New Microsoft Edge Features that will Make you Want to Switch Browsers

The latest iteration of Windows’s default web browser was built from the ground up using the same code as Google Chrome. It’s a similar yet entirely different browser that offers faster loading times, improved security and support, and better compatibility with websites and extensions, among other outstanding features. Here’s what else you can look forward to in the new Microsoft Edge.

1. Collections

Collections allow you to gather information from different sites, then organize, export, or return to it at a later time. Doing these can be especially difficult if you’re working across several sites and multiple devices.

To use this feature, simply click on the Collections button and a pane will open on the right side of your browser window. Here, you can easily drag and drop web pages, text, images, videos, and other elements into a group, which you can then import to a Word document or Excel workbook.

2. Vertical tabs

Vertical tabs are a handy feature if you often find yourself opening dozens of tabs at once at any given time. Instead of having to hover over or click on one to see which page it’s on, you can easily find and manage your tabs on the side with a single click. You’ll never have to lose track of or accidentally close tabs again.

3. Smart Copy

How often do you copy content from the web and paste it into a document only for it to become an ugly mess of text that needs to be cleaned up? This won’t be a problem if you use the new Microsoft Edge. The Smart Copy feature makes it easier to select, copy, and paste web content — including any images or links — while preserving its formatting.

4. Tracking prevention

Whenever you visit a site, online trackers can collect information about your internet activity, including pages you visit, links you click on, your search history, and more. What’s alarming is that they can do this even when you’re not on the site. Companies then use the data collected to target you with personalized advertisements and experiences. This can seem highly intrusive, if not downright creepy.

The new tracking prevention feature in Microsoft Edge is designed to keep you from being tracked by sites that you aren’t accessing directly. It’s enabled by default, and it gives you control over the types of third-party trackers to be detected and blocked, thereby enhancing your online privacy.

5. Password Monitor

Millions of online personal credentials are frequently exposed due to data breaches and sold on the dark web. To keep your online accounts safe from hackers, Microsoft developed the Password Monitor. When enabled, this feature notifies you if the credentials you’ve saved to autofill is on the dark web. It then prompts you to take action, allowing you to view a list of all the leaked credentials and then leading you to the respective site to change your password.

6. InPrivate mode enhancements

Sometimes, you may want extra online privacy when browsing the internet, especially if you’re sharing devices with other people. When you use the InPrivate mode, your history, cookies, and site data are automatically deleted once you finish a web browsing session. What’s more, your searches aren’t tied to your account, so you don’t have to go through the hassle of deleting your search or browser history.

7. Immersive Reader

Built into the new Microsoft Edge, Immersive Reader makes reading online easier and more accessible by removing distractions on the page and creating a simplified environment that helps you to focus. This feature also gives you access to a variety of capabilities, including hearing text read aloud or adjusting the text size.

8. 4K and Dolby Audio

If you enjoy binge-watching the latest series on Netflix or just want a high-definition entertainment experience when viewing content online, then this feature is for you. Microsoft Edge is the only browser on Windows 10 that lets you watch Netflix in stunning 4K resolution and supports Dolby Audio and Dolby Vision.

9. Give with Bing

Bing now comes with a Give Mode feature that allows you to support the causes you care about by simply searching using the search engine. As part of the Microsoft Rewards program, you can earn reward points for searches and donate these points to one out of more than a million nonprofits to choose from. This includes the CDC Foundation and other organizations supporting the COVID-19 response.

10. Easy switching

Microsoft Edge is available to download for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. What’s great is that you can easily copy or migrate your bookmarks, form fill information, passwords, and basic settings to the new Microsoft Edge with just a single click.

If you want to learn more about the latest features of Microsoft Edge and how to enjoy these benefits on your business computers, give us a call today.

Is Your Cloud Solution Going Over Budget?

The cloud is the perfect solution for small- and medium-sized businesses like yours. For a small monthly fee, you get access to cutting-edge technologies and 24/7 support from a team of cloud experts. But without proper management, cloud costs can quickly go over your budget. Here’s what you should do to keep it from becoming too expensive.

Don’t go for stand-alone services
Stand-alone services are the biggest price trap in the cloud. Spending on a stand-alone cloud software may seem harmless now, but if you decide to purchase similar services, the costs can quickly pile up. Then, there’s the issue of integrating these systems together, which costs even more time and money.

