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STAR EMPLOYEES AREN'T ALWAYS MANAGEMENT MATERIAL – AND THAT'S OKAY

My colleague once shared a story about managing that I will never forget. At the conclusion of her company’s performance management process, one of the new manager’s evaluations were the most thoughtful, honest and actionable she’d ever seen – despite it being his first time providing formal feedback. Unfortunately, it was also his last time. Upon realizing the effort required to manage people, the employee decided to relinquish his managing role and return to his passion as a software developer. 
I love this story because it highlights the importance of truly understanding people management. “Manager” is a responsibility – not just a fancy title – that requires a special set of skills and immense effort. And it’s not for everybody: It should be okay for ambitious high performers to decline the management career path.
The many consequences of ineffective and uncommitted managers take a high toll on organization effectiveness. Far too often, top individual contributors transition into management roles for the wrong reasons and without knowing what the role truly entails. In a previous post, I shared some alarming data from the Corporate Executive Board’s (CEB) Corporate Leadership Council research:
  • 57 percent of managers would have opted for non-management roles if there were an option.
  • 65 percent of managers would “opt-out” of their management roles today if given a chance to take another equally attractive role.
  • 31 percent of managers were neither committed nor effective at their management roles.
  • Only 19 percent (out of 9000 managers studied) were both committed and effective at managing.
In order to avoid the mediocre management syndrome, human resource professionals need to provide career path alternatives, help high performers consider alternatives and then carefully select qualified and committed managers. Below are three ways to cultivate the best managers for your company and determine the best paths for your employees:
1. Offer alternative career ladders
Commonly found in technology industries, dual career ladders allow those not well-suited or interested in management to advance their careers up a comparable professional ladder. “Distinguished engineer” might be the job-level equivalent of a senior manager or director, for example. And an engineering or scientific “fellow” may be the equivalent of a vice president.
2. Mentor aspiring managers
You can design a set of tools, programs and experiences to help top performers gain an understanding of the management path – and make an informed decision about whether it’s right for them. At 2020 Talent Management, for example, we developed a one-day program to mentor aspiring managers in Bangalore, India. During the pilot program, two engineers approached me after lunch, having already decided management was not right for them. This was a true win-win – the engineers avoided accepting an ill-fitting job and the company avoided appointing disengaged managers.
The next time I delivered the program in Boston, I shared the Bangalore story with the group. By 11:00 a.m. that morning, one of the participants told me he did not have to wait until after lunch – he already understood management was not the best fit. 
3. Design a comprehensive selection process
Jim Clifton, the chairman and CEO of Gallup Inc., said, “The single biggest decision you make in your job – bigger than all the rest – is who you name manager. When you name the wrong person manager, nothing fixes that bad decision.”  
Establishing a formal process for selecting new managers is critical to the future success of your organization. While the hiring manager is ultimately responsible for any decision, the smartest hiring choices are made in consultation with others (i.e. HR, Leadership Development, current colleagues). When selecting new manager candidates, consider their skills and experiences, such as leadership on informal teams or projects, collaboration and ability to establish relationships beyond their immediate team, as well as their personal motivation and commitment to being a manager. Consider utilizing standardized tools that assess attributes that correlate with manager/leader success, such as Emotional Intelligence and Learning Agility.

If you offer a mentorship or self-selection management program as described above, did the candidate take advantage of it? You can also ask candidates to work through a manager-oriented case study, such as the HBR case study, Is the Rookie Ready.

Great leaders foster engaged teams that deliver great results. By carefully selecting and developing effective and committed managers, you can enhance your organization’s competitive advantage and ensure a sustainable future for your company. 

HOW TO CREATE PERSONAL PERFORMANCE GOALS (HINT: THERE'S AN 'I' IN 'TEAM')

Over the past few months I have been exploring the reasons why I struggle with individual performance goals even though I am a professional in the performance management system design industry. What I keep coming back to is that individual performance management goals are difficult to write, time consuming to develop, and quick to become outdated. 
I also think that calling them “goals” is misleading. To me, a “goal” denotes special work that is accomplished outside of regular duties, something that has a finite beginning and end.

Bring the Team to the Individual

So what do we do? Perhaps we’re over-thinking the process. Perhaps it’s as simple as sharing team goals with all employees, augmenting them with one or two work statements that have an element of “regular job” with a component of added speed, accuracy or service to help work towards some of the team goals.
The team goals come directly from the team business plan, which is shared and dissected by the team, generating ideas that can lead to team success. It is not so much the process of breaking down the goals as it is collaborating on achievement. Even if an employee’s role is tangential to the work described, she can still participate in the accomplishment of the team business plan. By being involved in dissecting the business plan, she has ownership in the result.
Performance review dialogue for team goals can be a conversation about contribution — reflecting on what went well, and what didn’t.

