Description: The article presents specific operational guidelines when managers and staff are having difficult conversations. The article reviews half a dozen "popular" guidelines but shows that they are not specific. The article then in two layers presents specific operational guidelines. First the article based on a commonality of principles of email etiquette and Jewish Speech Laws reviews five guidelines for ordinary conversations: focus on events vs. people, focus on fixes vs. blames, being holistic (acknowledge any good done), be operational (indicate outcome and how to accomplish it), and use of tentative tone. The article concludes by adding three specific guidelines for difficult conversations: shared-self-evaluation, skillful use of breaks when emotions flair, and use of open-ended lead-on questions coupled with continuous empathy and offers of collaborative support.

Description: Read how to combine people management and mentorship to create positive and open environments and improve employee engagement and productivity.

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

Description: This article is about the need for actuaries and technical professionals to develop critical leadership and other soft skills, and highlights the ways the SOA Leadership & Development section provides tools to develop those skills.

Description: My experience with the SOA over 25 years being based in Lebanon and how the active role of the organization evolved

Description: As a college student decades ago, and now as an educator for more than a decade, I have always felt that the greatest challenge, both for myself and for my students, was the human limitation of how to learn more efficiently and master an ever-growing body of knowledge. The pride and sense of accomplishment that come after hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of study and practice have long been part of what defines us as professionals.

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 a very new actuarial manager trying to deal with a disruptive employee.

Description: An update on the activities of the JRMS Council.

Description: Actuaries are lauded for their technical and analytical skills, but aren't so well known for their communication and general business skills. Is this the case worldwide? The Actuary magazine spoke to actuaries from Australia to the United Kingdom and a sampling of regions in between to get their take on the topic.

Description: The friendly editors of the Modeling Platform detail the advantages of the new all-digital format of the newsletter.