Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com March 20, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 21 BIZ BOOKS Ways to get ahead by thinking like a CEO "T hink Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a CEO — 50 Indispensable Tips to Help You Stay Afloat, Bounce Back and Get Ahead at Work" by Beverly E. Jones (Career Press, $15.99). Way too many workers think of them- selves as employees rather than the job-own- er/entrepreneur of "Me Inc." Employees cede control over what they do and how they do it to the employer. They see themselves as gears in the machine of business. Job- owner entrepreneurs, on the other hand, constantly look for ways to build their skills and brand by managing up (i.e. bosses), down (subordi- nates), and sideways (peers). While recognizing the collec- tive strategy of the organiza- tion, they believe in their vision of what they need to contribute and accomplish. Here are some of Jones's brand-building tips: "Think like an entrepreneur wherever you are." Focus on the customer: Without satisfied customers, no business grows. They spread the word; they actually name and affirm your brand. As Me Inc., you must know your cus- tomers; there's no one-size-fits-all approach to working with them. Always ask yourself how you could better serve them. By meet- ing their needs, you'll meet yours. Positive interaction also creates allies. "Talk back to the voice in your head." Everyone has a cautionary voice in their head. When that voice becomes loud, you become worried about what could go wrong. When worry trans- lates to action, you play not to lose, rather than playing to win. Reframe worry to a positive by changing out- look from "I'm not sure" to "Today, I will take the next step toward my goal." "Measuring progress makes your goals more powerful." Awareness of what's been done brings focus to what remains to be done. Develop a Fitbit mentality for tasks by measuring activities most likely to contribute to achieving your goal. The more steps you take, the more likely you'll reach your goal. Also measure the non-contributors. When you recognize they're not moving you forward, take action to minimize their negative effects. Jones' underlying theme: Always choose optimism. • • • "Leading through Language: Choos- ing Words that Influence and Inspire" by Bart Egnal (John Wiley & Sons, $28). Blue-sky thinking. Core competen- cies. Leverage. Synergies. — We have to avoid blue-sky thinking by focusing on core competencies to leverage synergies. You've heard such corporate-speak in numerous meetings and presentations. Does it actually explain what's happened or what must be done? "No," argues Egnal, "Jargon, buzzwords and corporate-speak usually exist because of a dearth of clear, powerful thinking." Egnal believes real words convey real meaning and inspire people with a call to action. Winston Churchill: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, ... we will never surrender." Could there be any doubt what those words meant to friend or foe? To be effective, leader- ship must create believers. It must inform and inspire. It must get people thinking about what must be done and their role in the doing. Leadership communication begins with conveying vision with urgency, excitement, confidence and passion. Example: "Togeth- er, we can make our company THE indus- try leader, and we'll do it by becoming the first choice of … . The path requires hard work and difficult choices. The talent we have will make it happen." Part of the hard work involves recogniz- ing that leadership language must be tai- lored to his/her audience. That doesn't mean dumbing down the message. It does mean putting some thought into the words you choose. It should be personal, too; using we, us, our, etc. shows actions require collabora- tion and teamwork. Speak- ing from a shared perspective ensures understanding. Key takeaway: "Replace jargon with substance." n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak EXPERTS CORNER Key steps to fend off a cyberattack By Jonathan Stone I t's no longer enough to be small or lucky. These days, cyberattacks affect business- es of all sizes and types. In fact, small and medium-sized businesses are now the target of 65 percent of cyberattacks. What sets apart companies that fend off hackers isn't just technology — it's a mindset. Certain knowledge about your company, your industry, and what kinds of cyberattacks you can expect provides a foundation that guides tech- nology choices and behaviors. Companies that understand these things stand a better chance of avoiding a costly breach. What they have to lose Companies that successfully defend against cyberattacks give careful thought to what data they have that hackers might want, and how it would affect their business and repu- tation if that information were compromised. The release or theft of trade secrets for tech and manufacturing firms, for instance, can mean the loss of a competitive advantage. Even small amounts of seemingly boring medical data can fetch a premium on the black market for use in insurance fraud — not to mention a major HIPAA violation. B2Bs often don't con- sider the private information they have about their clients and partners, and how a breach of that data could affect crucial relationships. Companies also frequently fail to consider how valuable their information is to them- selves. The most common type of cyberattack for businesses is ransomware in which hack- ers encrypt a company's data and demand a ransom to unlock it. In addition to the cost of the ransom — which about half of business- es in this situation pay — what would it cost your organization to lose a day of productivity while your data is locked? How about a week? What if you never got it back? What types of attacks are common in their industry Most organizations don't have to worry about anyone hacking their servers to change grades or get answers to an exam. Yet, this is a major concern for educational institutions whose brands rely on their academic integrity. An awareness of not just the common types of cyberattacks that affect all businesses, but also those specific to your industry, helps stay a step ahead of hackers. Healthcare organiza- tions, for example, have only started to catch up on defending against internet-of-things attacks in which hackers can control or shut down networked medical equipment. Human nature is their greatest weakness The primary way hackers gain access isn't brute force; it's deception. Even the best technology can't keep hackers out if you unwittingly let them in, and the trickery is evolving just as fast as the technology. "Phishing" attempts to glean passwords by impersonating personal contacts or trusted organizations. Hackers also venture into the real world, with schemes like leaving virus- infected flash drives near offices in hopes an employee will plug it in. Companies that recognize the only way to achieve comprehensive cybersecurity is to train their employees regularly at all levels are much less likely to experience a breach. What they don't know Surprisingly, the average lapse between when a breach occurs and when it's detected is 100 to 200 days. Hackers use this lag to steal data over a period of time, or to learn about your organization to achieve broader access. A worthwhile thought experiment is to assume a breach will happen and that you won't know it has happened. How would you put extra protection around your "crown jewels" — the most valuable data and systems — to make it harder for the bad guys to get to the good data? For example, even if a hacker installs a key logger that captures IDs and passwords as they're entered on your computers, adding two- factor authentication to the most sensitive sys- tems would make it much more difficult for the most important data to fall into the wrong hands. While it's no secret that being hacked can cause major reputation damage, the reverse is also true: A proactive approach to cyberse- curity can engender trust. n Jonathan Stone is chief technology officer and chief operating officer at Kelser Corp., a technology consulting firm in East Hartford. Jonathan Stone ▶ ▶ Job-owner entrepreneurs constantly look for ways to build their skills and brand by managing up (i.e. bosses), down (subordinates), and sideways (peers). ▶ ▶ Small and medium-sized businesses are now the target of 65 percent of cyberattacks.

• Cover