Don’t Stop at Documentation

The reality is that, unless the administrative work of setting, reviewing, adjusting and documenting goals actually adds value to the organization, I challenge the need to do it.
The documentation is not the end game — the successful accomplishment of the work is the end game. We document to ensure that leaders are doing their jobs and developing and challenging their teams. After all, isn’t that what performance management really is?
So rather than going through the annual exercise of breaking organizational goals into individual goals, why not take the interim step to develop the team or unit plan to accomplish the organizational goals, sharing and dialoguing with team members about the plan, the successes, the challenges and the results, and engaging team members in making real meaning in their work by clearly seeing how it contributes to the whole.

HOW TO CREATE PERSONAL PERFORMANCE GOALS (HINT: THERE'S AN 'I' IN 'TEAM')

Over the past few months I have been exploring the reasons why I struggle with individual performance goals even though I am a professional in the performance management system design industry. What I keep coming back to is that individual performance management goals are difficult to write, time consuming to develop, and quick to become outdated. 
I also think that calling them “goals” is misleading. To me, a “goal” denotes special work that is accomplished outside of regular duties, something that has a finite beginning and end.

Bring the Team to the Individual

So what do we do? Perhaps we’re over-thinking the process. Perhaps it’s as simple as sharing team goals with all employees, augmenting them with one or two work statements that have an element of “regular job” with a component of added speed, accuracy or service to help work towards some of the team goals.
The team goals come directly from the team business plan, which is shared and dissected by the team, generating ideas that can lead to team success. It is not so much the process of breaking down the goals as it is collaborating on achievement. Even if an employee’s role is tangential to the work described, she can still participate in the accomplishment of the team business plan. By being involved in dissecting the business plan, she has ownership in the result.
Performance review dialogue for team goals can be a conversation about contribution — reflecting on what went well, and what didn’t.

Don’t Stop at Documentation

The reality is that, unless the administrative work of setting, reviewing, adjusting and documenting goals actually adds value to the organization, I challenge the need to do it.
The documentation is not the end game — the successful accomplishment of the work is the end game. We document to ensure that leaders are doing their jobs and developing and challenging their teams. After all, isn’t that what performance management really is?
So rather than going through the annual exercise of breaking organizational goals into individual goals, why not take the interim step to develop the team or unit plan to accomplish the organizational goals, sharing and dialoguing with team members about the plan, the successes, the challenges and the results, and engaging team members in making real meaning in their work by clearly seeing how it contributes to the whole.

HOW TO TAKE THE EVIL OUT OF HR

I have heard this too many times: “Here comes HR. Something bad is about to happen.” 
Simply put, HR walks into workspaces and people worry about their jobs. In an effort to gain respect for our profession, I wonder if we’ve allowed ourselves to assume a role that is absolutely wrong for what we really want to achieve — trust.
Termination of an employee is a significant risk to the organization, even if all the proper steps are taken and the conversation is honest and accurate. HR is charged with managing the risk and, by golly, if we’re going to assume the risk, we are going to manage it. After all, it is our opportunity to grab a little power in the organization.
The performance and disciplinary process in organizations is cumbersome. If leaders were proactive about setting performance expectations, giving regular and clear feedback, and providing ample warning when the end is near, they would own the process and HR could go back to being a trusted advisor to leadership.
Do we in HR really want to allow ourselves to jeopardize the very trust we are trying to gain by micro-managing leaders in the performance and discipline process?
Many HR professionals have already turned this role back to managers. Some develop management skills, while others trust their managers to carry out disciplinary meetings without HR. Some still point the terminated employees back to HR to collect their ID, keys, cards, and get all of the appropriate forms signed.
But here is the challenge in that — at least from my perspective. HR should be trusted by leaders and by employees. By putting them in the position of being associated with terminating employees, we damage their reputation and put trust at risk.
Is there a better way? I have a couple thoughts:
  • HR should actively coach leaders in how to discuss performance and termination with their employees. When I say actively coach, I mean role play and pretend to be the employee and allow the manager to practice to the point where both have confidence that the manager will communicate clearly and not put the organization at risk.
  • If there is a difficult situation anticipated, have the next level manager participate rather than HR. This gives the next level manager insight into how the manager communicates and manages the organizational risk. It also keeps HR out of the “evil HR” role.
  • Provide a checklist to the manager for terminated employees, so that they collect the employee’s ID, keys and completed forms.
Allowing HR to distance themselves from the actual employee meetings may help in preserving a reputation of trust. Visiting business units for positive reasons is also a great way to avoid being seen as “the terminator.”

