Page A18 November 2022 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” That quote is pivotal and if taken to heart can revolutionize your business. It was said by famed author and leadership expert John C. Maxwell. The first step to succeeding as a leader is to realize that it is the most important skill you can develop. Yes, I said skill. Most leadership qualities can be taught and thus can be learned. It is true that leadership is also an art, but the artistic expression of style only comes after the foundational principles have been learned and turned into habit. The next element of becoming a good leader is to understand what makes a bad leader. Let me ask you a question. Why do leaders fail? This is a tricky question. One with multiple depths of answers. However, I believe there are two shining pillars that are always missing from leaders who fail. Sometimes, these failing leaders are missing both of these pillars and at other times they are missing just one of them. But, if either is missing, failure is inevitable. What are these missing pillars? They are Character and Vision. Let’s take a few minutes to explore these pillars a bit deeper. Hitler was a man of great vision. A man who succeeded a great deal. But Hitler was an evil, lousy Bright Ideas for Funeral Directors with Mark Bowser How To Succeed As A Leader Successful leaders continually develop these two pillars. They are mindful of their character and where they are going. Would there be an America without a Washington? Would there be two countries if not for Lincoln? Would England have survived World War Two without Churchill. Would have America won the cold war without Reagan? And, would your organization thrive without you? Just some thoughts to ponder. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . N o m i s P u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m Monthly Columnsonline at Mark Bowser grew up in the funeral industry and knows the challenges and rewards of running a small business. Mark has been a Professional Speaker since 1993 and is one of America’s premier Sales and Success speakers today. He is the author of several books including Sales Success with Zig Ziglar. He is the host of the popular podcast “Let Me Tell You a Story with Mark Bowser.” To book him to speak at your next event then contact him at www.MarkBowser.com or email info@MarkBowser.com. leader. Why? Because of a lack of moral character. Yes, he thought he had character. Yes, many others thought he had character too. But, to the masses of the world and of history, he lacked the basic moral character of honesty, uprightness, and love for his fellow human beings. Because of this, he eventually failed. We could get into the theological reasons for this failure, but that is one for another discussion. All leaders who lack character at their core will fail. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. To know this is true, all we have to do is look back at the last fifty years of contemporary history and look at all the people who have fallen from the heights of success to the depths of despair. Just to mention a few, we have evangelist Jim Baker, politician Gary Hart, and companies such as Enron. Unfortunately, the list could go on and on and on. The second pillar that is missing from leadership failures is vision. Vision is vital. Vision is critical. King Solomon in the book of Proverbs said, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” And perish indeed they will. Where there is no vision or direction, people wander around in chaos with no purpose. The human experience needs purpose. We not only need purpose, we crave it. Vision provides the purpose of the destination before the journey ever begins. AMRA INSTRUMENTS Researched, Developed and Patented by Funeral Directors Research,Inc. visit www.amrainstruments.com for links to our Supply Chain Partners ™ ® BROOKFIELD,WI— With the introduction of the Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act (CDRI Act) (S. 4929) by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), the Senate took a significant step toward bringing meaningful change to the largely unregulated process of whole body donation. Donating a loved one’s body for medical research upon their death – particularly if that individual dealt with health challenges – can help bring healing and comfort to a family, knowing that their gift may help advance scientific knowledge and discoveries. However, unscrupulous actors, sometimes known as “body brokers,” take advantage of this generosity and sell or lease bodies and body parts at a significant profit. “It’s hard to imagine, in this day and age, that whole body donation isn’t regulated,” said National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) president Randall P. “Randy” Anderson, CFSP, CCO. “What’s even harder to hear are the stories from families that have experienced heartbreak and grief when they discovered the bodies of their loved ones has been desecrated and sold – sometimes repeatedly – by body