Description: This article is discusses the concept and practical ways to apply the understanding of empowerment and how to empower people. There is a high payback for those who use empowerment effectively.

Description: This session from the 2003 SOA Orlando Meeting discusses the bestselling book Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan. The discussion focuses on turning strategy into success through execution. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 3.

Description: February issue of The Stepping Stone

Description: With the convergence and consolidation of the financial services industry, the advent of new technologies and the Internet, and increased focus on the customer, actuaries are facing a brand new set of challenges. This editorial prefaces the articles in this issue that point out some key challenges and opportunities facing today’s actuaries.

Description: The authors share eight vulnerabilities that leaders need to watch out for.

Description: Think of all the documentation you as an actuary are expected to write: emails, status reports, business plans, white papers, case studies, user guides, pricing and methodology manuals, policies, procedures, regulatory submissions, and more. But while you’ve been formally taught many skills to qualify as an actuary, how to write well is probably not one of them. Fortunately, writing well is not some esoteric skill only available to those with a gift for it. Sure, a little talent helps—but knowing and applying some tricks from professional writers will greatly enhance your ability to communicate even the most complex ideas clearly and simply.

Description: It is well established that empowerment of staff is a critical leadership trait. But what are the metrics to recognize that you have achieved it? What steps enable this achievement? Which psychological attributes explain its efficacy?This article proposes to answer these questions through a multi-disciplinary examination of empowerment in the context of three leadership domains.

Description: By expanding their knowledge base, actuaries can develop a broad business perspective which in combination with the analytical skills characteristic of the profession can help them succeed in the areas of strategy and general management.

Description: To persuade successfully and non-manipulatively, it’s important to understand five key principles of influence. In this four-part series, I’ll be covering these five principles that are based on human psychology and behavior. Let’s look at the first two now.

Description: Principle #4: People make buying decisions based on emotion and justify these decisions with logic. To be influential, we need to take into account both logic and emotion. Of the two, emotion is a much more powerful motivating force. Unfortunately, too many people ignore the emotional component and focus solely on logic - neglecting what compels people to buy.