The best way around this is to find a service provider that offers a suite of products that work seamlessly together. Platforms like Office 365 or G Suite are great examples, and offer you differently priced packages based on the size and requirements of your business.

Team up with integration experts
If you do need to subscribe to a stand-alone service, you’ll want to integrate it with the rest of your cloud platform. But if you have limited experience with integrations, mistakes are likely to happen and cause downtime, which will inevitably cost you time and money.

The more economical option is to partner with a cloud integration expert, as they can quickly configure and deploy your systems with zero mistakes.

Understand cloud backup costs
While cloud backups are great for keeping your data secure, you must know how much you’re paying for them. If you plan on storing your data for a long time, you may be charged more. At the same time, if you store more versions of your data, it will cost you more.

One way you can keep costs down is to ask yourself whether certain files even need to be stored in the cloud. Mission-critical files like customer information, legal document, and business plans should be stored in the cloud so you can retrieve them right away after a disaster, but routine documents like time sheets can probably be stored in less expensive data centers.

Remove unnecessary accounts
Most cloud service providers charge you based on the number of users per month, so if you’re not diligent about removing accounts when employees have left your company, you could be throwing your money down the drain.

To avoid this, you need to have de-provisioning procedures in place for when an employee’s contract is terminated. Create a spreadsheet of each employee in your payroll and note down their cloud subscriptions. When an employee leaves your company, you must delete all their business accounts and give the relevant manager access to all their documents.

It’s also a good idea to schedule regular audits to make sure you’re not paying for people who’ve already left your company.

Work with a trustworthy provider
Last but not least, you’ll want to partner with a cloud services provider that not only gives you the best deals on cloud solutions, but also proactively monitors your account and warns you about any issues regarding the computing resources and storage space you’re using.

If you’re looking to keep cloud costs under control, talk to us today. If you’re looking to keep cloud costs under control, talk to us today. At Net Activity,  we’re the experts at making the cloud work for each and every client, and we’d love to speak with you about how we can do the same for you!

Have you updated your firmware yet?

When was the last time you checked if the firmware of your gadgets is up to date? If it has been a while, then you need to do so right away. This is because you might be using outdated firmware, and doing so makes you vulnerable to data breaches and other cyberattacks.

What is firmware?

Firmware is a basic type of software that is embedded into every piece of hardware. It controls the device it’s installed on, cannot be uninstalled or removed, and is only compatible with the make and model of the hardware it is installed on. Think of it like a translator between your stiff and unchanging hardware and your fluid and evolving software. For example, the firmware of a TV remote control processes the button presses and sends that data into a format that the TV can understand.

Why is firmware security important?

To clearly explain the importance of firmware security, let’s use the firmware installed in a router as an example.

When you buy a router and plug it in, its firmware allows it to connect devices to your wireless network with almost zero input from you. However, if the router manufacturer is outside of California, then they might still be using the same username and password for the same router model, if not for all router models. If you don’t change these default settings, you could be exposed to hackers.

Default usernames and passwords is an example of a known vulnerability, and firmware could have other vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could exploit. Black hat hackers could use these to spy on you, steal or corrupt your data, or even damage your systems. Unfortunately, firmware exploits are not rare occurrences. Not too long ago, a cybersecurity professional discovered that sending a 33-character text message to a router generated an SMS response that included the administrator username and password.

How do I protect myself?

The best way to defend yourself from firmware exploits is to immediately roll out firmware updates from the device’s manufacturer. With that said, you need to keep in mind that every manufacturer has different procedures for checking and updating firmware. For instance, if you have a D-Link router, typing “192.168.0.1” into a web browser will allow you to access its firmware and update process, assuming you have the username and password. If you’re unfamiliar with your router manufacturer’s procedures, you can type “[manufacturer name] router firmware update” on any search engine like Google.

But remember, routers are just one example of how firmware affects your cybersecurity posture. Hard drives, motherboards, and even mice and keyboards need to be checked as well. We understand this can be extremely tedious, and that’s why we highly recommend hiring an IT provider to take care of it for you. If you’re curious about what else we can do to help, give Net Activity a call today!

6 Must-Have Elements on any Successful Website

In a recent survey of 1,800 customers, 42% said they’re “very unlikely” to purchase from ugly websites. That’s not so surprising. After all, there are plenty of competitors’ websites that are more visually appealing and user-friendly that they can visit. If your business website fails to make a critical good first impression, it could lose money. You can avoid that by improving these elements on your website.

