Description: Information about being on a section council. Explains the duties and requirements of the office.

Description: Volunteer Orientation Handbook contains high level organizational information about volunteering at the SOA. It is a reference manual for use by volunteers.

Description: An article summarizing the GCA 2025 event in Mumbai, India

Description: Leadership is not confined to managerial roles. It can be manifested and nurtured even as an individual contributor. In this session, we will delve into the concept of Growth from three distinct yet interconnected perspectives.

Description: In "Are You Leading Your Actuarial Organization with the Right Mind?" by Tim Hebert, the author explores leading with emotional intelligence amid challenges. Distinguishing between reactive and thoughtful responses, the article underscores the importance of intentional leadership and urges actuarial leaders to develop mindfulness skills. The "right mind" is introduced as a state of emotional intelligence, advocating for leaders to choose thoughtful responses over impulsive reactions. The article delves into the dual nature of the human mind, highlighting the cluttered and reactive "thinking mind" and the neutral "observing mind" that provides a broader perspective. Actuarial leaders are encouraged to leverage their observing minds for intentional and thoughtful decision-making. Emphasizing the balance between leadership and management, the article urges leaders to increase their consciousness levels for objective responses in times of change. Overall, Tim Hebert promotes the mastery of the mind as essential for effective leadership in the actuarial realm, inviting readers to cultivate intentional and mindful approaches even during crises.

Description: This article covers the importance of letting teams lead you as a leader, that it's okay to admit you're not okay even at work, and that it's important to find informal ways for virtual teams to connect.

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: 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: What does it take for an actuary to be a good people manager? We propose an answer in three words: willingness, love and rigor. A good people manager is dedicated to invest in team members’ success, sincerely cares for them, and subject them to high standards that speed up their growth.