Do you feel the call to be a leader in the death care industry, or within your business?

Are you already a leader in this field of work?

Believe it or not, the death care profession is full of leaders, and we are all being asked to step more and more into this leadership role as we face waves and waves of changes.

Drew Dudley of Day One Leadership shared his insight on what it means to be a leader and how to put leadership into practice  at the ICCFA conference. 

If you want to check in with your leadership skills, check out the leadership test, then try out our leadership tips in your personal and professional life below:

The Leadership Test

Want to hold yourself accountable to being the leader you are capable of being? Here are a few simple questions to ask yourself on a daily basis, based on 6 core pillars of leadership:

• • Impact: Am I creating moments that cause people to feel as if they are better off for having interacted with me?
  • Growth: What did I do today to make it more likely someone would learn something?
  • Courage: What did I do today that might not have worked, but I did it anyway?
  • Empowerment: What have I done today to help someone else move closer to a goal?
  • Class: When did I “elevate instead of escalate”? In other words, how have I focused on succeeding, rather than winning?
  • Self-respect: What did I do today to be good to myself?

We recommend asking yourself these questions on a daily basis. The better questions you ask, the better answers you get. And the better answers you get, the more empowered you’ll feel!

5 Tips for Refining Your Leadership Skills

Now that you’ve got some solid questions as a foundation, check out these 5 tips for stepping more and more into your leadership role:

1. Define your values clearly

Maybe you have specific business values, but have you taken the time to think through your personal values? It’s important to define the things you want to define you. 

The key is to think about your values and put them into action everyday. Your values align your actions, and your actions create your life. 

2. Set goals for your personal development just as you do for your business

Maybe your business consistently achieves its goals, but how often do you achieve your own personal goals? Achieving goals gives us a sense of pride and celebration, which motivates us. Inspire yourself by setting specific, personal goals. We know it may be hard with your full schedule, but don’t let the resistance keep you from this step. 

A true leader puts his or her own personal development before anything, and inspires others to do the same. Haven’t you ever heard the saying “you can’t fill someone else’s cup when yours is empty?”. This goes for you, too, funeral leader in the making!

3. Place importance on the little things

Oftentimes we think of leaders as “giants” in the business world. In reality, it’s actually the little things that make a leader. Each of us has the ability to demonstrate leadership everyday. The “little things” like kindness, empathy, and empowerment are leadership skills that can be employed in even the smallest interactions with families and our staff.

4. Observe leadership qualities in others

Ask yourself, “What have I done to recognize leadership in others?” Acting on this question strengthens relationships, personal character, and business. Recognizing leadership in others allows us to recognize leadership qualities within ourselves.

5. Banish the word just as a diminisher

We’ve heard it and said it before: “Oh I’m just…”. By using this word, we diminish ourselves and accept others diminishing themselves as well. When we banish the word just as a diminisher in our vocabulary, we are more likely to increase our empowerment of ourselves and others.

Have you put any of Drew’s tips into practice? Share your experience with us in the comments below!

Rochelle Rietow

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