LEADERSHIP LEARNING IN THE TIME OF EBOLA

This isn’t a trick question, but a serious inquiry. I believe that learning happens at three levels in any organization: the individual level, the team level and the organizational level. Higher levels of learning are not necessarily the sum of individual or team learning, but a dynamic and evolutionary way that people come together to accomplish something.
Individuals can learn by reading a book, writing a paper, talking with others, and reflecting internally. Teams and organizations cannot learn by reading or writing. Given that teams and organizations are comprised of individuals, learning occurs in the spaces between the people — through interaction, dialogue and debate.
Apparently the Center for Disease Control counted on reading and writing as learning tools to protect against Ebola outbreaks, sending their protocol to healthcare providers to read and implement. I suspect that the two nurses who cared for Mr. Duncan would agree with me that reading the protocol wasn’t enough. Thankfully, in most organizations, we don’t face life and death situations, but perhaps there is a lesson for us to learn from this horrible situation so that we can avoid falling into the trap of thinking that simply communicating a change in behavior is sufficient to actually enact behavior change. 
Even without dire situations facing us, we do find ourselves needing to change behavior. Take, for example, those in leadership positions. As a leader, our behavior must change the moment we accept the role. We now have responsibility for the work, the people, and the results. That is a sobering responsibility, to have so much hinging on our leadership skill.
Yet we send new leaders into their roles without helping them to learn how to lead.  We may communicate to them the content that they need to know. We may even do a really good job of teaching them how to budget, complete performances reviews, and allocate other administrative work. Rarely have I seen organizations that help a new leader learn leadership behaviors, though.
Changing behavior requires practice, reflection, feedback and more practice, particularly when the behaviors are contrary to someone’s instinct, or are difficult to carry out. Helping someone learn these behaviors requires a systematic, consistent process of stating clear expectations, establishing consequences, and allowing the new leader to practice in a safe space.
What happens if a new leader is not given the opportunity to learn? She may have great instincts or have looked up to and observed a great leader. She may not have the instincts or role models. Everything that an organization accomplishes is through people, and leaders are in the unique position to either motivate or stagnate a group of people. Is leadership of the people of an organization something with which we want to take a chance?
Perhaps had the CDC realized the significance of the behavioral change required by the Ebola protocol, they may have sent advisors to help ensure that the learning was, in fact, taking place when the first case appeared. Like the CDC promulgating a protocol document and expecting that everyone will do the right thing and take it upon himself or herself to learn and practice, we cannot leave leadership skill to chance. It is too important to the success of our organizations.

SHIFT THE PARADIGM: CAROL ANDERSON'S WISH FOR HR IN 2015

What does 2015 hold for human resources? Honestly, I don’t know. I worry a bit about our future: will it bring more of the same or will we step up and make a change in order to create real value?
We need a shift. We are under fire and often seen as a necessary evil. We function as an overhead department and are pressured to reduce expenses. We devise programs that are dreaded and implement technology that is clunky. If we were a business, would our customers be buying?
Rather than make a prediction for 2015, I want to make a wish. I wish that human resources would use this next year to make a dramatic change in their approach to work — moving from an overhead department mentality, to that of a business provider.
I have a lot of years invested in this profession, and I truly believe that HR professionals have the ability to add tremendous value to organizations. But what does it mean to “add value”?
When I became an independent consultant and started reading and talking with others in the field, one message was consistent: we must create products and services that satisfy a need and provide value. This means doing a very good needs assessment, reporting back about what you hear and confirming the validity, and then devising a plan to fill the need. Once you implement the plan, you begin the process of evaluating effectiveness — gaining candid feedback from users about whether it addresses the need, and whether it is a feasible and workable solution. If it is not, then you tweak the solution until the need is met.
We don’t do that in HR. Instead, we tell the client (aka employee) what they must do, but rarely do we ever ask them for feedback. I know this for a fact because I have been one of those HR people who really didn’t want to hear any negative feedback because I felt powerless to do anything to fix it.
What if we used 2015 to do a really good needs assessment on one or two of our products or services?
Let’s take “talent management” as an example. What does talent management mean to your organization? Can you answer that question? Would your answer mirror that of your executive team? You probably have a talent management program in place. If you can’t answer the questions about what it is supposed to do, how do you know if it is the right solution?
Make 2015 the year that you commit to adding value to your organization, find out what value means, and assess your current programs for their value.
That’s a lot to do, all while keeping the wheels turning at the same time. However, just asking the questions of your executives and leaders shifts the paradigm. It says, “HR really wants to work with the business to make a difference to the business.” Once you turn that corner, I predict that you will gain significant credibility.

