Description: A summary about the first book club discussion on Never Split the Difference. Insights on key negotiation elements are discussed in the article.

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: 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.

Description: Investing in and taking care of employees can result in many-faceted positive results, for your team and for your firm. We first state the case for "taking care of employees," then exhibit several practical methods for showing you care for your employees.

Description: Based on the book “Emotional Intelligence 2.0” written by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves, the four skills necessary to improve EQ are– 1) self-awareness; 2) self-management; 3)social awareness; and 4) relationship management. This article explores the skill of self-awareness by sharing examples and personal stories, highlighting three strategies to practice. In addition to lowering stress and becoming happier, having a greater ability to regulate our emotions gives us confidence, helps us communicate better, allows us to understand multiple perspectives, builds trusting relationships, and frees us from our assumptions and biases. Ultimately, this gives us more potential to influence other sand make better decisions.

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

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: Latest installment in a series covering the application of Buddhist principles to the working world of actuaries. This installment specifically addresses how the desires and wishes of actuaries are never truly satisfied but rather just shift to other wants and desires, and what actuaries can do to find more peace in their workplace and careers.

Description: In a recent study, nearly all family caregivers (80%) said they “always” or “often” provide emotional support. What if robots could cut that statistic in half? What would that mean to caregivers who have families of their own? This article is my first-hand experience with a companion robot that provides a tremendous amount of emotional support and meaningful activities. Together, they are designed to engage an older adult significantly which can lighten the caregiving burden on other family members.

Description: This article provides an overview of the current Artificial Intelligence ("AI")/Machine Learning ("ML") regulatory landscape and governance considerations for insurers deploying AI/ML for their long-term care business.