Description: Book review of Tim Ferris' book 'The Four Hour Work Week'. A book dealing with managing one's time better and automating tasks best done by computers.

Description: The true value of any leader is measured by how much they are able to accomplish through the work of their team. Actuaries in leadership roles are no different. But, to get the most out of your teams, leaders must first focus on building a high-performance culture. One that rewards measurable success and challenges everyone to reach farther all the time. There is no easy path to building a high-performance culture, but the benefits of a leader’s efforts will pay substantial dividends for the team, the leader, and the company. This series of articles is intended to educate leaders of large and small groups on how to build a high-performance culture and achieve outstanding results.

Description: Fifteenth installment of series applying Buddhist principles to working world of actuaries. This installment focuses on the challenges actuaries face in adapting to the various changes in job and career expectations.

Description: Many firms use in-your-face feedback mechanisms; however, Harvard Business Review authors Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall argue that the most effective approaches employ open-ended questions that help employees maximize their unique strengths. Sample questions are provided so that managers can start utilizing the process as soon as they read this article.

Description: This is a conversation with two critical staff members of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) about their experience there. Jane Lesch is a non-actuary who has been working at the SOA for over 20 years, and is an engagement specialist. Mike Boot is an actuary who retired at the end of February after 15 years at the SOA, most recently as managing director. We spoke to both Jane and Mike to get their take on what leadership is about, and how working at the SOA impacted them.

Description: Relationship management is your ability to use your awareness of your own emotions and those of others to manage interactions successfully. Given enough time and quality exchanges, we can form a relationship with any person we encounter. We should strive to develop positive relationships with people we like, and even with those we don’t like as much. Once established, both parties will understand each other better and benefit from the connection. Relationships can be challenging, especially at work or under stress. Skillfully managing them will help you initiate direct and productive conversations to alleviate misunderstandings, solve conflicts and achieve desired goals. This article explores strategies to develop the skill of relationship management.

Description: Article outlines application of the 11 leadership principles defined by the Marine Corps in a corporate setting.

Description: The author encourages actuaries to develop their non-technical skills and notes the activities of the Management and Personal Development Section that can help in that regard.

Description: Interviewing Techniques by Pauline Reimer from The Stepping Stone Newsletter, October 2004, Issue No. 16.