SHIFT THE PARADIGM: CAROL ANDERSON'S WISH FOR HR IN 2015

What does 2015 hold for human resources? Honestly, I don’t know. I worry a bit about our future: will it bring more of the same or will we step up and make a change in order to create real value?
We need a shift. We are under fire and often seen as a necessary evil. We function as an overhead department and are pressured to reduce expenses. We devise programs that are dreaded and implement technology that is clunky. If we were a business, would our customers be buying?
Rather than make a prediction for 2015, I want to make a wish. I wish that human resources would use this next year to make a dramatic change in their approach to work — moving from an overhead department mentality, to that of a business provider.
I have a lot of years invested in this profession, and I truly believe that HR professionals have the ability to add tremendous value to organizations. But what does it mean to “add value”?
When I became an independent consultant and started reading and talking with others in the field, one message was consistent: we must create products and services that satisfy a need and provide value. This means doing a very good needs assessment, reporting back about what you hear and confirming the validity, and then devising a plan to fill the need. Once you implement the plan, you begin the process of evaluating effectiveness — gaining candid feedback from users about whether it addresses the need, and whether it is a feasible and workable solution. If it is not, then you tweak the solution until the need is met.
We don’t do that in HR. Instead, we tell the client (aka employee) what they must do, but rarely do we ever ask them for feedback. I know this for a fact because I have been one of those HR people who really didn’t want to hear any negative feedback because I felt powerless to do anything to fix it.
What if we used 2015 to do a really good needs assessment on one or two of our products or services?
Let’s take “talent management” as an example. What does talent management mean to your organization? Can you answer that question? Would your answer mirror that of your executive team? You probably have a talent management program in place. If you can’t answer the questions about what it is supposed to do, how do you know if it is the right solution?
Make 2015 the year that you commit to adding value to your organization, find out what value means, and assess your current programs for their value.
That’s a lot to do, all while keeping the wheels turning at the same time. However, just asking the questions of your executives and leaders shifts the paradigm. It says, “HR really wants to work with the business to make a difference to the business.” Once you turn that corner, I predict that you will gain significant credibility.

WHY CLEAN DATA IS THE BEST DATA

In today’s HR landscape, data is having a moment. But I’d like to suggest that not all analytics are created equal.
HR data is essentially HR business intelligence. This should be the basis on which decisions are made about the people of the organization. All of the cool technology in the world cannot override bad data, which is why the accuracy of HR data is a highly strategic function.

First, let me provide some perspective.

In 1980, I was responsible for a department that included personnel records. There was a supervisor who had been in the organization for years. Her staff had been with her for almost the same amount of time. I was used to the impeccable (and regularly audited) records from my prior position with the Marine Corps, and this department maintained similarly accurate and credible personnel information.

Next I went into banking, and while “records” were not part of my responsibility, I relied on the data for my compensation analysis. When I got there in 1989, I found another amazing records overseer who kept our data clean by checking and rechecking all of the personnel forms that arrived on his desk. Our job codes, EEO codes, departmental hierarchy — everything needed for good analysis — was clean.
Then came automation.

Technology as a Data Keeper

The records-keeper job was eliminated because our HRIS was going to take over. We worked hard reviewing, auditing and cleaning data so that the “go live” would contain good data. That lasted about a week.
The good news: We could access, sort and analyze data quickly and easily. The bad news: The data got progressively worse.
Why? Because we shifted the job of keeping the HRIS up-to-date from an individual who knew the importance of the data to managers who couldn’t care less. I haven’t seen an organization with good data since. The promise of technology, which could have been such help, fell prey to a system that didn’t review, audit, analyze or even really see the importance of clean data.

Why is Accurate Data so Important?

Today, organizations not only have an HRIS, but many also have add-on human capital management systems which provide applicant tracking, learning management, compensation planning and other specialty modules. If they are smart, however, the HRIS is the “system of record” meaning that all core data is entered in one place and is fed to other modules. This is a critical first step of having accurate data.

How to Fix Jumbled Data

You must take the accuracy of your data seriously. Here are a few ways:
  1. Every data field should have a business owner. It is the business owner’s responsibility to audit the data in that field. As an example, the compensation department “owns” job codes. They should be the only one allowed to update the job code table, but should also audit the use of job codes regularly to ensure that managers are assigning them properly. Job codes are a critical element of HR analysis, in everything from compensation to employee relations. One wrong job code can throw a job’s comp-ratio way off.
  2. Organizational hierarchies should be deliberately established by a collaborative group of HR sub-disciplines. This should happen with the understanding of the implications of each structure on data reporting. For one sub-discipline to change a hierarchy without informing others can do damage to the reporting credibility.
  3. Reports should be produced by a single source within the HR team, regardless of the “owner” of the data. HRIS and human capital systems are too complicated, and a novice analyst can pull the wrong data too easily. One source for reporting should help to catch discrepancies before reports are distributed.

TECHNOLOGY OPENS THE DOOR TO BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE, BUT IT’S NOT THE KEY

So your company is investing in a new talent management system and you think you’ll get all kinds of great data from it, right? Well…maybe.
Just because you buy the latest HR technology product doesn’t mean you’ll get good business intelligence. Technology is not the key here. Solid business processes that result in accurate and timely information are the key.
Human resource data is particularly vulnerable to poor maintenance because the people entering the data are managers and employees that tend to approach the task with resentment (i.e. “doing HR’s work for them”). Not only is the data poorly maintained, but also the same data is reinvented many times over by different branches of HR that use the data for different purposes. What’s more, most HR teams don’t run quality audits on their data to ensure that data entry is accurate or that data is updated as necessary.
Here are some steps a company can take to trust their data and utilize technology tools.

