Dr. Gustavo R. Grodnitzky has been writing and teaching about company cultures since the early 2000s. I first read his book titled Culture Trumps Everything in 2014 and began to realize that I was not approaching success in our company the right way. I believe that his theories and teachings still apply in business today and are critical lessons to learn especially as we work to ensure the success of our companies both now and following the pandemic. the #1 PriorityWhat is the true definition of culture and why is it important in business and our profession? The dictionary defines culture as a collection of behaviors and beliefs associated with a particular group. It is also the quality of a person or group of people that comes from appreciating excellence. As an owner since 1989, after reading Dr. Gustavo’s book, I began to realize that our company culture was not effective and that it was upside down. I had been raised and always thought that our customers were our most important asset and that we should do everything to make them our #1 priority. I had a business coach and consultant come in and conduct a 360 on me and others in management. What we learned was that our staff was afraid of failing and afraid of failing me as the owner if they made a mistake in service to our customers. Wow, what an eye-opener that was! Our culture was one of getting everything right for the customer each time and doing our best to not have our staff fail. Thus, each day, team Baue functioned with a fear of failing. This culture was not working. No staff can be motivated by fear of failure. They needed to be supported, trained to know it was ok to fail. We as owners and managers had to change our behaviors and share our failures with them too. We learned they needed more praise, encouragement, and enhanced training. They also needed to feel supported, understood, and know that they mattered to us as our first priority in every decision we made. facing the great resignationToday, during the worldwide pandemic, many staff and funeral service professionals around the country and the world continue to feel isolated, fearful, and alone. Some have experienced their own losses and are exhausted. We are seeing and reading about employees who are leaving our profession and companies in larger numbers more than ever before. Our profession is part of the “Great Resignation” and at the same time, deaths are increasing, not just from the pandemic, but from an aging population. The question we should be asking ourselves, is what are we going to do about this? We struggle to find new hires, new licensees, and those that continue on our team are tired and could be considering leaving in the future. The next generation of Millennials and Gen Z (those born after 1993) are not entering our profession, nor enrolling in mortuary schools in large enough numbers to fill the losses we are experiencing. Something must give, and somebody must do something. That somebody, I believe is us! That somebody is looking back at us in the mirror every morning. Wake up funeral service! Admit we have made mistakes and go fix them!!! we can do it differentlyAs a profession, we must acknowledge that we are not managing our cultures correctly, nor do we have our licensing laws aligned with the desires and skills for future employee retention. The licensing law topic is a blog for another day. Suffice it to say that most of the licensing we require, along with the training we provide, is not aligning with what a future hire wants to attend, nor what our client family’s needs are. Is it occurring to any of us that we are misaligned in our efforts and the culture we have created? Does it concern us that our clients are arranging direct burials and direct cremations in increasing numbers, and not choosing us to help with the service or they are choosing no service at all? I believe that we can and must do things differently going forward. My “wake up call” was in 2014. I chose to behave differently as a leader. I chose to do something about our culture to better care for our team members and show them how much they were appreciated. I chose to listen to their development and work environment needs. We changed our focus from our customers to our staff and began on a path to help them become the best leaders, caregivers, and the best event planners they could be. I do not think it was by accident that our company volume grew, nor that we became the “employer of choice” in our region for years to come. It convinced me back then as it does today, that a strong positive culture of caring more for our team members than we do for our customers was and is the right thing to do. In June of 1912, our 26th President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt, stated “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” This quote was shared while he was speaking in Chicago, IL. For more ideas from Chicago, I interviewed Barbara Kemmis, Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), headquartered in the greater Chicago area for my Elevating Women in Funeral Service Series on the Your Funeral Coach Talks podcast. Barbara shared her thoughts on mentorship, leadership and the growth CANA has experienced in membership, finances, and programs. She also consulted her crystal ball to discuss the future growth of cremation and trends in our profession. I hope you will listen in. Be well, spend some time this week showing others in your organization how much you care, want to hear their ideas, concerns, and fears. And most of all, I hope you discover your “wake up call” as you look in the mirror tomorrow morning and think about what you want for your company’s future culture. Better yet, ask your team what they think! This post reprinted with permission from the Your Funeral Coach Blogs from Lisa Baue’s post of the same title from January 28, 2022. CANA's Executive Director Barbara Kemmis was honored to be featured on Lisa's podcast and in a recent blogpost on Elevating Women in Funeral Service as part of Women's History Month. You can listen to the episode here. Catch up on other episodes: Your Funeral Coach Talks Podcast.
