PROCEEDINGS May 15, 16, 17, 18, 2005 - Casualty Actuarial Society

152 ADDRESS TO NEW MEMBERSRule #2:Remember, You are an Important Person NowI discovered at some point in my career that I had become animportant person. This was a surprise to me. People cared aboutwhat I thought, said, and did. They found my advice helpful.They considered my approval, or lack of approval, important.Then I discovered that other people also failed to recognizewhen they had become important. Every few years, particularlywhen you are young, you seem to need to be reminded.This is a very good time to remember that YOU ARE ANIMPORTANT PERSON. You are successful. You are membersof the Casualty Actuarial Society–Fellows or Associates.The responsibilities of being an important person include:² Speak up.² Be a good role model.² Treat your colleagues with respect.² Be confident in yourself. You are a qualified actuary–Whatis your professional opinion?You are a part of a profession that has become increasinglyimportant. Rating agencies are holding the actuarial professionresponsible for the reserve shortfalls in the United States. Regulatorsare holding the actuarial profession responsible for majorinsurance company failures in the United Kingdom. We may notthink that this is completely correct, but it is not all bad. Thereis no doubt that they think our profession is far more importantnow than it was when I sat in your seat. As an important profession,we must be able to say what we can do, what we cannotdo, and how we will go about doing what we can.Rule #3:No Good Deed Goes UnpunishedThis is one of my favorite rules.