Step 1: Find the Root Cause of the Inaccuracy

We often dump raw data and manipulate it with spreadsheets to make it look pretty. If the data provided to clients is wrong, find the root cause and fix it. It’s often a simple fix, but you need to dig for it.
Use the five whys to find the root cause.
A termination code is wrong on a report.
  1. Why? Because the manager entered an incorrect code.
  2. Why? Because the manager was using an outdated code listing on the intranet.
  3. Why? Because the code listing had not been updated.
  4. Why? Because the HR representative who was responsible for updating the code listing on the intranet had been out for an extended leave and no one knew to make the change.
  5. Why? Because all the responsibility is on one person to remember to update the codes.
If you simply changed the code in the system to the correct code, it would still be wrong the next time a manager refers to the code listing on the intranet. If however, you find the root cause, you not only fix the error, but also the systemic problem that led to the error — the process was too dependent on one person.

Step 2: Make Sure Your Hierarchy is Designed to Distribute Employee Data to Managers Correctly

Many HR systems are fed from payroll that is organized around the accounting department. In our increasingly complex organizations, however, hierarchies aren’t that simple. Employees may be paid by one department, yet may report to a leader in a different department. The unit leader may be part of a specific department for accounting purposes, but in distribution performance and talent reports and processes, they should actually show under their direct manager, not their leader.
This is a great opportunity to think collectively across HR silos, identify different organizational structure needs, and design a structure that works for each need.

Step 3: Get Your Job Data Straight

An HR system is, at its core, a matching system that contains both employee data and job data to be matched depending upon the purpose.  Compensation? The employee is assigned to a job code. Recruiting? The vacancy is assigned a job code. Learning and development? The competencies and learning paths are linked to a job code.
Job codes are both the most powerful and most misused elements of HR data. If an employee is assigned to the wrong job code, their salary grade, their EEO code, their bonus structure and possibly their benefits will be wrong. Companies must think collectively across HR silos and create job codes and job data that works across all HR functions.

Step 4: Make Sure Your Systems Talk to Each Other

One system for recruiting, another for learning, and yet another for the HRIS, may be nicely customized for the HR function using it, but it doesn’t translate across functions. HR needs to talk the same language for the sake of their customers, meaning that a job code to a recruiter should mean the same to a compensation representative.

Step 5: Audit Your Data

It takes work and it takes time, but your credibility is worth it.
Before you open the door to HR technology, be sure you have the ke

Study: Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Prescription Drug Spending

Doctors prescribing medical marijuana to Medicare patients in place of prescription drugs is helping save taxpayers millions of dollars, a new study reports.
According to a recent study published in the Health Affairs journal, doctors are prescribing medical marijuana to Medicare patients in place of medications that have been typically used to treat seizures, depression, pain, and anxiety.
As a result, the Medicare program—whose patients include seniors and people with disabilities—has saved $104.5 million in 2010 and $165.2 million by 2013. The reason for the savings? Doctors are prescribing other drugs less.
An article in U.S. News & World Report states, “In other words, the government appears to spend less on drugs in states where medical marijuana is a legal option. During the time evaluated, 17 states and the District of Columbia had passed medical marijuana laws. Now, 24 states and D.C. have passed such laws. The laws vary—some specify what conditions medical marijuana can be used to treat, others require the prescription of a licensed doctor. Researchers took these factors into account in their study.”

Medical Marijuana Laws and Savings

If all states had passed medical marijuana laws, authors of the study estimate, then the government and beneficiaries could save as much as $468.1 million a year. This total represents 0.5 percent of Medicare drug spending in 2013, according to U.S News & World Report.
However, the study has some limitations. According to U.S. News & World Report, “…previous studies on the Medicare populations have suggested that Medicare patients make up a small percentage of people who use medical marijuana, and that only 13 to 27 percent of people who used medical marijuana are age 50 or older. They admit their study cannot apply to those that are younger.”

UVM Cannabis Science and Medicine Program

With medical marijuana now legal in nearly half the states across the U.S., including Vermont, there is a dramatic rise in the interest in cannabis science and medicine. Physicians, dispensary managers, and edible creators need to understand the indications, counter-indications, benefits, and risks of cannabis and medical marijuana.
UVM is the only medical school in the nation offering a professional certificate in cannabis and medicine. The eight-week, online professional certificate is designed for clinicians, dispensary personnel, nurse practitioners, physicians, pharmacists, physician assistants, edible creators, regulators, and budtenders

10 Ways to Prevent a Cybersecurity Breach at Your Business

By John Burton
Today’s c-level executives would be wise to watch a few episodes of the USA network hit series, Mr. Robot. The technology details in the show are provided by a security expert and former hacker Kor Adana, who recently provided 10 insightful ways to avoid being attacked.
Mr. Robot is one of the most accurate cybersecurity shows to date as Kor breaks down each hacking incident, including precise screen behavior and how the attack operates. He often performs the hack himself and records the screens so everything is as authentic as possible, including typical hacker tools and social engineering techniques.
Here is my take on Kor Adana’s top recommendations to improve your business security.