Courage. Discipline. Integrity. The values and skills that veterans have honed over the years align well with funeral professions. From funeral directors and crematory operators to cemetery managers and maintenance and grounds crew or financial advisors to insurance sales, there are a wide variety of funeral career options available to veterans of all backgrounds and interests. When asked to name their top business challenges, owners of funeral profession businesses rank finding strong employees at the top of the list. This is an especially urgent need during times of crisis, such as a pandemic, when the ‘service’ part of the funeral profession really shines. Caring, competent, mission-driven employees are needed now more than ever. But how to engage, recruit and hire more military veterans to careers in the funeral service profession? THE CHALLENGEThe latest NFDA Member Needs & Satisfaction Study asked funeral professionals what they see as their greatest business challenge over the next 5 years. Nearly 57% of respondents feel their greatest challenge will be availability of qualified personnel. Data shows that workforce concerns have been increasing over the past several years among all segments of deathcare. In contrast, every year more than 220,000 military service members transition out of service in search of another career. In fact, as of January 2021, the US Veteran unemployment rate was nearly 5%. There are well-trained military veterans looking for meaningful work. A SOLUTIONA funeral service career can be closely aligned to the many skills that veterans have gained during their military service. Their commitment to getting the job done, organizational skills, interpersonal skills, leadership skills, and overall strength and rigor are admired by funeral businesses. In addition to applying the valuable skills they learned during their service, an interest in furthering their education and acquiring new talents makes veterans top-notch, coveted workers. Veterans exhibit the qualities needed to be successful in the funeral profession: A high level of trust and resilience. A desire to serve others. The ability to work well in extreme situations. Mission focus and advanced teamwork skills. Journey to Serve is a free marketing resource program that works to attract veterans into careers throughout the funeral service profession. We aim to help you hire for positions in funeral homes, crematories, cemeteries, advance planning, business-to-business sales, suppliers to the profession, and all levels of support roles. THE HOWWhen recruiting veterans, it is important to acknowledge the unique skills they bring to the workforce. Understanding the best ways to help veterans make the transition to funeral service will help them become valuable members of your team. Funeral professionals can accomplish these goals by leveraging the free, comprehensive Journey to Serve toolkit: a hero video, customizable print and digital ads, social media posts and radio spots and podcast ads, presentations and slide decks, FAQ messaging guidance, a career comparison chart, a customizable chart flyer, blog posts, quizzes and more. For veterans, the resources from Journey to Serve demonstrates how skills align, what educational opportunities and resources are available, and the chance to hear from other veterans who have made the transition. As an extra incentive, the Funeral Service Foundation and the ICCFA Educational Foundation will award two $5,000 academic scholarships to military veterans to help offset the costs associated with pursuing a career in funeral service and deathcare. The annual scholarships are equally funded by both organizations. A third scholarship, the Hunter M. Harbeson Memorial Scholarship, will provide $2,500 in academic support to a qualified veteran. Employers wanting to offer placement through the GI Bill Apprenticeship Program must contact their local state certifying official to start the process, which includes creating a comprehensive training program that will teach the skills necessary for the veteran to become successful in their position. This may include classroom training in addition to hands-on experience. The program can help veterans transition into a civilian job by creating a mentoring environment. As an example, Merendino Cemetery Care utilized the program and found that it changed their organizational culture to a mission-focused approach, which was beneficial to the entire company. Read more about one veteran’s own personal journey to serve below. THE PROOFVeterans already working in deathcare agree that funeral service aligns with their skills and passion to serve. The Journey to Serve website is full of testimonials from veterans who have found a satisfying next career in funeral service, like this one from CANA Member Merendino Cemetery Care employee, Daisy Rivera. DAISY RIVERAU.S. ARMY SIGNAL CORP AND MERENDINO CEMETERY CARE Daisy has always been an adventure lover. When she was recruited for the military as a high school teenager, she knew it was the right fit for her thrill-seeking character. She served 10 years in the U.S. Army as a communications specialist in the Signal Corp. Her main responsibility was to install radios and messaging, integral elements of clear communication. Daisy was stationed in Germany, Colorado, and South Korea during the Gulf War in 1991. One of the hardest days of her life was the day she said goodbye to her one-year-old son at the airport as she was leaving for South Korea for an entire year. After learning how difficult it can be to say goodbye to those you love, she made the tough decision to leave the military and focus on family. Thereafter, she became a 911 operator for 21 years. She also served in the National Guard and Army Reserves while working full-time. She was the first-ever female commander of the Lincolnwood American Legion Post #1226. Today, Daisy is the Midwest Branch Manager at Merendino Cemetery Care, where she oversees grounds management for 15 cemeteries. She works out of the Chicago branch, where she manages a team of five. She has a great trusting relationship with her team, which she attributes to skills learned during her time in service. “You have to trust in your leaders. I trust them, and therefore the trust is returned,” Daisy explains. the futureHiring veterans makes good business sense. They are focused on mission accomplishment, and can continue their Journey to Serve by helping the families in your care. Our goal is to make your job of finding qualified personnel easier by offering free resources to help you communicate with veterans and recruit them to your open positions. The Journey to Serve toolkit of customizable marketing materials will help you target the right audience efficiently and effectively. MORE ABOUT JOURNEY TO SERVEVeterans Day is our opportunity to thank and show support for those that have served. Journey to Serve is a new program aimed at recruiting military veterans to careers in funeral service. Launched in 2021, the program is a joint initiative of the Funeral Service Foundation (NFDA’s charitable arm) and the ICCFA Educational Foundation. The Funeral Service Association of Canada has also co-sponsored the project. The largest philanthropic organizations in the funeral profession have come together to help the profession face the challenges of finding and hiring qualified personnel. We hope you will take advantage of the tools provided at www.JourneyToServe.com to find your next great hire. Journey to Serve provides free resources to the profession to help recruit veterans into meaningful work in all aspects of funeral service. On October 19, 2021, Journey to Serve was approved by the Department of Defense as a web resource on Military OneSource. This is a giant win for Journey to Serve, and means that the program is now front and center for service members preparing to transition out of their military careers. In support of the initiative, CANA offers active service members and veterans a discount on Crematory Operations Certification Programs. Whether or not they are members of CANA, Canadian and US military members and veterans will receive a special rate of just $195. Learn more and register: goCANA.org/COCP.