A variety of professional photos

From pictures of your products to team photos, high-quality images are arguably the most important thing on your website. Blurry, outdated, or irrelevant pictures tell your site visitors that you don’t care about their browsing experience. In-house photos are the best option, but stock images shouldn’t cause any problems as long as they are optimized for mobile viewing and relevant to your content.

Navigation

Aside from subpar images, linking to nonexistent pages is one of the best ways to turn site visitors away. Make sure it’s easy to navigate your site and remove outdated or irrelevant pages. You can’t sell 404 pages to customers, and if that’s all visitors can find, it’s game over.

Clear copywriting

The last thing you want to do is to confuse your customers, so it’s important to keep all of your product or service descriptions as straightforward and simple as possible. If what you’re selling has detailed information such as dimensions or technical requirements, make sure the description is easy to find but not obtrusive.

Promises to site visitors

Any website that ships products should make its returns policy as visible as possible. This establishes trust early. Explicitly stating terms of return is also important because some online shoppers make purchase decisions based solely on the clarity of a return policy.

Even if you don’t run an eCommerce site, you also need to prominently display privacy commitments, such as those mandated by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

About page

Your brand needs a story behind it that customers can relate to. Every company website should have an About Us page that describes your team, its culture, and what sets you apart from the competition. Whatever your story is, make sure it’s accessible from any page on your site.

Design

Not everyone is a web design expert, but in today’s gig economy, one is never too far away from such a career. If your budget is tight, there are DIY site builders specifically geared toward small businesses. Or with a relatively low monthly expenditure, you can hire a managed website provider.

With more revenue originating online, small- and medium-sized business owners can’t afford to overlook the importance of creating a fully functional website.

For more information on building a modern website, call us today!

Speed up your Windows 10 PC with these 4 easy tips

When your computer shows signs of slowing down, don’t feel compelled to buy a replacement just yet. You can still speed up your machine — and do it for free, too. We’ve listed four effective tips to make your Windows 10 computer faster:

Prevent programs from launching at startup

Windows makes certain programs readily available by loading them at startup. While Microsoft likely has good intentions for doing this, this auto-launch feature slows down your computer. To fix this issue, you’ll need to adjust your settings.

Open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc to see the programs that launch during startup. On the startup tab, you can easily disable any programs you don’t want launching at startup, such as media players and optional accessories that don’t have to be active all the time. But to be on the safe side, keep essential apps, such as antivirus software, enabled.

Get rid of useless applications

Having too many programs installed on your computer uses up valuable memory and hard disk space. This slows down your computer and makes the machine work harder than necessary. Quickly uninstall programs you don’t need by following these steps:

• Tap the Windows key on your keyboard and type “Add or remove programs” (this will show you all the apps stored in your computer).
• A link to the system settings will appear. Click on the link.
• Select the program/s you no longer want, and click Uninstall.

Once you do this, you’ll then be guided through several steps to complete the uninstallation process.

Organize your disks

It’s important to regularly clean out your computer of data you don’t need. Thankfully, Microsoft’s Disk Cleanup tool makes it easy to do so.

To find the tool, tap on the Windows button on your keyboard and type “Disk Cleanup.” If you click on the link, the tool will automatically find files that take up too much memory space, such as temporary Internet and system memory dump files. Just click OK to send these files to your Recycle Bin.

Turn off apps running in the background

You may not know it, but there are a lot of programs running in the background as you use your computer. Microsoft enabled their native universal apps to do this so you can quickly access their features. However, this also slows down your CPU. Disabling them will reduce the burden on your computer and speed it up.

To find out what programs are running in the background, press the Windows button on your keyboard and type “Background apps.” Find the programs you don’t need running and toggle the On-Off button.

By following these four steps, you’ll see a noticeable difference in the speed of your PC. If you want to learn how to optimize your Windows system further or need assistance with your other Microsoft products, give us a call at 216-503-5150.

Collaborate Better for more Successful Workflows

If your business is like many others, you’ve pushed off some of your more capital-intensive plans and focused on efficiency. Now that things are starting to reopen in many places, it’s been made clear that keeping your business running with remote workers is a good strategy, but you can’t keep your projects on the back burner forever. Using video conferencing solutions to help run your projects can be a good stopgap that can give your business some flexibility. Let’s take a look.