Double up on passwords

Enable and use two-step verification for sensitive functions whenever it is available. This especially applies to communications such as email and all financial transactions.

Never use the same password twice

Many computer users, including business owners and c-level executives, use the same password for all their accounts. Of course this is the easiest way to remember the password but it makes you very vulnerable to a hacker—imagine the damage they will do if they get that password and use it with all of your accounts. Also consider using password software that will generate very long complex passwords.

Take business mobile security seriously

Many businesses have important mobile apps that store account credentials and a hacker that unlocks your mobile device can quickly get access to all that data. It’s a pain to lock the device every time but using a complex password will slow down or even stop the hack.

Cleverly answer security questions

Your mother taught you to never lie but here is a case where a lie may save heartache and financial loss. Many companies ask a series of security questions when you create the account. If a hacker knows your dad’s middle name, the name of your pet, and other information commonly available on social media, then they have a very good chance of getting into your sensitive information.

Don’t overshare on social media

How many times have you read a post about someone on vacation or at a social event? That’s like an “all clear” signal to a thief. And by sharing birthdays, mom’s last name, and other personal information, you are providing a hacker the tools needed to compromise your security.

Continuously update

Business executives frequently ignore update messages on phones, computers and other devices that run software. Excuses like it takes too long or I might have to learn how to use a new interface (like Windows 10) or I have much more important things to do with my time top the list. The problem with putting it off? Using older versions of the operating system, antivirus, anti-malware and applications open them up to hackers who exploit the known vulnerabilities. Consider the trade-off of spending a little time now or dealing with huge security issues later.

Don’t fall for email scams

Some emails practically scream “if you click here you will be in deep trouble.” But sophisticated hackers have found ways to mimic an email from a trusted associate and insert a URL address that, if you click the link, will go to them. Think about whether Bob in accounting would really ask for every employee’s social security number ASAP. Get into the habit of hovering your mouse over links to see where the reply really goes. If you’re still uncertain, either verify via a phone call or an email to the sender to confirm the situation.

Keep your webcam software updated

Ever heard of ratting? Once the stuff of science fiction, it really is true that hackers can gain remote control of your camera and microphone. Putting tape over your webcam only blocks the view—hackers can still hear what you say. A better approach is to keep the webcam software up to date and disable your camera when not in use.

Always connect securely

Free Wi-Fi doesn’t always mean safe Wi-Fi. Studies show that most popular resorts like Disney World often have bogus Wi-Fi spots planted there by hackers. Double check with the store or resort manager to verify which Wi-Fi is secure. Avoid unsecured Wi-Fi networks and never do sensitive financial transactions over unverified links.

Be smart when attacked

Take every precaution possible to prevent an attack. But if you sense an active breach, unplug and shut down all systems and get a security tech involved. They will likely want to wipe your system clean and help you improve your security procedures to avoid an intrusion in the future.
Business leaders live in a strange new security world and find themselves smack in the bulls eye of the hacker world due to their trusted position. Following these 10 tips will go a long way to covering your back and avoiding the negative fallout from business cyber crime

Alumni Advice: Eva Antczak Creates Inspiration at the Google Food Lab

Eva Antczak ’07 is program manager of the Google Food Lab, a platform for people in food policy, farming, corporate food service, healthcare, technology, corporate food companies, and academia to use their knowledge to solve pressing food system issues.
AlumniAdvice_newWe talked to Eva about her senior thesis on Vermont cheesemakers, managing the Google Food Lab, and why technology and innovation are critical to a sustainable food system.

You graduated from UVM with a degree in environmental studies and Spanish. What made you shift gears and focus on nutrition/food systems?

Food and agriculture have always been my passions, but once I began taking classes in environmental studies at UVM, I realized I could apply those interests to the study of local, regional, and global food systems. After taking classes in sustainable development, anthropology, herbalism, food science, and cheese and culture, I studied abroad for a semester in Oaxaca, Mexico. This experience anchored the information I had learned in a cultural context in which food, agriculture, and nutrition are intrinsically embedded.

Tell us about your senior thesis on artisan cheesemakers in Vermont.

I interviewed livestock farmers and cheesemakers across the state to better understand how and why cheese is such a strong part of Vermont’s identity, and what the biggest challenges, such as government policies, farming knowledge, and marketing, were to the success of these markets. These conversations were enlightening and energizing. I knew I wanted to continue to immerse myself in food systems work.