Ten years and four months ago I decided the next step in my career was to become an executive director. I started looking at job postings and stumbled across one for the Cremation Association of North America. My first reaction was to chuckle and marvel that there really is an association (or three) for any profession. I applied for the position, bombed the phone interview, aced the in-person interview and the rest is history. Too often, we talk about how slow this profession is to advance. Looking back, however, it’s been an exciting decade of change and growth for the industry and our association in particular. In 2011, CANA was 98 years young – a startup transitioning from an association management company to hiring their first association professional to take the organization to the next level. Cremation was still a threat rather than a reality for non-members. In 2021, cremation is the new tradition and other forms of disposition are clamoring for their own place. CANA’s staff is some of the most dedicated in the business, continuing to evolve our offerings to meet the needs of members and the entire profession. I can see how much I have learned and continue to learn. Here are ten reflections on cremation and CANA in 2021 compared to 2011: 1.) Cremation is MainstreamIn 2011, CANA was the primary cremation education provider and I was routinely told by well-known thought leaders that cremation was irrelevant and a fad. Others were angry about the growing adoption of cremation and accused CANA of destroying their businesses. Cremation was still considered to be a fringe disposition to be feared or ignored. “Cremation is taking food out of my children’s mouths!” expressed a tipsy monument dealer at one of my first professional meetings in fall 2011. I didn’t take this personally at the time, and he later apologized, but I soon learned that cremation had a greater negative impact on cemeteries and memorial suppliers than other types of businesses. That impact continues, but even then, there were opportunities going unexplored. If cremation is the opposite of casketed burial, as consumers seem to understand it, then traditions linked to burial are often viewed as disconnected to cremation. Why then were cemeteries largely offering burial for cremated remains as the only permanent placement option? Why were the companies building and selling monuments and mausoleums avoiding building columbaria? When I asked these questions early on in my career, I heard variations on the theme that these are business decisions. Now it is clear that cremation is a persistent trend and all types of CANA members are aware of that and eager to explore how it can grow their businesses. Today’s business decisions incorporate cremation in planning and product development. Those previous era’s thought leaders are largely retired or have changed their tune. We have all learned a lot. 2.) Cana's Brand is more than crematory operations“I don’t own or operate a crematory, so I don’t belong to CANA,” was the common response I received when pitching CANA membership. And it was true, CANA was and is the market leader in crematory operations training and expertise. I learned how to answer questions posed by members and regulators alike. Funeral directors were fielding questions from families choosing cremation and needed to learn more about the technical process to respond with accurate and valuable information. Membership has tripled over the past decade and the growth is among businesses without crematories. They join CANA to learn how to increase profitability and learn strategies to better serve grieving families beyond the basic (though all-important) crematory operations. 3.) CREMATION ADOPTION IS 100% CONSUMER DRIVENSince 2011, the cremation rate has grown from 63.1% to 73.1% in Canada and from 42.2% to more than 56.1% in the U.S. — almost a 15% increase. I wish that the five CANA staff members and I could claim that we move the cremation rate forward. That would be a remarkable accomplishment. Rather we, like you, are focused on keeping up with and reporting consumer preferences and trends. The more we understand, the better we can bridge the growing disconnect and mistrust between death care professionals and the public. I am proud that we have created a website with cremation memorialization material that helps consumers make decisions and is so valued. 4.) CANA RESEARCH IS THE MOST ACCURATE AND RELIABLE OUT THERE Research is my favorite part of the job. I am a librarian by training and I love helping CANA members find information that helps them. But when I am asked the same question more than a few times, I see a research opportunity. CANA is best known for its rock-solid cremation trend analysis and projections. Building on that reputation, we are expanding into more consumer research with our recent Cremation Insights report and some exciting projects planned for the coming years. 5.) CANA, THE MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATION, IS STRONGER THAN EVERIn the macro world of professional and trade associations, membership is decreasing (as is attendance at conventions). With social media and “free” information online, more people are choosing not to affiliate with an association, but seek connections elsewhere. CANA bucks these trends with a +95% member retention rate and attracting more than 100 new members a year. Fundamentally, associations reflect their member’s challenges and successes. Associations must change and adapt to meet these needs. For example, CANA responded to the growing adoption of online education by creating an online version of its Crematory Operations Certification Program (COCP) in 2017. By 2019, more operators were certified online than in person for convenience and accessibility reasons, but all received the same training and content. I am grateful that CANA’s education offerings are diversified. Building on that success, we offer CE courses, webinars, and professional development online – we’re investing to make CANA Education available anywhere. Trends like consolidation, business closure and briefer attention spans are real challenges for all associations that CANA addresses head on. 6.) BOTH/AND IS OUR NEW REALITYThis term may be unfamiliar to you, but “both/and” is the concept that when new technologies or products come along, you must add those to existing offerings without dropping anything. CANA members are definitely facing this challenge. Most continue to serve casketed burial families as well as cremation, but the proportion of each type of death call has likely flipped. Or perhaps the proportion of calls received via a website versus the brick-and-mortar funeral home has reversed. Cemeteries are making significant capital investments in cremation product options, while still supporting casketed burials. And the increased desire for personalization is another layer of creating new traditions for families who are choosing cremation for the first time. 7.) THE CREMATION CONTINUUM HAS SHIFTEDA decade ago, as I was analyzing CANA member records and meeting members, the majority of members had multiple brands. The brand that was primarily cremation-focused was often the business that held the CANA membership. All funeral service providers could support cremation consumers, and many funeral homes had added “& Cremation Services” to their business names. Generally speaking, cremation societies were largely considered to be “bottom feeders” by their traditional, brick-and-mortar competitors. Advertising on price was a newer, controversial concept. Fast forward to a world where many CANA members retain their Funeral Home and Cremation Society, and have added an online brand as well. The goal of this diversification is meeting cremation consumers where they are and offering a variety of options. This trend is true for the national, publicly traded members as well as regional or local providers. Advertising on price is widely accepted and expected for the value brands, whereas the service-oriented brands tend to promote personalization and excellent service. Cremation consumers have more choices in service providers than ever. 8.) THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM PERSISTSThe assumption that cremation consumers choose cremation for the lowest price persists and it is damaging to our profession. Very few businesses can survive, much less thrive, on the volume necessary to support low prices. There are low-cost providers in nearly every market already, but emphasis on market share is crucial. Low income and poor families don’t default to cremation because of price. They crowd source funeral funding for the disposition they want, or, sadly, they abandon their loved one. Indigent deaths are on the rise and that is the result of a complete lack of funding for an unexpected death. Assumptions are creating more distance from the consumer and add to misunderstandings. 