Description: Humor in the workplace can improve productivity. This article describes a typical office relationship problem and how humor helped disparate teams work together.

Description: Reader responses to whether an actuary faced with unexpected negative financial results should cancel personal plans to deal with it immediately.

Description: This is a table from an article in The Actuary Magazine entitled On Business Strategy.

Description: Over the last decade, the actuarial career has gained significant attention of entry level job-seekers as it continues to be one of the consistently top rated jobs in the market. There are different avenues to break into the profession, but one of the most common is through an Actuarial Student Program, where a company formally supports the exam progress of individuals through paid study materials, exam fees, and time off to study. Most programs also include an emphasis on development of leadership and communication skills. As the recruiter for MassMutual’s Actuarial Student Program, I get the opportunity to regularly share with candidates why I believe a student program is such a powerful springboard for a successful actuarial career. Profiled in the article is two actuarial students and one recent actuarial student program “graduate” to highlight the value a student program can bring to one’s professional development.

Description: The true value of any leader is measured by how much they are able to accomplish through the work of their team. Actuaries in leadership roles are no different. But, to get the most out of your teams, leaders must first focus on building a high-performance culture. One that rewards measurable success and challenges everyone to reach farther all the time. There is no easy path to building a high-performance culture, but the benefits of a leader’s efforts will pay substantial dividends for the team, the leader, and the company. This series of articles is intended to educate leaders of large and small groups on how to build a high-performance culture and achieve outstanding results.

Description: Managerially Speaking, Tell Me, Which Shareholder Are We Talking About? by Marcel Gingras from The Stepping Stone Newsletter, July 2004, Issue No. 15.

Description: Hit The Ground Running In Your New Position by John West Hadley, FSA from The Stepping Stone Newsletter, July 2004, Issue No. 15.

Description: Interpersonal Skills and People Management: Actually, There’s More by Eli Amdur from The Stepping Stone Newsletter, October 2004, Issue No. 16.

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.