On my office wall I have framed photos of three men. If I asked you what they have in common I anticipate I would get many different answers but, for me, there is only one answer. Each, in his own way, despite significant personal tragedy and unimaginable public pressure and emotional stress understood the importance [...]
My discussion of reinvention / transformation has sparked more comment (online and offline) than most any other topic. Clearly it is on every one's mind. As we continue to explore this topic it is important...maybe critical...that we realize that we have an obligation to ourselves and to the public to be conscious of keeping a [...]
What is the link between Terrorism and Funeral Service? Well, you have to read a very short story and watch an even shorter video to find out. But the rewards will be worth it because I am going to reveal some of my secret sauce. A few years ago a friend shared that: "Alan see [...]
There is a level of neglect in our profession that will (and is) causing too many to approach the end of their careers facing great disappointment, forcing the postponement of retirement or spending retirement much more humbly than anticipated. It is too dangerous to be considered benign. Dangerous, certainly, at the individual firm level. [...]
Last week I referred to Andrew Grove's comments relative to the reinvention of Intel in which he referred to the process as the "Valley of Death." Strategic Inflection Points: what happens to a business when a major change takes place in its competitive environment... what is key is that they require a fundamental change in [...]
Reinvention will soon become the latest catchword in the DeathCare professions. I agree! Reinvention has been a long time coming. But I fear that many have already mistaken cosmetic touchups to our traditional practices as reinvention thus fooling themselves into continued complacency. There are many shades of reinvention and the magnitude of the one called [...]
This question and its brother: "How much does a funeral cost?" Are non questions. When we attempt to answer them directly with rational logical explanations we only end up annoying most people. Especially if we weigh them down with a litany of hours, cost of having a building and the time we waste being ready [...]
My hero, Peter Drucker, believed: "For the organization to perform to a high standard, its members must believe that what it is doing is, in the last analysis, the one contribution to community and society on which all others depend." For more than 30 years I have believed that DeathCare makes just such a contribution. [...]
Here is an interesting perspective on implementing change within your own organization. Most funeral homes and cemeteries are at level III. One or two are possibly at level IV. To my knowledge, I have never been exposed to a level V. Where Do You Fit on The Scale? Will it be your tribe that changes [...]
Why do DeathCare Practitioners get these "Deer In The Headlight" looks when you use the word "Strategy" in their presence? I think it's partly because they don't really know where to start what can really be a pretty simple activity. And, besides, somebody keeps changing the starting point every darn day. If you attend enough [...]
