May 2018

Page A20 MAY 2018 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A or on your association committees to seek out these opportunities. Everyone will benefit when millennials absorb the growing trends of our profession and bring them back to share. Lastly, our self-esteem is lower than past genera- tions. We seek out approval through social media in- stead of human interaction. You can help millenni- als overcome this by putting them in the conference room. When entrusted with a family in dire need of direction, we will strive to prove our faculties. Our confidence will swell as we continue to grow from our experiences. Millennials are often expected to be dis- paraging of our own abilities, but issues with low self-es- teemwill melt away as compliments from those we serve affirm that we are indeed well-suited for this profession. The Millennial Director’s Perspective By Matthew Morian www.nomispublications.com Funeral Home & Cemetery News Contributors share insights and exchange ideas. B logs Matthew Morian and Zach Carnley, CFSP are the Millennial Directors. Matt and Zach met through the North Texas Funeral Directors Association and TFDA Emerging Leaders. They started their Millennial Directors blog as a way to give voice to a genera- tion of young professionals. Matt is a first generation funeral director and embalmer and is the managing director of Lucas Funeral Homes in Keller and Grapevine, TX. Matt has been in the funeral profession since 2010 and is a graduate of the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service. He was awarded the 2017 North Texas Funeral Director Association’s Young Funeral Professional of the Year as well as the 2017 Texas Funeral Director Association’s Young Funeral Professional of the Year. Matt currently serves on the board for the North Texas Funeral Director Association. Zach was class valedictorian at Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, where he earned a degree in Funeral Sciences. He has also earned his Certified Funeral Service Practitioner designation. He had pre- viously earned a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Stephen F. Austin State University. Zach was awarded the 2014 North Texas Funeral Director Association’s Young Funeral Professional of the Year as well as the 2014 Texas Funeral Director Association’s Young Funeral Professional of the Year. He serves on the board of the Texas Funeral Director Association Services Inc. He is a board member of the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice, serves on the Job Task Analysis Committee for The Conference of International Funeral Examining Board. He is the funeral home manager of Lucas and Blessing Funeral Home in Burleson, TX. A fireball erupting from the World Trade Center tower on September 11, 2001. Millennial Directors Matthew Morian My mullet and I circa 1987. Thank you cards from families keep us going. you read, but according to The Center, “It’s really im- portant to note you can be born within three years on either side of the beginning or ending of a generation and have all the characteristics of the generation before or after.” Generational transitions are typically a gradual shift. However, a civilization altering event like the attacks on September 11, 2001 can create a much more de- fined divide in generations. Those born closer to the year 2000 may have little to no recollection of a time before 9/11; thus creating a much more precise partition between factions. Using the proposed period of time, there are nearly 80 mil- lion members of the millen- nial generation in the United States today, which makes us the largest group of consumers and wage earners in history. If you have yet to hire a millen- nial director for your firm, you undoubtedly will soon. Several groups (I’m talking about you, Baby Boomers) seem to agree — my genera- tion’s less flattering traits are: impatience, an addiction to technology, entitlement, and low self-esteem. While we plant our flag on the hope of changing the world, we don’t always find careers with the purpose or impact we crave. The funeral profession has the opportunity to pres- ent millennials with a calling that is abundantly mean- ingful. It is a field that offers us a chance to leave our mark on the communities we serve and to satisfy our desire to feel significant. My generation can be impatient and we are, most certainly, addicted to technology. We were raised in the era of 30 minutes or less. You no longer need to grab your car keys if you want something. Just open up your laptop to Amazon and anything can be at your doorstep in a matter of hours. Millennials actually possess a strong understanding of the need for patience in our line of work, especially in the arrangement process. Millennial directors yearn to make arrangement conferences more efficient. We are constantly searching for new ways to clearly com- municate memorialization options to our families. Some funeral homes have already begun to shift into the digital age by showing some, most, or all of their offerings via electronic means. It is not meant to make the conference less personal. The move to digital plat- forms is an inevitable transformation towards the ex- pectations of modern consumers, and your millennial directors will fully embrace that. The use of technol- ogy seems to be a burden to some directors. Rely on us to demonstrate how it is changing the way we offer value to our families. Born in the year 1983, I was often told I was part of Gen- eration-Y… the not as cool as “Gen-X” generation that pro- pelled Vanilla Ice to stardom. Much to my relief, the term “Millennial” came along to make us stand out from our counterparts. A millennial is defined by The Center for Generation- al Kinetics as a person born between the years 1977 and 1995. These timelines vary wildly, based on the statistics There is no sugar-coating the following statement: Millennials are entitled. We received participation tro- phies for finishing in last place. Our heads were filled with promises that we could be whatever we wanted to be because we were special. Reality has ultimately shown us that rising to our own lofty expectations does not always happen as we would like. Yet, there are ways of advancing in our chosen field without having to receive a promotion. These include: continuing education, serving with an association, community involvement, and earning professional designations. Encourage and incentivize millennials on your staff Millennials may continue to con- found those from previous genera- tions. Though if given the prop- er environment to thrive, we are hardwired to make a difference in the world. Zach Carnley, CFSP SEE IT IN ACTION: watch the video at www.waukboard.com Ideal for home removals wheels make it easier on your back! LAKE MARY,FL— The Widower’s Journey by Herb Knoll is a self-help book for widowers and those who love them, fea- turing the candid advice and best practices from over forty contributing widowers, representing a cross-section of social, economic and geograph- ic backgrounds, as well as a variety of circumstances surrounding the passing of their wives. Support- ing the contributing wid- Book for Widowers by Herb Knoll strives to fill a niche in Grief Aftercare other problems can grow,” says Herb Knoll, who is also the founder of Widowers Support Network . After his wife died in 2008, he found there were no resourc- es available for a widower. “I elected to leave my 38- year career in banking and dedicated my life to the comfort and support of widowers. After years of re- search and writing, I published The Widower’s Journey .” Mourning Discoveries , an aftercare support suppli- er for funeral homes, has called The Widower’s Journey “a must have for funeral homes to provide as a gift for every widower you serve.” The book is available on Amazon.com in pa- perback and in all digital formats. Addition- al support for widowers is available through Widowers Support Network (WSN) at www.WidowersSupportNetwork.com , on The Widower’s Journey on Facebook or by following @WidowersJourney on Twitter. You will receive nu- merous comforting suggestions, time-sensitive grief recovery tips and best practices from previously wid- owed men and various experts. owers is a team of experts from the fields of law, psy- chology, sociology, financial planning, and religion. “Men need a purpose. To provide, protect and love their mate. When a wife dies, many men seem to lose their reason for living, providing the basis from which Your Real Source. 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