brokers. NFDA and its members strongly urge the Senate and House to pass the CDRI Act and provide longoverdue accountability and transparency to the wholebody donation process. This will help ensure donors’ bodies are treated with dignity and respect at all times.” When a family donates a loved one’s organs or tissues for transplantation, the process is transparent and tightly regulated and families have the ability to specify which organs they wish to donate and can opt for an open-casket funeral. Non-transplant tissue banks, which accept whole body donations, however, are not covered by the same laws that cover organ and tissue transplantation. There is little federal or state oversight and almost anyone, regardless of expertise, can dissect and sell or lease human bodies and Body Broker Bill Introduced in the Senate Continued on page A19 body parts, generating substantial profits. The CDRI Act, which was introduced by Reps. Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) in the House last year (H.R. 4062), would transform the landscape by providing the Secretary of Health and Human Services with oversight of entities that deal with human bodies and non-transplantable body parts donated for education, research, and the advancement of medical, dental and mortuary science. Registered members of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, which are already strictly regulated, would be exempt. The bill also, among other things, creates a clear chain of custody for each human body or body part; ensures shipments of human bodies and body parts are properly labeled and packaged; and ensures the respectful and proper disposition of donated bodies and body parts. Additionally, the CDRI Act establishes penalties for violations. “The exploitation of bodies that have been donated for education or research is deeply disturbing and heartbreaking for the families who expect their loved one’s remains to be treated with dignity. For too long, an unregulated industry has allowed body brokers to profit off donor bodies and their grieving families, disproportionally impacting the poor and elderly. This legislation would increase accountability and transparency and stop bad actors from committing these gross abuses,” said Murphy. “Most Americans would be shocked to learn that there is a for-profit body broker industry that creates significant ethical dilemmas and public health threats because of a lack of regulation,” said Tillis. “Our bipartisan legislation will introduce much-needed accountability and regulatory oversight to protect public health and ensure that donors and their families are treated with respect and dignity.” Foundation Partners Accelerates Partnership Growth by 50%, Projects Record 2022 ORLANDO,FL— Foundation Partners Group has announced the purchase of eight funeral service firms in the first seven months of 2022 – a record acquisition rate that is 50 percent higher than last year. The acquired firms operate 18 locations that serve more than 12,000 families per year. Foundation Partners, the national cremation leader, now operates over 230 locations in 21 states and serves more than 125,000 families annually. “2022 marks a record year for deal velocity as more and more funeral business owners are choosing Foundation Partners Group as their partner of choice,” said Tom Kominsky, Foundation Partners Group chief financial officer. “Our approach to acquired growth is simple. We look for cremation-focused, market-leading brands who share our vision for redefining the modern funeral experience.” The newest members of the Foundation Partners family of firms are: Bay Area Cremation Society, San Francisco, CA; Beckman-Williamson Funeral Homes & Crematory, Rockledge/Viera, FL; Blue Oaks Cremation & Burial Services, Roseville, CA; Carroll-Lewellen Funeral & Cremation Services, Longmont, CO; Falconer Funeral Home, Gilbert, AZ; GriffithCline Funeral and Cremation Services, Bradenton, FL; Meldrum Mortuary & Crematory, Mesa, AZ; and Wyman Cremation and Burial Chapel, Mesa, AZ. “Our goal is to maintain and expand these unique brands and create leverage by providing best-in-class shared services supporting marketing, accounting, human resources and IT. We continue to look for great firms to further expand our ability to serve,” Kominsky said. Foundation Partners Group is one of the industry’s most innovative providers of funeral services and the second largest funeral home group in the country based on number of families served. Foundation Partners owns and operates a network of over 230 funeral homes, cremation centers and cemeteries across 21 states. Their deep understanding of technology and our ShareLife® customer experience-centered approach allows them to deliver truly innovative and compassionate care to the families they serve. Visit www.foundationpartners.com to learn more. Save on Shipping! DIGITAL DIRECTORY Available Download instantly at www.NomisPublications.com www.vischerfuneralsupplies.com
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