After graduate school, you ended up in San Francisco. Did your job at the Center for Food Safety bring you there?

After two years of traveling, working on farms, and volunteering for food and agriculture organizations, I attended graduate school at Tufts University in the Agriculture, Food, and Environment program. I gained a new perspective on food and nutrition policy, global agriculture, hunger and malnutrition, industrial food systems and trade, and local/regional foodsheds. I thought I would pursue food policy more deeply, even spending a summer at the USDA, but by graduation, I was still unsure which angle interested me the most.
Having never lived on the West Coast, but knowing there was a vibrant food scene, I landed in San Francisco. I took a position at the Center for Food Safety, a public interest nonprofit that works to protect human health through sustainable and organic agriculture. As a policy coordinator, I worked with the legal team on projects involving confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and GMOs.

You also worked for Farm Aid and FarmsReach.com before your position with Bon Appétit @ Google. What made you want to work for Bon Appétit @ Google?

I worked with FarmsReach, a small start-up providing services and resources to support small to midsize farmers across California, for nearly three years before joining Google. I wanted to not only explore the lens of food outside of the nonprofit, start-up world but also examine how to combine food with the power of Silicon Valley’s technology. I knew there would likely be the resources—whether engineers, partnerships, or capital—to have a bigger impact.

Could you describe your job at Google Food Lab?

I am the program manager of the Google Food Lab, which is a platform for thinkers and doers in the food space to apply their collective knowledge to solve our most pressing food system issues. We convene twice a year for summits at Google offices and between summits work on projects tied to our key focus areas. I plan all the summit programming (speakers, panels, work groups, keynotes, themes, agenda, etc.) while also managing core projects and communications throughout the rest of the year.

What is Google’s philosophy regarding food?

The Google Food program’s vision is to inspire the world to use food experiences to develop more sustainable lifestyles. We take a holistic approach, thinking beyond just minimizing our negative impact to how we can enrich the planet, our employees, our communities, our partners, and our suppliers.
Food plays a central role in supporting Google’s culture. Inspiring food experiences provide fuel for innovative thinking and collaboration among employees. By creating exceptional food experiences, Googlers will be happier, healthier, and more productive and creativ

A Geochemist Finds Her Element with Craft Beer

Penny Higgins is a vertebrate paleontologist and geochemist who loves to brew beer. Penny, who lives outside of Rochester, New York, hopes to eventually open a craft brewery with her husband. She recently enrolled in the UVM Business of Craft Beer Program to figure out how to make her dream career a reality.
We talked to Penny about why she loves brewing beer, what she is learning from the UVM program, and her 10-year plan to open a brewery in rural upstate New York.

When and why did you start brewing?

starting-a-brewery

Penny Higgins
I started brewing maybe three years ago. It was on a whim. I enjoy beer, and I thought I might try brewing some. It was good, so I kept on brewing. One of my favorite things is to brew beers to honor the host cities of the big geoscience meetings each year. I’ve brewed a chili lager for a meeting in Houston, Texas, that wound up being too hot for me to drink. My favorite beer that I ever brewed was a Baltimorphic Complex, honoring the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting that was in Baltimore last year.

Are you thinking about changing careers and opening a microbrewery?

I’m not sure if a career change is coming soon, because I really enjoy my work. I’m a vertebrate paleontologist and geochemist with research focus on ancient climate. However, the paycheck that comes with my job as a research associate at the University of Rochester is dependent upon the whims of major funding organizations, like the National Science Foundation, and the administrators of the university. I’ve held this job for almost 12 years now, but there’s no guarantee that I’ll continue to be employed even for another year. Should I lose my current job, opening a microbrewery may be my next career move. Starting a microbrewery is part my husband’s and my ten-year plan. In ten years, we want to be in a position where we could lose our jobs and still be able to support ourselves financially without having to move. Operating a brewery might be the way to go.

Why did you enroll in the UVM Business of Craft Beer Program?

I started in this program to explore the realities of operating a craft brewery. Would it be possible to start a brewery and continue my job at the University of Rochester? Or would I have to leave academia and do a complete career shift? When I began the UVM course, I had planned on keeping my job and running a brewery on the side, but since taking Fundamentals of Craft Beer course, I’ve realized that probably isn’t realistic. If you ask me now whether I will definitely start a brewery, the best answer I can give right now is a hefty “I don’t know.”

How did you learn about the UVM Business of Craft Beer Program?

I learned about this from Brew Your Own magazine. There was a story on opportunities to learn more about brewing. The UVM program caught my eye because it was about how to run a brewery, not just how to brew beer. As a geochemist, brewing beer is just another kind of chemistry. But the business end of things…that might as well be explained in hieroglyphics. I had talked to a few people about the art of running a brewery, but I knew what I needed was formal coursework. This program was perfect.

What has been your experience taking an online course at UVM?

