I have often wondered what a typical day was like for the leadership team at the multi-billion dollar American Family Insurance company. I had the chance to find out by interviewing Chad Cerkoney, the director of risk management. American Family Insurance headquartered in Madison, WI. It currently operates in 19 states, primarily in the Midwest, with life, health, business and personal property insurance products. Chad has been with American Family for over 30 years and has held positions as an insurance agent, workforce manager, actuary and now director of risk management. Chas earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin. Chad's typical day with American Family begins with conducting daily meetings, reviewing staff relationships, and preparing for meetings with the leadership team. Some of his duties include analyzing and trending the company's profit and loss and keeping senior executives informed of the company's latest analysis and profit and loss trends. Any changes in the factors influencing metrics must be quickly analyzed, evaluated, measured and presented so that necessary actions can be taken. He spends most of his time in meetings and keeping the management team motivated and informed about the organization's current strategic goals. Two of the most critical management problems Chad faces are lack of communication and disagreements among the management team. “I try to always keep all lines of communication open, and I think, I encourage all of my managers to express their ideas and opinions, no matter how small” (CD Cerkoney, Personal Communication, February 27, 2012).Chad explains that three essen . .....middle sheet ......of the daily challenges we face. Now more than ever I know I'm on the right path to leadership, and with each interaction I'm better preparing myself to lead my generation into tomorrow, just as Chad did his. References Clark, D. R. (2004). Leadership and human behavior. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/questions.htmlKreitner, R. (2008). Management fundamentals. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.Toth, M. (2010, April 5). Leadership through effective interpersonal communication skills. Retrieved March 1, 2012, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Leadership-¬Through-¬Effective--Interpersonal-¬Communication-¬Skills&id=4052980Yoskovitz, B. 10 Essential Business Leadership Skills Retrieved March 3, 2012, from http: //www.instigatorblog.com/10-essential-business-leadership-skills/2007/04/16/