How To Be A Great Spy

As a break from the Coronavirus news and all the politics on television, I have been getting into some great spy novels. Here is a scene that stuck with me.

A secret agent is about to go behind enemy lines and he is being prepared so he can blend into his new environment. Beside filling his wallet with “pocket litter” (e.g., receipts from local stores, movie theaters, a loyalty card for a local grocery chain), the secret agent gets schooled on “local lingo” so that he can credibly pass for someone who has lived in the new city for many, many years. The list of things he has to learn is exhaustive, and it immediately reminded me of many conversations I have had with new friends, colleagues, or clients over the years. 

Back when many of us used to travel a lot, I’m sure there were times you would meet someone on the plane, on a train, at a conference or a reception and it turned out that the new acquaintance claimed to be from a place you know very well. Immediately, the questions start flying. If the person claimed to be from Delaware, a first question might be “What high school did you go to?” If it was New Jersey, “Near what exit on the Turnpike?” Other shared memories might involve the nickname of a local department store or the mascot of a local sports team.

I remember one time sitting next to a person on the plane who claimed to have lived and worked in Berlin, my hometown, for several years. When it turned out that he clearly had never heard of the KaDeWe (the largest and oldest department store), and didn’t know what a Currywurst or a D?ner are (both are key food groups treasured by Berliners), it became clear to me that he was was not as familiar with Berlin as he claimed! If he was a spy, he had not been schooled in spycraft very well. 

Think of all the local lingo that you have grown up with, became familiar with during your college years, or that relates to where you work. I’m sure the list is long and may seem trivial to you, but it acts as a bit of a secret code. For example, an abbreviation you might only be familiar with if you served in the U.S. military or the name of a study hall or library at university. There is no way someone who attended the University of Virginia did not know “Alderman” or “The Lawn,” and yet those names are meaningless to almost everyone else.

How could someone ever have lived in the Philadelphia area and not be familiar with “The Blue Route”? And yet its name actually is nowhere to be found on a map. Who has ever lived in Hong Kong but doesn’t know what an Octopus Card is (let alone have one on them)? The ECP and the PIE highways both lead to Singapore’s Changi Airport and you take the BKE if you want to drive up to JB (Johor Bahru, on the Malaysian side of the border). All are second nature to Singaporeans, just as the FDR and the BQE are to New Yorkers. Local lingo is everywhere.

When you do as much business internationally as I have, you will find that clients, colleagues and business partners really appreciate it when you take a genuine interest in their city or country. Make a real effort to learn about the community and the things that all the locals know. Be curious.

If you have some good examples of local lingo or secret abbreviations, please comment here so we can all learn!

Michael Marquardt is a trusted advisor and board member who has served as CEO of four companies over the past 26 years. He has lived and worked in Europe, Asia and the United States and is fluent in his native German. For the past 11 years Michael has provided strategic guidance and advice to corporate and government clients, while serving on boards of directors in the United States, Europe and Asia.