Business Solutions for Fall 2019

FALL 2019 7 SOLUTIONS Why Hackers Target Small Businesses Are you one of the many small busi- nesses under the mistaken impression that hackers are only interested in stealing data from big corporations like retail chains? Do you think you don’t really have data worth stealing? Actually, small businesses fall into a “sweet spot” for hackers—they have more digital assets to target than an individual consumer but less security in place than an enterprise business. Small businesses tend to be less consciously aware of their risk for cyberattacks and therefore don’t allocate enough time and money for cybersecurity measures. Statistics point to the fact that small businesses need to pay attention to cybersecurity. According to the Verizon 2018 Data Breach Investigation Report , 58 percent of malware attack victims are categorized as small businesses. 1 The U.S. Small Business Adminis- tration offers a self-paced training course on Cybersecurity for Small Businesses. Visit www.sba.gov/ course/cybersecurity-small- businesses to access it. 1 https://bit.ly/2I7B8EO Nearly 2,000 years ago, Greek philosopher Epictetus said, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” That remains good advice for employers today. Active listening—as opposed to half-hearted hearing—is a tool that can lead to valuable benefits in the workplace. It can help you: • Retain key employees • Improve morale • Build trust • Increase engagement • Gain access to diverse ideas and solutions • Identify potential issues • Grow your business • Build strong professional relationships • Improve teamwork • Reduce conflict How can you become a better listener? Try these techniques: Reduce distractions.  In order to have a significant conversation with an employee, avoid looking at your phone or computer. Keep the focus on the person and pay attention to not only what’s being said but also the non-verbal communication. Create space in your day. As you manage your calendar, schedule enough time for reflection and space throughout the day. That way, you’ll be able to give people your full attention when needed. Listen with curiosity. Don’t just go through the motions and listen to be polite. Listen with genuine curiosity. Make it your goal to learn something you didn’t know before the conversation started. Strive for a 2:1 ratio of listening to talking. Remember the Epictetus quote? Stay aware of howmuch listening you’re doing as compared to talking.When you do speak, try the active listening technique of repeating back what you heard to avoid misunderstandings later. Wait until the other person is done talking before you respond. When you start thinking about your reply before the other person is finished, you can miss out on some of the information being shared. If you’d like to discuss a challenge or concern about the communications services at your business, we’re ready to listen. Call Panora Telco at (641) 755-2424 or Guthrie Center Communications at (641) 332-2000. Make Sure You Actively Listen to Employees