Description: Learn concrete strategies to manage executive dysfunction. The author discusses techniques she has learned along the way to improve productivity and manage time. High-level tips are: 1) Write it down. 2) Plan your day. 3) Don't let email and social media steal all your precious time. 4) Give your brain a little distraction. 5) Find an accountability partner. 6) Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. 7) When distracted, begin again. 8) Give yourself grace.

Description: This article highlights the importance of communicating concisely and effectively through email and other written forums, and when/when not to use written vs. other forms of communication.

Description: A real life case is presented involving a management, leadership or other business situation an actuary faced, and readers are invited to provide feedback.

Description: A compilation of reader responses is presented to a real life situation involving communication (or lack thereof) between two young actuaries.

Description: Write for your readers. That's what you can do to ensure that your emails, reports, and model updates are clear and contain the appropriate level of detail.

Description: A review of the book, "How to be a Finance Rock Star--The Small Business Owner's Ticket to Platinum Profits" by actuary Nicole Fende.

Description: A compilation of reader responses is presented to a real life situation posed involving a management, leadership, or other business decision. This issue’s case study involved whether a recently departed employee should be offered the chance to return, and whether he should consider it.

Description: The reviewer believes the actuary reading this book gets a modern, small company exposure to running a company and doing your work. 'It provides an insight into how the new generation of entrepreneurs are building their businesses and how we can successfully operate in them. We can use this book to gain new ideas about how to govern ourselves and run our teams to be successful and attractive in this new future.'

Description: The author encourages actuaries to pay attention to their “soft skills.”

Description: The 2011 Annual Business Book Review authors and titles are listed. Members are asked to capture any management or personal development issues they find informative and interesting and worth sharing with other actuaries. From The Stepping Stone, February 2012, Issue No. 45.