9.) Cremation is the new traditionIn May 2019, CANA and Homesteaders Life Company conducted joint research on the cremation experience. This research resulted in 7 key insights, but our first critical lesson was when designing the research. We contracted with focus group research centers to create groups for us divided into Direct Cremation and Cremation with Service groups. We defined Direct Cremation as people who chose cremation and did nothing, conducting no services. The contact called us back and said they had hundreds of potential participants in our focus groups who chose cremation and were willing to talk about their experience, but they couldn’t find any Direct Cremation consumers. The mistake we made was defining Direct Cremation as doing nothing, when we meant doing nothing with a cremation provider. People who choose cremation always do something—the question is whether they view the funeral director as an expert to help them create new traditions, or as a body handler. This is my primary question as I face the next decade. 10.) CREMATION IS PREPARATION FOR MEMORIALIZATIONCANA has believed that for over 100 years and CANA members agree to the Code of Cremation Practice as a condition of membership. Promoting permanent placement, ceremony and all the other aspects that memorialization supports continues to be our challenge and opportunity. That monument dealer, who adjusted his model and is still in business, was correct, in part. We are fighting against consumer resistance to memorialization and permanent placement, but it is a fight worth winning. Ten years ago, I joked that I was the executive director of a 100-year-old start-up, but that is the culture I have attempted to maintain over the past decade. CANA is progressive and committed to creating and delivering content that supports our members and promotes ethical, transformative cremation experiences. I am still learning every day and the staff and I always appreciate your feedback, questions and suggestions. This work is hard and requires imagination, reliable data to make decisions and collaboration. I hope you will join me in raising a glass to my first ten years with CANA and all we have accomplished together! October 17, 2021 was 10-years to the day that Barbara started as Executive Director of CANA. Join the staff and board in celebrating and congratulating Barbara and the whole association on the achievements of the last decade. There's no end to the celebration in October: wish her a Happy Birthday October 24th
Millennials have been made fun of and vilified since they started entering the workforce. They have been stereotyped as lazy and entitled employees who are quick to trade loyalty for the ability to jump into what’s shiny and new. They want work-life balance, flexible schedules and a casual dress code. But like most things, it is not quite that simple. Employers today are struggling to hire and retain employees. Many think this struggle is due to the millennial employee, but the workforce is the most involved it has ever been. Defining the workforceOne size doesn’t fit all when it comes to today’s workforce or talking about the different generations. For the first time in history, there are five generations in the workplace. They are:
FIVE GENERATIONS MEANS FIVE APPROACHESFive generations of employees means five approaches to work, which makes it difficult to satisfy everyone. It is important to note that labels that apply to the different generations do not necessarily contain every member of a given generation. Rather, those labels should be considered hints on how to most effectively connect and work with people. four quick tips on managing millennialsMillennials currently make up the largest portion of the U.S. workforce. They are known for their familiarity with the internet, social media, and digital devices. As a generation that grew up on stickers and participation trophies, millennials have come to place high importance on collaboration, teamwork and helping the greater good. So what are the things that you're putting in place for these workers? Because if you’re thinking, “well, I'll just wait.” What you're waiting for is not necessarily coming. Millennials make up about 75% of the workplace, there are more MBAs in the millennial generation than have no degrees at all, 30% of them are living with family, and 36% have tattoos. Planning for the future includes the millennial and gen z employee. ENCOURAGE THEIR “CAN-DO” ATTITUDE Millennials want to know that their work is valued, and they are somehow making a difference. The best way to connect with your millennial colleague is to explain the big picture to them and let them know how their work impacts the families or communities you are serving. They are looking to see that the work that they do adds value to something. To me what this is: Are there things that matter to those employees? If there are, can they be in charge of it. For example, something as simple as doing a can drive. One funeral home did Wreaths Across America and they put their millennial employee in charge of that. They loved it, because they bridged that gap between work and something socially responsible and doing something different. What we find is that the values millennials, and even Gen Z, will go after are the ones that are actually trying to accomplish something versus something that just wants to make money. So, if we can have that kind of balance between those things, make it available to them. Plus, doing drives like this — can drives, clothing drives, things like that — it also boosts the funeral home as well. CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS POSITIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE Millennials are accustomed to using technology in their everyday lives, and they expect the same at work. As digital natives, they are comfortable learning and utilizing new technology. If different procedures can be digitized, these employees want the workplace to invest in the new technology and innovations. Mobile integration and modalities are expected, not only by employees, but also by the millennial family members you serve. They've grown up surrounded by digital devices, but ‘digital natives’ does not mean that they are technologically savvy. If you want them to help you on Facebook and Instagram, that's your group. But if you expect that they are going to somehow run your website, that they're going to fix your printer, got another think coming. The millennials and the Gen Z at Worsham College, if the printer does not work, they will just look at it and go, “it's not working. It's not working.” I am probably more technologically savvy, because I remember dial-up and when I had to read descriptions and put things together. ENCOURAGE THEM TO GIVE THEIR OPINIONS AND IDEAS Millennials grew up with parents and teachers who facilitated open communication techniques. They are used to having their opinions heard and having a seat at the table. While millennials do favor encouraging feedback, they also want consistent communication. They want to be informed about the job and the employer’s expectations and have regular meetings to check in on their progress. They want both instruction and independence, so teach them through conversations, not commands, allowing for feedback and repeating. Give them measurable goals and help them hold themselves accountable for achieving them. Do not threaten punishment if they make mistakes but give them the confidence to take responsibility for their actions, and the support they need to fix their mistakes. What are the needs of our millennial generation? They need coaching and mentorship. They want to develop their skills and know how they're progressing. I'll say it like this, everyone that comes into mortuary science school — the ones that graduate and move on — they want to be you. They want to be funeral directors. That's why they go to school. So they are excited, they can't wait to start. The idea of you coaching and mentoring them matters a lot to them, because it's such a part of who they are. And it's what they want to see and be a part of. ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR IMPACT If a millennial is doing a good job, they want to know. Acknowledge hard work through recognition programs and performance-based incentives. However, this recognition should not be competitive. It is more about them staying motivated rather than outperforming their co-workers. Many of our students work at local funeral homes, and we had a student who worked a visitation. When he came to school the next day, he says, “I had a great day at work yesterday. A funeral director gave me this.” And he holds up above his head, as if he just had won the lottery, a $10 Subway gift card. All our students were so excited, so happy, because here's the two things that happened in that moment: he was recognized and he was appreciated. It doesn't have to be huge. It doesn't need to be these massive rewards. It just needs to be something and you're saying, “Yes, I see what you're doing.” MORE THAN A LABELIt’s easy to stereotype generations because it makes some intuitive sense that people born in similar eras would have similar skills, experiences and attitudes. But good management and a positive work environment matter more than how many generations are co-existing under one roof. So, for example, if you have an expectation of how you want to receive communication, you need to tell them, If they don't follow your policy, they're a bad employee, get rid of them. But most of the time, the generations are actually be able to change and communicate with you the way that you want. Many times the actions and behaviors of the millennial can seem like they are disengaged or disinterested in their job but that is not entirely accurate. For example, many funeral directors say that once a millennial completes their task list they grab their phone and do not look around to find additional tasks. My response and suggestion is that most of your younger employees have been taught that once you complete a task list you are done. So if you want them to find additional tasks ask your millennial what is missing from the task list. Make them part of the discussion. When funeral professionals learn the right approaches to working with the different generations it alleviates a great deal of stress and frustration in the workplace. Acknowledging the different styles of employees allows for them all, regardless of their generation, to contribute and be a meaningful part of the workplace. Understanding generations particularly around communication, trust and decision-making can go a very long way in helping funeral professionals understand how to better connect with different generations of employees and families they serve. At a time when the profession continues to be more consumer-centric, the potential benefit of better communication is significant. Regardless of the generation most all people want the same thing: to work in a place that treats them fairly and values their work. Portions of this post excerpted from Leili's presentation at CANA's 103rd Cremation Innovation Convention on "Hiring and Retention of Today’s Employee" where she discussed how to effectively communicate and integrate the next generation of funeral directors into the workplace. Happy American Business Women's Day to Leili and all of the women leaders in funeral service with thanks for all you do! Your employees are your number one asset, and unfortunately, not all business owners and managers recognize this. The funeral profession sees too many graduates leaving the profession citing long hours, low pay and poor company culture. Three Tools for Improving Your Business examines how culture and competencies go hand in hand when it comes to hiring, developing and retaining your people. Plus, you’ll learn strategies for evaluating and developing your staff. The best part? This online and on-demand course is free for CANA Members and just $15 for non-members for 1 hour of CE from the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice. Not a member? Consider joining your business to access this course plus many more resources to help you find solutions for all aspects of your business – only $495. Check out other online courses from CANA that help develop your professional skills and provide practical takeaways in a bite-size format: goCANA.org/eduonline.
January 7th 2016, A date that changed my life, and quite possibly other peoples’ lives, forever. Hello, my name is Michael Dixon. I am the president and founder of Funeral Professionals Peer Support. Before I tell you why that date is so important, let’s go back a bit. I was born 57 years ago in Transcona, Manitoba to two amazing, successful parents. I was the youngest – and only – boy in a family of girls. Growing up I had a lot of things stacked against me: I was born with a serious heart defect and a stutter, and in childhood I was sexually abused. The heart defect was cured and with a lot of work my stutter was overcome, but the scars of abuse stay with you forever. I hid it well. I buried it away by playing football and baseball, and, sadly, with alcohol. Upon graduating from high school and college, I started working in the hotel industry. After almost 10 years of that, I discovered that hotels just were not for me. CALLS YOU NEVER FORGETFuneral service was always my second choice out of high school, so I decided that I would give it a try. After finishing my 40 hours observation, I felt like I belonged for the first time. I was with people who were like me: kind, compassionate, and caring. I started working for a large funeral home and I was loving it. I was a sponge: I soaked in everything I was being taught, both by new directors and seasoned directors. Some are still my role models to this day. Four years into my new profession, I began to work for a removal service that this funeral home owned. There I saw firsthand how truly cruel humans can be to each other. In a three-year period, I attended over 38 murders—scenes where people were shot, stabbed, and tortured—and some of them were just children. Car accidents, train accidents, and suicides were too numerous to mention. Some calls you will never forget, even though they happened over 20 years ago. I can still picture the Christmas gifts all over the road that came from a car that flipped over on Christmas Eve. I can remember the song that was playing on the radio at a murder scene, or the smell of blood, gas, or anti-freeze. I know I am preaching to the choir, but things like this never leave your memory. They make you turn the radio off when you hear “Welcome to the Jungle“ or take another route in order to avoid the site of that accident, suicide, or murder scene that is embedded in your memory. Otherwise you get triggered. Or you stand in the doorway of your kids’ rooms watching them because your memory just won’t let you fall asleep. When you do sleep, it’s not a sound sleep for the recommended eight hours, because death does not just happen from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. But with all these negative things, I never wanted to leave the profession. I tried to do my job well, hiding my feelings of failure, my low self-esteem and loneliness. I always put on a brave face, using comedy and humour to hide the depression that was slowly taking over my life. I, like most people in funeral service, felt that I had no one to go to. I didn’t want to talk to my wife about what I was feeling. The people I worked with at the time did not offer a safe place to talk about your feelings. There were no organized debrief or talk-down sessions, and the ones we did have were usually