Description: Latest in series of articles exploring the adaptation of Buddhist philosophy to actuarial practice. This installment examines the challenges for actuaries in dealing with pain points in actuarial work, and how to best manage these forces so that the work remains aligned with professional standards.

Description: This article is the result of the Leadership & Development book club on Dare Lead. The article talks about major themes in the book and relates them to other podcasts and authors thought on those themes.

Description: Providing ways to master the art of soft skills and embracing agility to propel actuarial success in today's market.

Description: Can quiet actuaries inspire others and get things done just as well as their louder, more social colleagues? This isn’t just a question that plagues quiet actuaries, of course. For the over half of us that identify as quiet people and wish to lead, it’s easy to second guess and doubt ourselves. This doubt sometimes holds us back from reaching for that promotion, or starting that new organization. Some quiet actuaries may try to adapt extravert behaviors, however those efforts can be draining and short-lived. This article shows how quiet actuaries can authentically lead and leverage their strengths.

Description: The latest in a series of articles connecting the principles of Zen Buddhism to the working world of actuaries. This issue focuses on techniques for cultivating a gratitude mindset under all types of conditions - even stressful ones, in order to maintain equilibrium and harmony for a more productive workday.

Description: We discuss a high-level overview with practical steps on how to be a great manager. We describe 14 real-life traits of a truly impactful manager that can be used to successfully guide a team that includes staff who are at any level of their career. The results should help create a dynamic, empowered and engaged team

Description: Men and women have different leadership skills. But working alongside men, women can effectively leverage their leadership strengths to bolster their careers.

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 an actuary who had recently started consulting should consider a job offer to return to a corporate role.

Description: February issue of The Stepping Stone

Description: The February/March 2016 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: No matter what you do, you are in sales in some way. The word, "sales" or "selling" brings up negative connotations for many people. It may be helpful to think of it as "influence". Whether you're a sales professional, coach, consultant or executive - there are key stakeholders in your world you need to influence. To persuade successfully and non-manipulatively, it's important to understand five key principles of influence. Principle #3 is covered here.

Description: The Stepping Stone issue 60, November 2015

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: The October/November 2015 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: Executive Coach Marcel Schwantes demonstrated that applying daily practices of Servant Leadership is really the best way to engage workers to perform at a high level, which will improve the bottom line. Here Schwantes returns to kick-off a six part series that delves deep into the best practices of what a servant leader is, and does.

Description: Fourth installment in an ongoing series of articles adapted from Michael Carroll's "Awake at Work", applying Buddhist principles to the challenges faced by actuaries. This installment examines the often chaotic work circumstances faced by actuaries and encourages the reader to see such situations as opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Description: The August/September 2014 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: The February/March 2014 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: The December 2013/January 2014 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: Interview with Peter Schaefer, CEO of Hannover Life Reassurance Company of America.

Description: The April/May 2013 edition of The Actuary magazine—the Society of Actuaries’ flagship publication.

Description: This article is about the requirement of leadership and effective business development in the insurance industry.

Description: The author identifies miscommunication challenges that may exist in the workplace, including misunderstandings and communication mishaps, assumption of motive, and relational tension, and suggests clarifying conversation as a way to address these challenges.

Description: A review of the book, You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader, by Mark Sanborn. Throughout the book, you may need to rethink your concept of what a leader is. In addition to the concepts provided, Sanborn also provides leadership action points at the end of each section.

Description: Even if you are analytic and process oriented, you have the ability to be great at selling.

Description: The author offers three determining questions to identify your obstacles to success.

Description: Peter Jacobi offers six common mistakes made by businesses today.

Description: Article discussing methods to manage conflict in the workplace or elsewhere.

Description: How to resolve and prevent conflicts in business.

Description: Feature article discussing the pros and cons of insurance companies in stretch management, using dreams to set business targets with no idea how to get there.

Description: This article provides steps to clarify conversations to ensure greater success, fulfillment and satisfying business relationships.

Description: This article describes the EXCEL Model, a teaching and coaching tool developed by The Flippen group, College Station, Texas and adopted by many organizations. It focuses the leader on the needs of the team. The five components of the model are: Engage, X-plore, Communciate, Empower and Launch.

Description: This article provides a model to assist teaching and coaching. It has been used to improve relationships and performance both in individual situations and in group settings.

Description: This presentation from Session 90 of the SOA June 2005 New Orleans Health/Pension Spring Meeting focuses on consulting about and communicating retirement plan risks, as well as risk management and mitigation strategies, to plan sponsors. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 31, No. 2.

Description: Lessons, tips, and suggestions for properly approaching the first stages of actuarial research.

Description: Presented at May 2005 Spring Meeting. Panelists discuss strategies for increased modeling speed as risk management, valuation and product development activities have been requiring increasingly complex financial models.

Description: The aphorism, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” applies to business communications as well as wardrobe and handshakes. Your image is polished — or tarnished — with everything you write and distribute. From The Stepping Stone, April 2005, Issue No. 18.