Restarting Projects

While your employees were doing DIY home improvement projects, your business’ improvement projects have laid dormant. As the new normal will present situations that were not only rare a short time ago, they are not completely aimed at improving your business’ situation in the same manner as the projects you had planned before this whole thing hit. If your strategy is like many other businesses, you will have to be cautious to not put your employees in harm’s way. With a projected second wave of COVID-19 still possible, it’s going to be important for project teams to forge ahead even if they are being forced to work from remote locations.

One of the best collaboration tools you have at this point is your video conferencing solution. Not only does it give your team the ability to meet with each other from remote locations, solutions today are built with the ability to integrate some of your most important software into the meetings. These integrations can go a long way toward giving your project team members the resources they need to efficiently and effectively complete difficult projects.

Collaboration Strategies

Sad to say, solid collaboration isn’t just the act of people working together. True collaboration is measured in the successful delivery of professional goods and services. If your project teams need to work together to get your offerings out the door, and they are being forced to work remotely, invest in a video conferencing solution that provides both an option-rich interface with the ability to interact as a team or one-on-one. This is crucial because the more time you spend in meetings, the less time is spent being actually productive, even if the contents of the meeting are critical to the success of the project.

Once you have a reliable conferencing solution in place, you can use it to run points over operational difficulties, projects, and even whole staff meetings. Here are some suggestions on how to use your video conferencing solution to get the most out of your team.

1. Don’t be brief to save time – Many people will try to keep meetings as short as possible. That’s actually a good practice, but if your team needs communication on the specifics of a project or task, brevity may be counterproductive.
2. Don’t send too many messages – Do you follow up using instant message, email, and phone? This is complete overkill. With a video conferencing platform, you can quickly address all the issues present for that day at once, not over multiple forms of communication. If things do require a write up after the fact, assign one person to compose meeting minutes.
3. Don’t just use the video conference for work – Part of working for a company is the camaraderie your staff shares. Things like birthday parties and staff meetings can be a respite from the continual flow of work-related information.

Using video conferencing for collaboration means having a strategy that keeps people connected while reducing the feeling of anxiety that comes from being overwhelmed with information. If you would like to talk about video conferencing solutions that can help your business get the most out of your remote staff, call the IT experts at Net Activity at 216-503-5150.

Keep your Mobile Devices Safe with these Tips

Mobile devices are generally less secure than laptop and desktop computers. While there are available anti-malware applications for smartphones and tablets, they aren’t as comprehensive as those for laptops and desktops. Additionally, some mobile devices aren’t compatible with certain security applications or measures implemented by businesses. That’s why it’s even more important to keep track of and manage all the mobile devices your staff uses to access sensitive company data. Here are a few helpful tips to do so.

Ensure mobile OS is up to date

The updates on Apple and Android operating systems (OS) improve overall user experience, but their most important function is to fix security vulnerabilities. Reduce your business’s exposure to threats by installing updates for all devices as soon as they become available. Don’t wait for a few weeks or months to update, as this gives cybercriminals ample time to exploit vulnerabilities on devices that run on an outdated OS.

Install business applications only

Downloading apps seems harmless. But lenient policies on what should and shouldn’t be downloaded on company mobile devices could lead to staff downloading and installing non-business-related apps from third-party stores, most of which are notorious for malicious advertising codes and other threats. It’s imperative that employees download and install only business applications necessary for their work on their company mobile devices.

Be careful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks

Emergencies may compel you to use password-free Wi-Fi networks in hotels, airports, cafes, and other public places. Connecting to an open network can expose your confidential information and sensitive company data to cybercriminals connected to the same network.

You can avoid this by providing a practical internet data plan, preferably one that includes roaming services, for remote workers. And if you really have to connect to a public Wi-Fi network, don’t use the connection for transferring sensitive data.

Enable phone tracking tools

Losing a company-issued mobile device is unfortunate but inevitable. Devices can be misplaced or stolen, but enabling Find My iPhone for iOS devices, GPS Phone Tracker for Android, or any device-tracking app helps users locate lost phones. Some also have the option to delete data on stolen devices. Downloading and setting up such an app only takes a few minutes, and it will give you peace of mind knowing that even if your phone is lost or stolen, its contents will not be compromised.

Screen SMS carefully

SMS phishing can be used to trick you into clicking malicious links. Cybercriminals send messages purporting to be from someone you know, asking you to urgently disclose confidential information. Should you encounter such an SMS, you can either delete it or alert your IT department. You can also block unknown senders without even opening their message.

