Take Direction from the Culture Compass at 2023 Cremation Symposium

Funeral Industry News Funeral Industry Press Releases January 17, 2023
CANA Symposium 2023
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Take Direction from the Culture Compass at 2023 Cremation Symposium

WHEELING, IL— In the old days, we measured success by counting our newspaper obituaries against the other guy’s. Today, the calculation is a bit more complex. Jonathan Lewis, President of McKee Wallwork + Co., shares the Culture Compass at the Cremation Association of North America’s 2023 Cremation Symposium, February 8-10, 2023 in Las Vegas to show you how closely culture and employee relations are tied with your financial success!

Replacing an employee costs anywhere from one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary – and those are Gallup’s conservative estimates. At that price, it’s no wonder that finding and keeping staff is the number one concern of funeral businesses across the nation. Jonathan Lewis will help you take a big picture look at your company’s culture and employee health while keeping an eye on the bottom line.

“The comparably slow rates of change enjoyed in the past enabled a powerful illusion,” shares Jonathan Lewis. “Because one could count on culture and technology gradually changing over years or even decades, looking back at historical data had some value in predicting the near future. This illusion provided confidence by removing uncertainty. And now it’s going away.”

Jonathan Lewis, who has consulted with world-class brands and dozens of leading funeral homes, will lead a compelling discussion to help you think differently about how to engage your most important audience: your staff. His Culture Compass provides a framework for measuring financial success and employee satisfaction at the same time.

Lewis will keep the energy flowing as Symposium emcee as the event welcomes:

  • In The Right Way of Management: Meaning and Purpose for Your People, Eric Layer will share proven research and strategies from inside and outside the funeral business from his consulting firm McKee Wallwork and 2020 book The Right Way of Death.
  • Leili McMurrough of Worsham College will help you create a funeral home environment that welcomes and retains The Young and the Restless by taking an “employee-centered” perspective.
  • Jason Widing of Foundation Partners Group will reveal new data to help you understand how to align your business’s culture with Online Deathcare: Evolving Consumer Expectations to succeed.
  • Will de Michaelis and Tyler Yamasaki promise A Gentle Fireside Chat about adopting technology solutions to improve workforce and families’ satisfaction during their session: Efficiency or Die.
  • Emerging Trends will spark debate on the changes to the FTC Funeral Rule, split licensure, and new forms of disposition moderated by CANA President and SCI AVP of Government and Industry Relations Caressa Hughes.
  • …plus, presenters will host Roundtable Conversations on their areas of expertise!

CANA wouldn’t ask you to leave your business without a good reason. CANA’s Symposium sessions are designed to give you practical takeaways you can put to use in your business right away. Days also wrap early enough to leave you evenings to enjoy a Bruno Mars, Luke Bryan, Kool & the Gang concert or the many Cirque de Soleil shows, comedians, magicians and more coming to Las Vegas in February 2023! 

Understand the holistic picture of your company’s health with Jonathan Lewis! Join CANA for the 2023 Cremation Symposium February 8-10, 2023 at The LINQ Hotel + Experience in Las Vegas. Visit goCANA.org/CANAignite to see what else we have planned for the event and register to join other cremation business owners and managers from across the country.

About CANA

Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,500 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization.