Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com October 17, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 21 BIZ BOOKS How winners think differently to create a competitive edge "E lite Minds — How Winners Think Differently to Create a Competitive Advantage and Maximize Success" by Stan Beecham (McGraw Hill Education, $25). We constantly get software updates from Microsoft, Apple and smartphone apps. Some are major; some routine; others fix glitches. Think of your brain as software (i.e. the oper- ating system,) your body as hardware and stress as malware. The brain tells the body what to do. The body complies — unless it's influenced by the conscious or subconscious mind. Exam- ple: Conscious — You hurt your elbow and are unable to swing a golf club properly. Sub- conscious — You hit golf balls great on the driving range, but your game falls apart on the golf course and you don't know why. The "why" involves your beliefs (i.e. your opinions about what you can or cannot do). The golf course presents challenges (e.g. bunkers, woods, water, etc.), which trigger subconscious messages about your ability to do some- thing well. When those messages say you're not good at golf, the results bear this out. Winners find ways to overcome these glass- half-empty messages. How? By reframing their beliefs from "I can't do this very well" to "I think I can do this if I change … "). When you identify ways to change and execute, the brain sends a positive subcon- scious messages. Guess what? Your game improves. At the end of a day winners ask "Was that the best I could do?" They acknowledge having off days, but they don't dwell on them. They look forward to the next day. Beecham suggests a simple solution to monitoring your progress: "On the days you improved, give yourself a W for a win. Days that you fail to advance, give your- self an L for a loss." When you begin stringing together Ws, you're well on your way to mini- mizing negative subconscious messages. Key takeaway: You're not competing against others; you're competing against yourself. • • • "People Tools for Business: 50 Strat- egies for Building Success, Creating Wealth and Finding Happiness" by Alan C. Fox (SelectBooks, $16.95). Fox shows that the more you learn, the more you realize there's still more to learn. He's always adding tools to his toolkit. Here are some highlights: 9. "You are not in the business of mak- ing telephone calls or writing emails." How much time do you spend each day on the phone and with email? How much of that time helps you "make things happen" with your job? When it comes to evaluating per- formance, results count; "busyness" doesn't. Don't get caught in the thick of thin things. 12. "Wait three days." There's an emotional impulse to react quickly to bad news. Invariably, a shoot-from-the-lip response results in shooting yourself in the foot. Take some time to think about not only what happened but why it hap- pened. Once you identify the why(s) you can't begin identi- fying fixes. Communicating "Let's solve this problem" rather than dwelling on 'the bell that can't be unrung' keeps people engaged. 18. "Give it away." Forget microman- agement. Delegate. Let people do what you hired them to do. Leverage their skills. The more they do, the more they learn — and the more productive the department, division, etc. becomes. When mistakes are made, remember that you make mistakes, too. 26. "Ready, Set, Improvise." Things rarely go as planned — especially in conver- sations and negotiations. You don't know how the other party will react. Improv comedy teaches the art of saying "Yes, and" to build the scene. The "Yes" shows agreement; the "and" addresses their concern. In a nutshell: "You are the sole proprietor of your life." The more tools you can use to build it, the greater your chances of success at home and work. n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak EXPERT CORNER Can we secure the internet of things? By William Malik T he internet of things — the internet- working of everyday physical objects — is all around us. Every day our cars, homes, offices and even our bodies through things like medical devices are becoming more and more connected. At a recent event in Cleveland, security expert Bruce Schneier observed that compa- nies are deploying three kinds of internet-con- nected technologies: • Sensors, such as GPS devices, ATM always-on cameras and thermostats. • Real-time ana- lytics, such as u s e r- b e h a v io r assessment pat- terns, weight and freight tools and traffic modelling. • Actuators, such as building HVAC sys- tems, automated locks, traffic signals and automotive steering and brake commands. Functionally, according to Schneier, these three categories of technologies combined make a robot, one that is difficult to control and even harder to secure. Many of these new technologies bring excep- tional benefits to individuals and businesses. Yet, as more and more devices become "smart," and IoT becomes larger and more mainstream, massive streams of data also provide potential substantial value to criminals. In situations where threats may be evolv- ing as quickly as the device technology itself, a layered approach is best, but we all must do our part for this solution to work. Layered security requires coordination from citizens, the greater community, the business sector and government. The following are some steps each can take to help improve security: Businesses • Businesses must identify an informa- tion-security function and staff it appro- priately. This role should encompass responsibility for the security and integ- rity of intelligent devices alongside con- ventional information technology (serv- ers, laptops, smartphones, networks and cloud-based services). • Establish policies that acknowledge and accommodate the presence of IoT within and around the enterprise's environment. • Companies should open a liaison with local police agencies that might offer assistance in the aftermath of a crisis. Government • Consider how IoT vulnerabilities can impact citizens. Currently, core informa- tion technology is seen as the responsibility of its owner. After a noisy problem involv- ing a population harmed by an IoT vulner- ability, governments will act — but with a bit of foresight, that action need not be disproportionate or dysfunctional. • Understand that while the network was never the computer, networked devices con- centrate vast processing power. This aggre- gated IoT needs a governmental policy- based response. Individuals and businesses cannot change social policy fast enough. Social groups, clubs and not-for-profit organizations • Identify a device steward, someone who would list their intelligent devices and occasionally check with the device ven- dors for any notices, warnings, recalls or suggested updates. • Have someone with IT skills available (as a volunteer or on call professionally) to help minimize the consequences of a defect or a serious attack on the group. • Understand how your group interacts with said devices and ensure everyone is aware of potential exposures as part of that group. Education is key to assessing risk. Individuals • Be aware of the population of intelligent devices in your home. If you have IoT devices in your home, check in regularly with vendors or a reliable third party for notices, bulletins or warnings concerning their devices. • Assess personal value vs. potential risk for each of the personal devices you con- sider purchasing. Do your homework, be informed. Securing IoT is a challenge, but with coopera- tion from the government, individuals and com- munities, as well as businesses, we can all take small steps to make the world a safer place. n William Malik is a client-solution advisor at Optiv, an information security company. William Malik ▶ ▶ Improv comedy teaches the art of saying 'Yes, and' to build the scene. The 'Yes' shows agreement; the 'and' addresses their concern. ▶ ▶ As more and more devices become 'smart,' and IoT becomes larger and more mainstream, massive streams of data also provide potential substantial value to criminals.

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