Mobile devices are becoming more critical to operations. And with more devices open to attacks, businesses must bolster their cybersecurity efforts. Malicious actors will exploit every possible vulnerability, and that includes those in unsecured smartphones and tablets. Get in touch with us if you need comprehensive security solutions for your business.

Safety First! 6 Best Practices for Protecting Your Data In the Cloud

According to a 2019 estimate by Research & Markets, the global cloud computing market was projected to grow from USD 2.8 billion to USD 9.0 billion by 2024. It’s not hard to see why; cloud computing-public and private-offers the advantage of a lower cost of ownership of IT applications, super-fast time to market, and unmatched surges in employee productivity. But with this explosive growth, cloud computing brings extra risk to your organization; a security breach of your data can cause the loss of ultra-sensitive information and intellectual property, compliance violations, credential breaches and hijacking of accounts. Making sure the right security measures are in place, and utilizing common-sense best practices are key to protecting your data in the cloud. Here are a few of our suggestions:

1. Understand the Risks, and Ask your Cloud Provider the RIGHT questions. It’s critical to consider the areas of risk and vulnerability your company may be exposed to, so you can select a cloud partner who can address your unique security issues. Before making a significant investment in a cloud computing strategy and platform your organization should conduct a thorough risk analysis. Be sure to include risk management professionals in your cloud design and deployment project, and make sure that you seek counsel from the legal and compliance teams.
2. Once you and your company have decided to move to a cloud service platform your first step is to choose a provider that fits your needs. Some points to take into consideration on your search are:
   • Are their security standards appropriate? Do some research. Make sure that the company has a good reputation and solid security policies. Remember, you are trusting this company to store your sensitive business and personal information.
   • How much data will you be storing? Search with a realistic expectation of the size you need to store all your files.  Many companies charge by the amount of storage you are requesting.
   • Is your data encrypted when being uploaded to or downloaded from the cloud? Make sure that your browser or app requires an encrypted connection before you upload or download your data.  Look for the “https://” or the padlock beside the URL in your browser.
   • Is your data encrypted when stored in the cloud? You will have to read the terms of service to find this out, but often your data will be stored on the cloud server with no encryption, this means that anyone that has (or can get) high level access to that server will be able to read your files.  This may not be an issue for many files, but you should carefully consider what kind of information you are storing in the cloud and whether you are comfortable with some other person you don’t know accessing it.  At a minimum, no data that is protected by law (medical information, personal identifiers, financial data) should be stored in the cloud unless the storage solution is encrypted and you know who can decrypt it (it should only be you or your organization) and for what reason.
   • Understand how access is shared with your cloud folder. Several cloud storage providers allow you to share access to your online folders with other people. Be sure you know in details how this works.
   • Understand your options if the cloud provider should be hacked or should lose your data. Services like this require that you sign their terms and conditions before they allow you to use the service.  In the vast majority of cases, these conditions state that you have very little, if any, remedy if anything bad should happen.  Be aware of what you are signing away.
3. Remember: ultimately YOU are responsible for your data. See above. The first, most important thing you must understand about data security in the cloud: you can outsource the processing and storage of your data, but you can’t outsource responsibility for securing it.  Security takes a commitment from everyone in your organization not just the IT staff or security personnel. In fact, according to insurer Beazley’s Breach Insights report, as of July 2018 fully 30 percent of all security breaches were caused by employee error or fraud. Ever-changing malware and social engineering attacks are a constant threat, so educating employees to identify red flags found in fraudulent email sources and implementing strong, consistent password policies are critical in mitigating internal data security breaches.
4. Establish Strong Data Authentication and Access Policies. Now that you have addressed the general employee level of exposure what steps can you do to secure your data in the cloud? The idea here is to contain, mitigate and report any form of intrusion.   Limiting users to access only the necessary applications and data essential to their job function in essence limits the reach of a rogue employee; Role Based Access is a key step in securing your data and environment.
5. Always Backup your Data. One of the most overlooked aspects of cloud computing and one of the easiest way to increase the control of your data is to make sure that whatever happens, you have a secure backup of that data. This is more about securing your business than your actual data but provides the same type of peace of mind.
6. Be Proactive. Regularly test your data security with regularly scheduled penetration testing, vulnerability scanning and employee assessments. Make sure you have a well-defined process in place for regular patches and updates.