at a bar with alcohol, which is not a positive healing environment. In that time, the feeling around our profession was “You knew what you were getting into.” So, like everyone else, I went ahead and did my job well. I made good work friends and worked hard, but, due to my depression, I was never myself. I was always putting on an act—which often got me in trouble at work and especially at home. I always felt that I never fit in at either place. I didn’t think of myself as a good person, especially not a good father and husband. I thought many times that everyone’s life would be better if I was not around. JANUARY 7, 2016One thing about depression, it’s a slow killer. The year 2015 should have been a great year: I had a beautiful home on a nice piece of land, my three amazing kids were successful and taking on the world; my wife was in a good job and an active, well-respective member of our community; I was in a job that I loved, and for the first time I felt loved and respected. But things were starting to unravel for me. I had terrible anxiety. I hated to be away from home, and when I was at home, I was usually in my room, cut off from everyone. I was not sleeping well, I was having terrible anxiety attacks where it felt like a heart attack—trouble catching my breath, chest pains, etc. I was using alcohol now as a crutch more than I had done in the past, using it to give me confidence to go out, to make speeches, and to meet people. A month before Christmas in 2015, I decided I’d had enough. I was tired. I was tired of going on. So, I planned this suicide attempt. I scouted out locations, bought a good insurance policy, even did a practice run. January 7th was the day. That Christmas, we went overboard on gifts and had a lot of parties. January 7th came and I got up at my normal time. I was not sad or upset. I was totally at peace. I kissed my wife goodbye, drove my son to school, and off I went, pulling into the parking lot at a park. I sat there having my last cigarette and thought “Okay, let’s do this.” I opened the car door but for some reason I could not get out of the car. I could hear this voice in my head saying “It’s okay, I got you, make that call!” and I could feel these hands on my shoulder. I started to cry because I was thinking “Who would walk my daughter down the aisle or be there for my two sons and my wife?” In my despair, I made a deal with myself. I was going to call my doctor and, if someone answered the phone, I would go for help. If I must leave a message, I would walk in the forest. The phone rang once and a nurse picked up, and I thought “When does that happen? When do you ever call your doctor and they pick up the phone?” After telling the nurse that I was suicidal, my doctor came on the phone and told me to come to his office right away. After an hour of talking, I went for tests and I was diagnosed with severe depression and PTSD. FUNERAL PROFESSIONALS PEER SUPPORTFrom that point on, I decided to not be quiet, but to be very open about my diagnosis. When I told my colleagues what I was dealing with, many of them said “Man, I am going through the same thing. I am tired, frustrated, and burnt out and I am thinking of leaving.” So, instead of staying quiet and only worrying about me, I reached out to a few friends and we decided to come together and organize the very first funeral service peer support group in the world. Ottawa Funeral Peer Support was born. Our profession finally had a place where people could meet and share their personal struggles and get the support and encouragement to get help. In January of the following year, we started to get press coverage from local newspapers, which other news outlets from across Canada picked up. We then started to get requests to do radio and TV interviews both locally and internationally. Once that happened, we started to hear from funeral directors across Canada saying “We need this in our communities. We need support.” We realized quickly that our long-term goal had to be our right now goal, and Canadian Funeral Peer Support was born. Within a year, support groups have come up in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, not to mention Ottawa, Hamilton, and Winnipeg all in Ontario. There is also serious interest in Alberta, British Columbia, Toronto, and Windsor. Then COVID hit. Our peer support groups met in person so, when everything shut down, we had to come up with a plan to stay connected with our people. It was then decided that each group would host Zoom meetings, which opened us up to funeral professionals from around the world. We started to have people connect with us from throughout the United States as well as England, Italy, Australia, and Kenya. We started to hear from people everywhere that this is something they needed and wanted to be part of. Our management team got together and we realized we are no longer just a Canadian company. We had to go international. In February of 2021 we started an international support line for licenced and non-licenced funeral staff, along with their families. With a phone call or text, you can speak to a counselor with funeral service experience that will listen and help guide you through any issue you have—for both work or non-work-related issues. We became Funeral Professionals Peer Support (FPPS). RESPONDING TO A NEEDOne thing that has made us successful is we have always responded to a need. This year, we brought Peer Support groups into the United States. We are reaching funeral professionals from across the United States and Canada with online support meetings and educational webinars. FPPS has learned is that there is no “extra money“ from our governments for mental health care. That’s why it is now the responsibility that all businesses make positive mental health care a priority in our workplaces. It is our belief that funeral service can be the leader in the goal of a positive workplace. Stats tell the story of where we are now:
Peer Support is now being looked at and valued as a positive first step in mental health care around the world. In Canada, federal government departments are now instituting peer support groups for their employees. In Canada and the United States, first responders and the military are starting peer groups as well. Peer Support helps you meet with people that speak your language, learn from people who have been where you are, and support each other. We provide tools that are applicable to the job, make no judgement, ensure confidentiality and offer the opportunity to give back. Our groups have had speakers talk about burnout, stress, compassion fatigue, yoga, healthy eating and—my favorite—personal support animals. All valuable insight into a healthy work and home life. If you are interested in a Peer group in your community or you have any questions please visit us at www.funeralpeersupport.com or call 343-961-2470. Funeral Professionals Peer Support is committed to the improvement of our brothers and sisters’ mental health. My hope is that no one else in our profession is ever sitting in a park alone in their car playing roulette with their life. CANA is honored to share Michael's story and #BeThe1To support the efforts of World Suicide Prevention Day this September 10, 2021. If you or someone you know is in crisis and considering suicide, do not wait to seek help. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) in the US: call or text 988 (or chat) Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (or text 45645) If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, reach out to these support programs: Funeral Professionals Peer Support Warmline international: 1-613-917-8057 (call or text) SAMHSA in the US: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) Wellness Together in Canada: 1-866-585-0445 If you would like to join Michael and other funeral professionals for a peer support session, CANA and FPPS are hosting a meeting on Tuesday, September 21, 2021 at 8pm ET / 7pm CT / 5pm PT and every third Tuesday each month. These meetings are open to all funeral service professionals in any stage of their career and any role in funeral service. No need to register, simply visit goCANA.org/peersupport to join the Zoom gathering.
