Alternative Title: It's Time To Get Over Yourself! Not long ago I was part of a group studying the challenges of recruitment in the funeral profession. I was stunned to hear the "table talk" of practicing funeral directors. Our conversations centered around why people wouldn't want to be funeral directors...the long and unpredictable work hours, [...]
Did you know that money is not a motivator. It is only a hygiene factor. Paying too little creates dissatisfaction...paying fairly only takes away the bone of contention...paying too much does not create enthusiasm and can often lead to dissatisfaction. So what really motivates people. It's simpler than you think and if you are as [...]
I started out too many weeks ago addressing the virtues of a senior leader making themselves unnecessary and I ran straight into a wall! My apologies but this is too important to take lightly so I took my time to untangle the issues and turns out it's really pretty simple. There are three roles each [...]
Sometimes you read stuff and it fits so perfectly all you are left with is: "I wish I had said that." Just as I was preparing my next followup article on how to make yourself unnecessary Linked-In published this blog post. Since I couldn't improve on it I will just share it. If you are [...]
Funeral Service is simultaneously over managed and under led. The key to overcoming the "Being Necessary" complex is to recognize the difference between management and leadership. It is the overmanagement that creates all the physical and emotional stress in this profession. More to the point the current trends in misapplying management data is turning professionals [...]
Saturday morning, January 7, 2012 my phone rings at home. "Al, this is Bob. Guess where I am?." Bob Neiman is a successful internet entrepreneur who flies his own plane and dominates a narrow niche in the construction industry. Bob and his wife Amy have been friends of ours for many years now. Amy is [...]
Recently I read something that triggered an insight. In my Funeral Home Consulting practice it is clear that businesses don't just suddenly spin out of control. Except in the rare case of disruptive innovation like an unconventional competitor, calamity does not occur overnight. "Things" start happening well before the challenges are apparent. Almost all of [...]
I think I can make a very strong case that funeral service as a profession makes a vital social contribution to society. For me that makes it a noble profession. Unfortunately, the profession doesn't act with nobility as often as so many of us would wish. Not long ago I spoke of Alpha Dogs and [...]
There is a way to a better future for Funeral Service. In fact, for those who are willing to closely examine the Sacred Cows I truly believe we will rediscover that we make a vital contribution to society. I say that not only because I have believed it for more than 30 years but because [...]
WHY WE CAN'T AFFORD TO FOLLOW YOUR LEAD ANYMORE Alpha Dogs are frequently those "Type A" personalities that exercise undue influence on others, especially organizations. You find them in every group of people. By their nature and sheer force of personality they tend to cause people to follow their lead whether they know where they [...]
