Cyber Attacks No Longer a Big Biz Problem: Twitter Chat July 19

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Cyber Attacks No Longer a Big Biz Problem: Twitter Chat July 19 Posted: 14 Jul 2012 02:50 PM PDT Join me, along with other small business owners and managers, for a discussion about how small businesses are now being deliberately targeted by cybercriminals — and what you can do to protect your business. In the first 6 months of 2012, the number of targeted attacks against small businesses, has doubled.  And when your organization is smaller, your budget and your IT defenses tend to be smaller.  So it can be a business-survival issue for a small business. Thanks to Symantec, we’re bringing together security experts on Thursday, July 19 at 4pm New York time (1pm Los Angeles time) to discuss what you need to be aware of and what you can do to protect your business.  We’ll cover the following: What is a targeted attack and how it differs from other cyber threats Why small businesses are being targeted (so you know what criminals are after!) How Mac users are being targeted — using Macs is no longer a pass. How to make your employees aware of the threats, including training Defending your business to avoid dollar losses. A poll by Symantec of small businesses (PDF) found that 50% of small businesses believe they would not be targeted in an attack, simply because they are small.  Yet,  40% of all attacks target small businesses.  Bottom line:  your size doesn’t protect you! I am excited to have two world-class (in my opinion) experts in security issues joining me in this chat.  It is difficult to get access to people of this caliber, with so much knowledge — yet they have made time to come on Twitter to answer questions and offer ideas and potential solutions.  I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity. Twitter chat details: CyberAttacks: Not longer just a big biz problem Date: Thursday, July 19, 2012 Time: 1 – 2 pm PT (Los Angeles time) / 4 – 5 pm ET (New York time) Expert participants: Kevin Haley, Director, Symantec Security Response, Symantec – @kphaley Andrew Singer, Director of Product Marketing, Symantec – @SymantecSMB Anita Campbell (yours truly), Small Business Trends – @Smallbiztrends Where:  On Twitter.com.  Follow the hashtag #SMBchat to see what others say during the chat.  Be sure to use #SMBchat in your tweets when you participate.  All are welcome — join in!!! From Small Business Trends Cyber Attacks No Longer a Big Biz Problem: Twitter Chat July 19

The Art of Being Unreasonable Offers Superb Leadership Lessons Posted: 14 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg stated in the foreword for Eli Broad's new book, The Art of Being Unreasonable: Lessons In Unconventional Thinking, that we will run into unreasonable people, and that "some of us have been called unreasonable or worse." When I read that statement, I felt the book set the right tone for introspection when striking out on your own.  Entrepreneurs are constantly told they are leaders, yet we are living in a world where cooperation is essential for success, so being too unreasonable leaves one being too isolated. What is the right balance? How To Stand Out Instead of How To Act Out While planning another review, I picked up an e-book version of Broad’s book from the publisher. The idea of an author addressing how to act confident but not arrogant and how to act gracefully instead of graceless caught my attention.  Broad’s example may catch your attention, too, such as his retelling of his first job and how he got fired as a way to note where the fine line of grace is: “Asking your new boss for a raise because you did something he could not do is an example of being artlessly unreasonable.  It's not a habit you want to cultivate because, frankly, it's just another way of being willful or selfish.  It won't get you anywhere but trouble…” How Does This Book Help Small Business Owners? Broad speaks from his experiences mostly in this book, so if you have read several exec-penned books already, suggesting to read Unreasonable may strike you as, well, unreasonable to read another sales pitch for an exec.  But I wouldn't dismiss Broad’s penned thoughts.   The expressions are helpful for business owners running relatively young companies that are still feeling their oats. Broad offers his comments on applying judgment when you should be "unreasonable" and when you've crossed a line: “Research – and using what you learn from it to analyze every situation – is what separates being unreasonable from being irrational.” I appreciated that approach, and as I read the chapters, I could see how that approach works well.  His personality of respecting the game of business, as well as other people, comes across, too.  Check out his quote about marketing below: “I also learned that confidence may get you one side, but overconfidence can lead to forget to ask yourself: What do customers want and need?  That's the key to marketing. The answer we came up with – and this is always the answer – is value. No matter how much money your customer have, they still want value.” I also appreciated his approach to work-life balance. Broad has none in mind  - he writes that his wife reminds him of it. But with that classic all-in work ethic comes a healthy awareness that his happiness is the merging of both lives: “…I'm happiest when my work and my life feel like one and the same, not like two opposites to be balanced. I am a workaholic because I consider everything I do as part of my work.  It's one reason I put our family name on buildings. I'm proud of what I do in the office and outside of it.” Broad then gets to the heart of how that lifestyle works, avoiding mumbo jumbo.  He suggests that the decisions to manage time is where the focus should be, not just what it is you are doing: “The best way to take control of your time is to know what you must do.  Thinking that everything is important, that every request from other people has to be answered with a yes, will make 24 hours seem inadequate.” From those thoughts, I liked his notion about football – Broad enjoys watching the sport, but TiVo the broadcasts, not wasting "3 hours to watch a 1 hour game." Deep Thinking From A Storied Executive Indeed some of Broad's advice is the type you'd find in other books on personal development, but the statements come from a source of excellent leadership.  Broad has lead  Fortune 500 companies (KB Homes, SunAmerica) from the ground up and has extensive philanthropy in the arts, health, and education.  The capacity to be productive giving to others and exhibit tenacity is evident through the text. There are also chapters that serve well for those working with young employees as well as older employees who know how to be young at heart. Eli makes a point to address beginning careers, worklife balance, and second acts careers.  For the seasoned professional, Broad muses that his biggest advice – to question things – should still be a part of personal career management: “Too often, age and experience become an excuse for accepting the status quo.  Instead of asking "why not?" you become overwhelmed with all the reasons something can't be done….You grow fearful of making mistakes.” Picking up The Art of Being Unreasonable is a pretty reasonable decision if you need inspiration in leadership. You'll find plenty of golden nuggets that suggest how a business owner can be tough yet fair in decisions and in life. From Small Business Trends The Art of Being Unreasonable Offers Superb Leadership Lessons

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