Reacting To Change

In April, I wrote a column about the changing business climate and changes that we were incorporating into Insurance Networking. Well, there was one change that I didn't foresee, and it involves my job.In May, I became publisher of the magazine; I'm also retaining most of my duties as editor. It's a huge responsibility to oversee the operations of a magazine, but that has been my career ambition. I have been involved in publishing my entire career, from newspapers to association publications, and finally, with business publications such as Insurance Networking.

The most obvious question that our readers and advertisers may ask is what does this change mean for the magazine's future? In the short term, there won't be a noticeable change in the magazine's content or style.

However, we're planning to broaden our editorial coverage of the insurance industry to give our readers a greater sense of the news and trends that are shaping their businesses.

The column I wrote in April discussed how change can be unsettling to people. I recently traveled to New York for the first time since 1999, and although I mentally prepared myself, it was very disturbing to look at the city's changed skyline at the tip of Manhattan. Landmarks, whether bridges, billboards or buildings, help us feel grounded when we travel, so the absence of the Twin Towers left me with a feeling of emptiness and sadness.

However, I was impressed with the city's ability to move beyond the Sept. 11 tragedy. Walking through Times Square at midnight was no different than it was three years earlier-except for the new and bigger neon signs. It made me realize that change isn't something we control; how we react to it is.

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