I’m completed the Fundamentals of Craft Beer course and plan on enrolling in the Business Operations course this fall. This is my first online course experience. It has been a little strange to me because it’s been many years since I was last a student and now I teach at the university level myself. In general, I’ve enjoyed the experience. I particularly liked that each module was arranged to go each week from Wednesday to Tuesday, giving us already-have-a-full-time-job participants the weekend to get our homework done and still have time to review other students’ posts.

Are you finding the coursework challenging?

The work itself was interesting and challenging. Were I not so darn interested in the material, I might have considered it difficult, based upon the time and energy I had to put into it. In the end, I wish I had more time to work on the exercises and respond to my peers’ posts. I really enjoyed the interaction and got a lot out of it. The estimate of 6-10 hours a week of coursework was spot on, but you could easily spend a lot more time.

Why would you recommend the program?

The UVM craft beer program is perfect for anyone who is considering starting a brewery but lacks business experience. Sure, there are books out there. But at least for me, formal coursework with instructors on-hand to answer questions helps accelerate the learning and allows you to avoid big mistakes. Plus, it also puts you in contact with some important names in the craft beer industry, which can potentially give you a boost when getting started.

What is the craft beer scene like in Rochester?

Craft is going crazy in Rochester. There are currently more than 10 craft breweries in Monroe County, which includes Rochester and the greater metropolitan area. I live about 30 miles east of Rochester in Wayne County. Though it is about the same size as Monroe County, there is not a single brewery of any kind in Wayne County, although there is a cidery and a winery. Because Wayne County is less populated and largely agricultural and industrial, that may explain why there are no breweries. My hope is that I can open a brewery that taps into the rural culture of where I live. We’ll see if I still want to do that after finishing the UVM course.

Zika Fears Hit Home in the U.S.

It has been feared for months that mosquitos would start spreading the Zika virus in the United States. Those fears may have been realized this summer in Florida.
Senior officials at the Food and Drug Administration said last week they have asked blood donation centers in two Florida counties, Miami-Dade and Broward, to stop collecting blood for the time being, according to National Public Radio.
Investigators have ruled out travel as the cause of four cases of Zika virus in those counties. The individuals with the virus had not traveled to places where Zika is endemic and don’t appear to have contracted it through sex—leaving a possibility that they got the virus from being bitten by infected mosquitoes in the U.S.
If they did acquire the virus from domestic mosquitoes, it could mean that others in the area also may have acquired Zika virus locally, and may have donated blood without knowing it was infected, according to NPR.
First identified in Uganda in 1947, the Zika virus simmered quietly for sixty years, occasionally causing a mild dengue-like illness across parts of central Africa and equatorial Asia, according to The Challenge of the Zika Virus: An Emerging Arbovirus Disease study by Frances Delwiche, library associate professor at Dana Medical Library at UVM. However, since 2007, three large outbreaks have occurred: first in Micronesia, then in French Polynesia in 2013-2014, and as an epidemic involving Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America in 2015-2016.
Earlier this year, the UVM Vaccine Testing Center announced that it would be involved in the clinical trials and research on a vaccine for Zika virus, which was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization on February 1, 2016.
Over the past decade, the WHO has declared four global health emergencies, and the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the Zika outbreak in the Americas have happened in the past two years alone.

Study Epidemiology at UVM

This fall, UVM is offering an Epidemiology Graduate Certificate to provide students with a framework for problem solving and critical thinking in analyzing disease and health-related conditions within a given population

Report: Lack of Cybersecurity Skills Are Leaving Companies Vulnerable

Photo: Flickr
Information technology managers in today’s workplace are finding it difficult to protect their networks as a lack of cybersecurity expertise is leaving companies open to attack.
A report by Intel Security, “Hacking the Skills Shortage,” interviewed 775 IT decision makers involved in cybersecurity at their organization or business. The study points out that 82 percent of the participants reported a lack of cybersecurity skills at their workplace. One in three said the shortage makes them prime hacking targets, and one in four said it has led to reputational damage and the loss of proprietary data via cyberattack.

A Lack of Cybersecurity Skills in the Workplace

The report is based on research from tech market research firm Vanson Bourne. Respondents represented the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Israel.
Other findings:
  • More than three out of four (76 percent) respondents believe their government is not investing enough in cybersecurity talent.
  • High-value skills are in critically short supply, and the most scarce being intrusion detection, secure software development, and attack mitigation. These skills are in greater demand than soft skills in communication and collaboration.
  • A majority of respondents (53 percent) said that the cybersecurity skills shortage is worse than talent deficits in other IT professions.
  • Respondents ranked hands-on experience and professional certifications as better ways to acquire cybersecurity skills than a degree.
  • Countries can change this shortfall in critical cybersecurity skills by increasing government expenditure on education, promoting gaming and technology exercises, and pushing for more cybersecurity programs in higher education