In the aftermath of the U.S. Intelligence services Iran bombshell earlier this week, the comments of Republican John Ensign serve to highlight the frustration often faced by most intelligence gatherers – Reported content does not fit the goals/ambitions/aspirations of their masters!

Adding his voice to White House resistance to the latest Iran report, Ensign said: "Iran is one of the greatest threats in the world today. Getting the intelligence right is absolutely critical."

Does getting it right mean... “Bring me what I want to hear”?

How many of us in business are worn out by superiors who want either tailor made good news or insist on absolute proof before they are willing to accommodate unwelcome input. Either way, potential intelligence value is destroyed in an instant. How futile it is to then talk of vision, accurate predictions and competitive strategy....!