Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/787797
wbjournal.com | February 20, 2017 | Worcester Business Journal 23 10 T H I NG S I know about... . . . S e c u r i t y p r e c a u t i o n s By Michelle Drolet Drolet is CEO of Towerwall, a data security services provider in Framingham. You may reach her at michelled@towerwall.com. K N O W H O W How personal happiness can lead to professional success W hen we tackle a job and a career, we are often asked to sacrifice what we're most passionate about personally in order to punch the proverbial clock. This affects our per- formance, growth and life outside of work. We can do better by making sure per- sonal happiness is a part of our professional success. Incorporating passion into your work means that every day matters, and the value of your day-to-day efforts impact your life, career and company. You become more quickly known for an area or skill; that helps build your per- sonal brand among coworkers and customers, in the community and in more public forums such as social media. This may be easier said than done. More employers need to embrace the idea that employees are not just filling a role for the company – the company is filling a role for them as well. People want to know their impact and feel good about what they are contributing. As company leaders, we must take a look at our policies and explore how we may make personal drivers a part of our program. At AAFCPAs, for example, we have two specific initia- tives that help our employees weave their personal passions and functional expertise together. The first is our onboarding process with new employees. When associates join the firm, we stress the importance of loving what they do. In addition, we have a group coaching model that allows individuals to experience the different service lines and industries we serve. They work with coaches to determine which arena they most enjoy working in, and they may elect T he benefits of mentoring across teams are well documented. But what about bringing in folks from the outside for mentoring your teams as a standard practice? Here are three things to know if you're looking for outside mentors to elevate your employees. External or agile talent mentors are, by nature, entrepreneurial, which is a good thing, says Jon Younger at Harvard Business Review. "This type of entrepreneurial mindset is extreme- ly helpful and is very often lacking among full-time employees who don't have significant market or competitive contact," he writes. It may open up new ways of problem solving and col- laborations that lead to professional development. And it gives your com- pany another inroad to connections and insight. "We encourage managers and team members to … have the conversation about who is worth get- ting to know," writes Younger. Brainstorm mentor sources. You don't have to necessarily use a mentor firm. Martin Lehman of the apparel industry, a long-time counselor at Service Corps of Retired Engineers (SCORE) suggests seeking out men- tors at larger businesses that don't compete with yours. In an article at Inc. magazine, he encouraged compa- nies to "think industry," and consider suppliers, local chambers of commerce and trade publications as resources for willing mentors. Get out there with a strong mentor agenda. Seminars, conferences and workshops are great chances to identi- fy outside mentors. "As a keynote speaker delivering over 60 presenta- tions a year, I can assure you … few people actually take time to personally thank a speaker or ask them a follow- up question. You'd also be surprised how memorable this makes you to the speaker," Jo Miller writes at Mashable. com. She suggests asking if it's OK to follow up with questions on the speak- er's area of expertise initially, and if they are willing, building the relation- ship from there. BY SUSAN SHALHOUB Special to the Worcester Business Journal 10 1: O u t s i d e m e n t o r s W 10) Change your password. If you've been using the same password for a long time, then it's time to change it. You should not only change your passwords regularly but not use the same one for every app or website. Try to use more than 13 characters. 9) Turn off wireless connections. When you aren't actively using your Wi-Fi, bluetooth or other wireless connections, you should turn them off to safeguard your privacy. 8) Check privacy settings. Using apps and services on the default settings often exposes you to unnecessary risks. Dig into those settings and make sure that you aren't sharing any data unnecessarily. 7) Opt-out of sharing data. Advertisers are thirsty for your data because it is valuable to them, but sharing unreservedly does little for you. Opt-out of sharing data wherever you can. You don't know who has access. 6) Keep your web browsing private. Take advantage of private web browsing modes, such as Chrome's Incognito mode, and delete your browsing history, cookies and cache regularly to prevent anyone snooping. 5) Remove third-party social media plug- ins. It may be quick and convenient to log in to a new app or service with your Facebook account, but you might be sharing more than you realize. Don't grant third-parties access to your social media sites. 4) Turn off geotagging and geolocation services. When you aren't using a device to navigate, there's no need to have location tracking turned on. You should turn off the automatic geotagging of photos. 3) Use credit cards, not debit cards. You enjoy an extra layer of protection with credit cards, making it easier to claim money back if something goes wrong with a purchase you made. Don't use debit cards online. 2) Only shop online at trusted websites. It's very easy to get a browser extension that will only permit access to secure HTTPS websites. 1) Act quickly if you suspect cybercrime. If you think you've fallen victim to cybercriminals, you need to take action quickly. Call one of the three major credit bureaus and place a fraud alert to make life harder for criminals and identity thieves. BY CARLA McCALL Special to the Worcester Business Journal W Carla McCall is co-managing partner at Westborough accounting firm AAFCPAs and chair of the Massachusetts Society of CPAs. W to move around within the company. Once they choose their path, we then tailor their training and education around that area. This training model helps them to gain an appreciation for their coworkers' experiences, challeng- es and thought processes. We have institutionalized an indi- vidual goal-setting program, which was initially beta tested among the partner group and then will be rolled out firm-wide. Employees share goals with mentors and coaches, keeping them top of mind within their team. Bringing these personal drivers into the forefront of the workplace has opened doors at every level. It helps us to sup- port employees who actively serve nonprofits, who are pursuing advanced degrees, are taking extended trips to visit family overseas, and more. If matching personal passion with job func- tion is not part of your company culture, you may consider creating programs to integrate the two. It will help keep your employees engaged and committed, and it will help them find new levels of energy and enthusiasm. Working late will feel like a choice instead of a chore, and you will more quickly become recognized for the contributions you make. The ultimate goal is to have your employees answer, with a resounding "YES!" when some- one asks them if they love their job.