be better. Having just endured the endless denigration of their organization over the course of the past 4 years, now more than ever, the FBI needs to rebuild its image and revive the trust that many have always had in them. I believe those who read this book will be pleasantly surprised to discover the caliber of people consistently chosen for the US’s elite police force. I know I am.

Frank Figliuzzi’s nonfiction THE FBI WAY: Inside the Bureau’s Code of Excellence is better than I expected. The book’s chapters are organized under the “Seven C’s” – seven concepts he says underlie the strength of the FBI. Implementing the seven concepts, he says, could improve any organization or individual. The seven concepts:1. Code – the core values everyone in the organization should share - a belief in integrity.2. Conservancy – the collective effort to preserve and protect the worth of an organization, place or thing.3. Clarity – the organization’s rules and priorities must be clear, facts should be developed as clearly as possible under the circumstances before making a final decision4. Consequences - Actions have consequences. It’s best if everyone knew the range of consequences beforehand; and in making decision took in consideration possible consequences of decision and actions.5. Compassion -consideration of fellow agents’ distresses, and consideration of victim’s distresses; and work to ameliorate them.6. Credibility – Outsiders must believe in the organization and the values it espouses.7. Consistency – Consistency adhere to your core values, even when (or especially when) a novel challenge appears. Make challenges in the organization is necessary to improve the organizations’ seven C’s.The seven C’s can be vague in the abstract. Figliuzzi, who spent years in the FBI, fleshes out the concepts with specific events from his career. Even if you blow off the Seven C’s, the stories - many from high profile cases – are interesting in themselves.Frank Figliuzzi definitely is a company man, and proud of it.It’s a fast read. After a slow start, it gets interesting. Very worthwhile.4 stars

This is a very energetic and enthusiastic description and defense of the FBI's core values, standards, and internal processes that keep the bureau on the right track. There are a lot of excellent points made which have application for organizational excellence. Some of stories told reflect the intensity and costs of extended combat operations, a point many civilians would find exceptionally difficult to endure. Flexibility and adaptability to change are emphasized throughout the book; however, one point about change is usually overlooked: the genesis of that change. Rarely does one hear about considering why the "need for change?" It is usually assumed to be necessary when perhaps "change" means modified definitions or procedures driven by someone trying to appear bright and innovative instead of improving efficacy. Considering this point reinforces Figliuzzi's main theme of sustaining the FBI's core values when fulfilling its mission. He explains how they did this while adapting to serious domestic and foreign threats of an evolving nature. I do not agree with a couple of subjective assessments of a political nature but fortunately there were few. If I could make one recommendation it is to put a glossary to define all of the acronyms used. I am very familiar with how helpful it is in military and historical books in making understanding easier for readers not familiar with the terms.

I had to put down the other books I'm working through when my library hold unexpectedly came, and I'm quite glad this book found me when it did. It's exactly as it sounds, a walkthrough of Figliuzzi's esteemed career in the FBI; anyone interested in politics and true crime will love the inside look he offers to some of the biggest stories of the last 20 years. (I particularly enjoyed hearing the stories behind the Anthrax attacks, but each of his stories resonated as something I remembered hearing about at the time.) I was not expecting the pick me up; the feeling of "hey, you got this, you can lead too" that the book left me with. Since it's an overview of why the FBI is given our trust, and how they continued to have it, and in explaining that, he emphasized how we too can gain our peers' trust and supervise graciously. Most importantly, I found the section on how to lead with compassion the most compelling as his illustration story of an agent between a rock and a hard place (I won't spoil it) hit home. It was a pep talk I didn't know I needed. Quick book, I read it in two days, and I'm a slow reader. I enjoyed it enough to order a copy to keep.

I found myself whipping through this. Not only was it full of very interesting real life FBI caase experiences of the author but ideologies and tenets defining the very topic itself, the FBI Way, was peppered throughout.I highly recommend this read: especially to those who cynically view the FBI as just another policing instrument of intimidation and justice strong arms. The first hand experiences of humanity's inhumanity that are faced by these field agents, across America, every single day is horrifying to those of us who have never even been the subject of a traffic stop. To read of the FBI principles and points of conduct that they swear allegiance to and the oath of service to their country that they pledge honor and obedience to as well, should allow everyone to rest a little easier in the confidence that the FBI is on watch.Are they perfect? Of course not.Are there ever bad apples lurking in the bunch?Of course.Read this. And see that "The FBI Way" IS the best way.Honestly!

Well worth the read I was attracted to reading this book by my admiration for Frank Figliuzzi as a specialist TV commentator. In fact, it wasn't hard to read this book in his voice and see his face and mannerisms, because it is totally consistent with the person you see on your screen - knowledgeable, authentic, fair minded, fearless, considered, compassionate etc. etc. I instinctively trust and believe him on screen, and this carries over into the book. I learnt a lot, enjoyed the read, and if anything found it too short! Would that all our "leaders" in all walks of life have such high standards of both aims and achievements, and I agree with Frank that following the precepts he lays out as "the FBI Way" could form the basis for any organisation to be successful and admirable in the way it conducts itself.

A very good insight into how the FBI operates and a reminder of why I could never be an FBI employee despite how inspiring & dedicated the men and women of the organization are. Figliuzzi breaks down the FBI philosophy into multiple parts and tells interesting stories as he goes along. I think the one mistake he makes is trying to draw comparisons with civilian life in the form of business and personal lives and tries to make a how-to, inspirational book based on the example of the FBI. It is almost like it was an afterthought or perhaps an editor's idea to sell more books. No, Frank, the FBI story can stand on its own, and as Jack Webb would advise, "Just stick to the facts, sir."

Moral codes and standards of excellence matter. I enjoyed this book's communication of "The FBI Way" yet some of its contents were dry (which is why I give 4 stars). Years ago I was told "You can either be right or happy." The FBI is an entity who tries to get it "right" every single time, and that deserves all of my respect because it's a similar code to which I live my life... where the truth matters. As another told me, "Matter don't matter." That's where a consistent code with its moral compass pointed to true north helps in how we trust and live lives so that a clean and clear conscience makes for the softest of pillows.

Very well writtenAlways well spoken, I’ve admired Mr. Figliuzzi for a while. He documents in depth what most Americans know and respect about the FBI, but also gives us all the reasons why we are correct in believing in the agency, its employees and agents. I am not sure higher standards are set for any other organization.I also enjoyed reading about some of the interesting cases he worked during his admirable career. We are lucky to have incredible people like him serve our country.