Description: This presentation from Session 54 of the SOA May 2004 Anaheim Spring Meeting discusses the importance of building a winning culture in order for a company to survive in today's increasingly complex, high-velocity, changing environment. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 30, No. 1.

Description: The Power Of Decision Making by David C. Miller from The Stepping Stone Newsletter, January 2004, Issue No. 13.

Description: How to Be a Superstar in Your Own Company by Aimee Kaye from The Stepping Stone Newsletter, March 2003, Issue No. 11.

Description: Presenters discuss effective interviewing techniques which focus on applicant ability and willingness to do the job, as well as manageability once on the job. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 25, No. 3.

Description: This presentation is a panel discussion, session number 7PD, from the 1999 Valuation Actuary Symposium, held September 23-24 in Los Angeles. The panelists discuss how in practice there is considerable variation from company to company in the functions that fall within the corporate actuary’s role. They discuss variations in corporate actuarial functions, and corporate actuaries’ role in their company’s management structure. The panelists explore trends in the role of the corporate actuary, and what makes for an effective corporate actuarial function. Discussion from participants is included.

Description: Presented at October 1996 Annual Meeting. This panel presents an overview of current and future employment trends in each area of the actuarial profession. Topics include: skill development, marketability and future opportunity positioning.

Description: Discusses how to understand your management style using the Myers Briggs method and how to use this information.

Description: This is a presidential address to the Society of Actuaries by Sam Gutterman. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1995-96 Reports.

Description: This presentation is an open forum from the 1991 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 20-23 in Toronto. The panelists discuss the current public image of the life insurance industry, and whether life insurers meet or are able to meet public expectations. They examine the differences between the public’s outside view and the actuary's view from the inside, how they differ, and what the actuary can do to improve the industry’s image, as an educator and communicator. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 4B.

Description: Discusses developing an investment strategy for new products, inconsistencies between pricing and financial-reporting models, and total return on the investment portfolio versus total return to the company. These topics are addressed from the perspectives of [1] a corporate actuarial department head, [2] a consultant to life companies in these areas, and [3] a preeminent risk-management actuary. From the 1987 Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 13, No. 3.

Description: Presented at May 1986 Spring Meeting. This session discussion is about ways in which companies are responding to the need for a reduced product development time cycle: Actuarial staffing, Use of automation aids, Committee structures, Coordinating the company commitment, Market research, Use of consultants.

Description: This session from the 1984 SOA Toronto Meeting addresses the changing role of the consulting actuary and the opportunities, problems, and rewards of becoming more heavily involved in the marketing of services and/or the management of a practice area. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 10, No. 4B

Description: This session from the 1984 SOA Atlanta Meeting covers the special problems and opportunities of a small company, specifically, tracking current developments, the role of the actuary, distribution systems and other actuarial problems.

Description: In this paper the author discusses pricing insurance products in the larger framework of company planning and management. The author also presents a generalized description of the pricing function, which is applicable to any insurance company product. The author discusses the relationship of the premium formulation function to the management of an insurance company, balancing the requirements of management, shareholders, policyholders, and marketing personnel. Includes discussion and author’s review of discussion. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1982 Volume 34.

Description: From the Record 1977 Vol. 3, No. 1, this presentation is from a concurrent session at the Society of Actuaries 1977 Regional Meeting, held in Atlanta March 31-April 1. The presenters at this session discuss the nature and use of corporate planning, including the organization of the planning process and the corporate planning cycle.

Description: This is a book review of 'Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices' by Peter F. Drucker, considered by some to be the high priest of management. The book is divided into three parts- The Tasks, The Manager and Top Management. The last named contains much food for thought, not just for top management but for the underlayer as well. The first two parts reveal Drucker’s knowledge of and insight into what is good management and what is not. Repeatedly, he makes his point by citing real cases and describing real companies. His occasional comments on the life insurance industry are pointed. The book is also noteworthy for giving us another law to stand alongside those of Parkinson, Murphy and Peter- Drucker’s Law: 'If one thing goes wrong, everything else will, and at the same time.'

Description: Digests of following discussions: 1. Mutual life insurance companies - their objectives and operating philosophy 2. State, provincial, and municipal employee pension plans - financing and other problems 3. Mortality and underwriting of individual policies for large amounts 4. Investing during the 1970's 5. Long-range viability and regulation of corporate pension plans 6. Forecasting the environment for business 7. Liabilities and surplus in the 1970's 8. Changing modes of family life - work and income over the life cycle 9. The role of the actuary in collective bargaining 10. Health insurance in the United States 11. Adjusted earnings

Description: This is a discussion about recruiting professional people, and what can be done to reduce the high rate of turnover among professionals, especially during the first few years of employment. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1969, Vol. 21 Pt. 2, No 59.

Description: This is a discussion about long-range plans being used as management tools in the life insurance business. Also discussed are the implications that Medicaid will have on the private health insurance business. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1966, Vol. 18 Pt. 2, No. 51.