On April 28th I had the pleasure of joining CANA, my Foundation Partners colleagues and two of our partners in an incredibly informative webinar entitled, Meeting Families Where They Are: How to Leverage Cremation Trends to Your Advantage. I was very impressed with the practical and actionable advice and solid tips shared by our presenters. What I also found interesting was the wide range of cremation experience among the more than 220 CANA members who registered for the event. Nearly 20 percent of registrants are relatively new to the cremation space, with cremation representing less than 25 percent of their current business, while another 18 percent are fully invested in cremation services, which make up more than 85 percent of their business. Wherever they fall on the cremation business spectrum, they received valuable takeaways that will help them fine-tune and advance their businesses. And the good news is you can too by viewing a recording of the webinar here. First, however, I wanted to share a few highlights of the session and my take on the lessons learned. THE CREMATION VALUE PROPOSITIONOur Foundation Partners Group CFO Tom Kominsky kicked things off with a review of the value proposition around cremation and the flexible options and revenue opportunities associated with cremated remains. He began by debunking the popular belief that cost is behind the growing preference for cremation. He cited a recent survey of our cremation families, in which simplicity was almost as important as cost when selecting cremation. Flexibility and environmental concerns were also important considerations. That said, Tom went on to acknowledge that increasing cremation rates present challenges for many funeral homes and he outlined a number of opportunities to mitigate the financial risk. They include the sale of jewelry products made of and for cremated remains, and upscale options for permanent memorialization. He also discussed optional services, like catering and additional car rentals, that can drive up average cremation revenues. I wholeheartedly agree with Tom’s assessment, which is supported by research showing that ancillary product and service offerings for cremation families represent a massive opportunity for funeral home owners. The findings he shared about environmental concerns also resonated with me. As managers and owners of funeral service businesses, we need to be keenly aware of this environmental trend and look for ways to weave environmental responsibility into the fabric of our operations. Funeral home owners who recognize and stay ahead of the growing environmental movement will be well-positioned for success. That’s why we were proud to announce that all cremations across Foundation Partners locations will be carbon neutral this year, thanks to a new carbon offset program we implemented through Terrapass to support projects across North America that reduce carbon in the atmosphere. THREE KEYS TO CREMATION BUSINESS SUCCESSMeredith Waterston, a third-generation funeral director with the Cremation Society of Minnesota, shared three keys to her family’s cremation business success.
We’re extremely proud of our partnership with the Cremation Society of Minnesota and look forward to partnering with more cremation-forward funeral homes in the Midwest and throughout the country. THE SEISMIC SHIFT TO ONLINE SHOPPINGWe all know that the pandemic has accelerated the flight to online shopping but educating families and selling funeral services online requires a new mindset and a new approach. Angelique Simpson, professional development director for Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions, offered tips to prepare your teams for the changing demands and expectations of today’s families, and illustrated how your average revenue per contract has the potential to increase when you have an effective online portal. Her advice ranged from why it’s imperative that your staff be knowledgeable in every aspect of your online offering, to making sure that your online platform enlists large clear photo images of all of the best products and services you have to offer. According to Angelique, the key to successfully advancing your business is investing in your team with professional development. Making the shift from face-to-face family meetings to online chat and telephone communications requires training. Our own, Foundation Partners experience bears this out. Like most of you, pandemic lock-downs required our teams to make pre-need and at-need arrangements over the phone or online. And state and local restrictions that limited gatherings prompted us to reassess our tools for remote attendance. Updating our e-commerce capabilities and bringing on new remote attendance systems required an efficient operational plan and a huge training effort that reached each of our 160 locations across the country. ACTIVATE YOUR TEAMS AROUND THE SHIFT TO CREMATIONAt Foundation Partners, we take a three-step approach to rolling out new tools and procedures in our funeral homes: Pilot, Listen and Adapt. Pilot – We identify offerings that are resonating in the market and test them in select locations. We partner with vendors and have them educate our teams to test new items. And then we incentivize our teams to offer these new products and services to families. Listen – We ask our funeral home team members for feedback as they present different options to families. What’s working? And what’s not working? Adapt – As we learn what is and is not resonating with our families, we adapt to meet their needs. This is something you can do within your locations, regardless of the size of your business. BUILD, OUTSOURCE AND PARTNERI’d like to leave you with these final thoughts that I shared with the professionals who attended the webinar. As leaders of our organizations, it’s our job to make sure we have the right organizational structure and the capital in place to adapt to the changing market. The way I see it, we have three options.