Achieving sufficient security assurances in the cloud is possible but it is not guaranteed. Just like any other IT project, you have to do your homework and in the case of security, it is better to be safe than sorry!

IT Security Tip- Don’t be so quick to respond!

What would you do if you received an email from your CEO or CFO asking you to make an immediate or urgent wire transfer of funds? If you are the person in your organization who is responsible for such tasks and receive requests like this regularly, you may not think twice. However, with the increased sophistication of hackers and cybercriminals, you must Stop, Look, and Think before deciding how to proceed.

Business Email Compromise is an advanced form of spear-phishing which targets employees of businesses that routinely perform wire transfer payments or work with foreign companies or suppliers. This form of cybercrime is steadily on the rise, and companies are losing thousands, even millions of dollars instantly because of a spoofed or compromised email address.

How it Happens:
First, the scammers target the email accounts of business executives or high-level employees. Either they will gain actual access to those individuals’ email accounts through a targeted phishing attack and wait for the perfect time to take over (such as when those employees go on vacation or leave for a business trip), or they will simply spoof the email address and change where the email is sent when it is replied to. This is called header manipulation. Then, they will email an employee within an organization who may be responsible for making wire transfers or handling funds, asking them to process a transaction.

When you receive any requests to transfer or wire funds:

• Look closely to verify the email address when you receive a wire transfer or monetary transaction request. Check for any spelling errors or missing letters.
• Call the person who is requesting the transfer directly to verify that the request is legitimate, or follow your corporate verification procedures carefully.
• If you think a request is suspicious in any way, trust your instincts and inform management or IT immediately.
• If you reply to the message, be sure to look at the real email address before replying.

To prevent YOUR email from being the one that is compromised:

• Never provide your security or account credentials to anyone.
• Do not click on any links or open attachments in emails you receive, unless you are absolutely positive they are safe and from a legitimate sender.

It is best to have a wire transfer process in place that requires more than just an email request. Either a phone call, face-to-face, or multi-person process is best.

Remember, you are the key to preventing cybercrime in your organization.

The Many Faces Of Corporate Leadership

Employees’ happiness at work is more important in the workforce than ever before, and that feeling of fulfillment and engagement often comes from the top. If you are aware of what type of leader you are and how your leadership affects employees and clients, you can mitigate your weaknesses and discover your strengths to ultimately lead more effectively. Let’s take a look at a few leadership personas I’ve witnessed while coaching and what works best for each.

In-The-Weeds Leaders

Leaders who are “in the weeds” tend to spend too much time in the day-to-day. They get bogged down with what’s in front of them and don’t think outside the box. Without innovation, the company runs the risk of coming to a grinding halt.

These leaders need to delegate current tasks to their team members. They can then focus on finding new ways to drive the business forward. In-the-weeds leaders may even need an outside party to hold them accountable for setting and reaching these new goals.

Frustrated Leaders

These leaders know their companies can be better, but they’re upset because they can’t scale at the rate they want. They bottle up their grievances and aren’t sure where the disconnect is with their teams.

These leaders could seek guidance from a third party, whether that’s a friend or colleague. An outside perspective can help identify problem areas. They also need to hear out their team members and get firsthand accounts on what’s not working. Both perspectives can help turn frustration into focus.

Mindful Leaders

These leaders recognize that rapid growth is positive as long as they scale appropriately with formal organization and efficient processes. They are careful to avoid pushing forward blindly and losing essential parts of their culture and values along the way. However, they may take too long to think things through and miss new opportunities that come along because they couldn’t act quickly enough.

These leaders should make sure they are sticking to the systems they have in place while remaining open to new opportunities and evaluating them in a timely manner. It’s important to constantly reevaluate and adapt as the company grows and changes shape.

Control Freaks

These leaders can’t seem to let go of the wheel. They micromanage and don’t trust their team to get the job done, which fosters an atmosphere of frustration and mistrust. In this atmosphere, they can no longer lead effectively.

They should work with their teams to identify why the company exists, what motivates team members and why their work is important. That will not only help the leader and the team establish a better dynamic, but it will also help them both understand where the company is now and where it’s going.

When evaluating your leadership style, be honest with yourself. If you can pinpoint where you are on the leadership spectrum, then you’ll better account for your challenges and capitalize on your assets. And that’s how you become more self-aware and, in turn, a much stronger leader.