Annette Allen

  • The Inevitable Change

    The Inevitable Change

    It’s inevitable. Members of senior management leave or retire. To maintain consistent leadership andhigh performance, it’s necessary to develop and implement succession and knowledge-transfer plans forsenior management positions. As disconcerting as changes in leadership can be, perhaps it’s a bit more concerning when that change involves a critical part of the company’s information technology operation…

  • Mutual of Omaha’s “nurturing” onboarding process helps IT staff get up to speed quickly

    Mutual of Omaha’s “nurturing” onboarding process helps IT staff get up to speed quickly

    This is a sponsored post from Mutual of Omaha and does not necessarily reflect the views of Silicon Prairie News. Remember what it’s like to start a new job with a new company? It can be overwhelming at first. You have to set up your computer, get to know your boss and your teammates, learn…

  • IT management cultivates leadership skills at Mutual of Omaha

    IT management cultivates leadership skills at Mutual of Omaha

    This is a sponsored guest post by Mutual of Omaha and does not necessarily reflect the views of Silicon Prairie News. In 2013, Mutual of Omaha’s Information Services (I/S) operation needed managers.  At the time, it was a difficult position to fill, and leadership-ready candidates were in short supply.  While there were many publicly available…

  • Mutual of Omaha upskills staff to meet tech modernization goals

    Mutual of Omaha upskills staff to meet tech modernization goals

    This is a sponsored post paid for by Mutual of Omaha and written by Annette Allen, the company’s senior business systems consultant. How do you stay competitive if you are a 100+-year-old insurance company? First, you gain an understanding of your customers and get in touch with what they want. Next, you identify the capabilities…

  • Mutual of Omaha focuses on scientific method through new Enterprise Business Platform Lab

    Mutual of Omaha focuses on scientific method through new Enterprise Business Platform Lab

    At a recent division meeting, Jerry Sayre, Chief Software Engineer at Mutual of Omaha, donned a white lab coat and took to the stage. But rather than talking about technology, he spoke about the importance of experimentation and the use of the scientific method. “We need to consider what is required for us to be…