If you’re thinking about succession planning, now is the perfect time to arrange a complementary, confidential financial analysis with Foundation Partners Group. Click here to request a call or call Jason Widing, our vice president of business development at (503) 200-0605
Everyone is tired of hearing the phrase “These are unprecedented times,” but a worldwide pandemic that has affected our profession and our lives as much as this one has is truly unprecedented. As a result, this makes for a very difficult time, both physically and emotionally. We all rose to the call—and still are. Some in different ways and some with different needs. And we are coming out better on the other side. As we often hear, “The more difficult the situation, the higher the reward.” I truly believe we will be better funeral directors and better cemeterians and better cremationists as a result of this pandemic. This was very much a positive learning experience for us all. As an industry, we pushed to new levels and encountered unchartered territory. During all of this, the creativity and resourcefulness of those in our profession does not surprise me. It is our job to respond to families on a daily basis, to listen to them carefully and explore effective ways to serve their needs while protecting everyone’s safety. But we can’t do it alone. We rely on the collaboration and generosity of our colleagues and the stamina and ingenuity of our staff. Professional associations play an important role, too. It is CANA and it is organizations like CANA—be they national, state, provincial, or local—that have been tremendously resourceful on behalf of funeral directors and cremationists. In a crisis such as this, we are so busy in the field that we often do not have the time, the energy, or the means to educate ourselves and our staff with the most current information. We benefit from expert guidance to learn how to properly protect ourselves. It’s really helpful to hear what professionals advise and what other colleagues are doing to cope. One year in, we asked some industry leaders to share their reflections and pass along what they’ve learned during the past year. I’ve added my own story from Texas as well. Knowing how busy everyone is, we’re grateful for these responses and send our support to everyone as we all continue to meet the challenges of this pandemic. - W. SCOTT SMITH, CANA PRESIDENT MIKE LANOTTE |
W. Scott Smith comes from a long line of funeral professionals. As a third-generation funeral director/embalmer, he has been licensed in the state of Texas since 1993. He is very passionate about the death care profession and involved in every aspect of the funeral industry. Appointed by Governor Perry in 2014, Scott continues to serve on the Texas Funeral Service commission. A past president of the Texas Funeral Director Association, the Dallas County Funeral Director Association, and the North Texas Funeral Director Association, he currently serves as vice chair of the Texas Disaster Response Team and responded to the West, TX plant explosion and the Oklahoma City bombing. Scott had the distinct honor to be chosen by the state of Texas to handle the cremation of the first Ebola death in the United States. CEO/President of All Texas Cremation, Scott is very involved in the evolving and changing environment of our business. |
Michael A. Lanotte is Executive Director of the New York State Funeral Directors Association and serves as President of the New York State Tribute Foundation, a charitable organization pursuing goals of charity, knowledge and education for both consumers and funeral directors. Mike previously served as Senior Vice President of Association Services at the New York Credit Union Association where he was responsible for compliance, community development, education and training, governance, governmental affairs, member services, the New York Credit Union Foundation, and legal and regulatory affairs. |
Sandra Walker is a licensed Funeral Director and Life Insurance agent in the State of Washington and Idaho. Sandra's career in funeral service began in 1999 after graduating from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Political Science. Currently, Sandra is the Vice President, Strategic Business for Fairmount Memorial Association, a local community owned organization in Spokane Washington. She is the current President of the Washington Cemetery, Crematory, Funeral Association (WCCFA) and joined the CANA Government and Legal Affairs Advisory Group in 2020. Sandra Walker was one of three panelists during the first Virtual CANA convention in August 2020 |
Robert H. Goff, CFSP is Executive Director of the Washington State Funeral Directors Association. Rob has served as a WSFDA Board Member and a WSFDA Executive Board member. He is a Past President of the WSFDA. He is a licensed Funeral Director & Embalmer in the States of Washington and Idaho and has served in funeral service for over Thirty years. Rob also owns and operates Dignified Assurance Planning. This insurance agency specializes in advanced funeral planning and pre-purchasing of funeral, cremation, terramation, and Alkaline Hydrolysis services. |
Larry Stuart, Jr. is a past member of the CANA Board of Directors. Larry has spoken at numerous industry events and has conducted crematory operator training classes across North America with a mission to advance the safety of cremation facilities and their employees and to more positively impact our community and our environment. Larry Stuart, Jr. is the Founder of Cremation Strategies and Consulting, and the former President of Crematory Manufacturing & Service, Inc., a leading manufacturer of technologically advanced cremation equipment. |
Tony Lorge is the CEO of OpusXenta, a global technology company. With a background in accounting, Tony built an interest in technology in the early days of the personal computer ("PC") coming to the market. He quickly built solid experience through providing the clients of the audit practice with the services they needed to properly understand what they could do with a PC and what the benefits could be for their business. At the risk of developing the perfect "nerd" storm of both accounting and technology experience, Tony soon grew a strong customer base that relied on his expertise for the success of their use of technology. With this background he has built a track record of success in creating and sustaining highly regarded world leading business software firms in highly competitive global environments. His latest endeavor, OpusXenta, provides new and innovative software solutions to the death care profession. |
Codi Shewan, CFSP, CCP is the President & Founder of EverLearn Associates, a full service, comprehensive management consulting firm, for the funeral and cemetery profession – aimed at engaging and building dynamic teams and successful businesses. Operating across North America, EverLearn Associates is known for aligning closely with clients to provide tailored solutions, which overcome their operational challenges and align their business goals with success. Working with some of the professions finest operators, EverLearn Associates focuses on the tenet of ‘People first; always.’ and has enveloped that philosophy in all of our consulting lines of business; HR, marketing, business strategy, and digital solutions. |
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