WHEELING, IL— If you ask funeral home, cemetery, and crematory managers today, many will say their major workplace challenge is the recruitment and retention of new employees. But what comes next? Once they’re on board, are we ready to effectively guide these freshly minted deathcare professionals into their careers? Robbie Pape offers great inspiration when she takes the stage at the Cremation Association of North America’s 106th Cremation Innovation Convention. She will share the roadmap for choosing to be a better leader. Plan your trip to Chicago this September 11-13, 2024 and grow your leadership skills at work and home.
We make choices every moment of every day. Life happens because of us – not to us. In her session on Being a Leader of Influence, sponsored by Carriage Services, Robbie will awaken us to the choices in our life so we see our potential to achieve every success imaginable, at home and at work. Leadership requires taking initiative and going after what you want.
“Choose to pursue learning the skills you don’t yet have and hold your head high to exude self-confidence,” encourages Robbie. “Own what you don’t know and acknowledge that you are a part of everything that happens in your life – you are not a victim. Remember, the best way to become something you are not is to act as if you are. Seek help to achieve that – it is OK to ask for help!”
Here with that helping hand, Robbie’s session will focus on building trust and creating followship. Remember, leadership is about influence, not control. Robbie is an accomplished public speaker covering leadership topics such as The Power of Choice, Executive Presence, Resilience and How to Become an Influential Leader. Since joining the industry in 1991, Robbie has held numerous positions and currently works for Carriage Services as Sr Vice President of Operations & Regional Partner. She has been a leader in the industry as Past-President for the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) and previously serving on the CANA board of directors.
Fill your tank with more innovative sessions at CANA’s Convention:
- By popular demand, Sara Murphy, PhD, FT, Death Educator & Suicidologist with the University of Rhode Island, returns with Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk Within the Deathcare Profession.
- Jolena Grande, faculty with the Mortuary Science Program at Cypress College, discussing the role of women in funeral service from her unique perspective in Death Becomes Her: The Changing Demographics of Funeral Service Practitioners.
- Lee Hovermale Strategic Advisor to the CEO of KiZAN Technologies, with over 30 years of expertise in the technology sector, covers Cybersecurity Awareness: Recognizing a Threat, and Protecting Your Data for you and your families.
- Information is Power: Updates from Industry Experts feature insights on three forces on your business. CANA President Robert Hunsaker discussing how CANA’s 2024 Annual Cremation Statistics Report impacts your business. He’s joined by Assistant Vice President of Government & Industry Relations of Service Corporation International, Caressa Hughes who will provide an update on the regulatory and legal landscape of the profession. Plus, Vice President of Cemetery Operations of Legacy Funeral Group, Steve Bassett, offering lessons learned from Cemetery Consumer Service Council (CCSC).
- The Cremation Historian Jason Engler, regional sales manager for the Wilbert Group looks to history’s strategies for modern permanent placement in The Eternal Value of Cremation Memorials/Avoiding Mistakes of the Past: Cremated Remains Belong in Cemeteries.
- Sharing the stage, Dean of the InSight Institute Glenda Stansbury and Homesteaders Director of Consumer Marketing Kelly Manion talk about modern ways to address families’ grief in a combined presentation on The Power of Service & The Power of Human Connection.
Dr. Sara Murphy also leads a special pre-Convention workshop with Aaron Pelchat, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist. Together, they’ll say the quiet part out loud on The Silent Problem: Talking about Mental Health and Funeral Service. Their workshop will help us understand realities of common mental health issues – think compassion fatigue and burnout – unpack the challenges to self-care and discover therapeutic tools for improving mental health. Registration is available separately from the Convention or as an add-on!
Are YOU choosing to be a powerful person of influence in the lives of your family, co-workers, and in your own life? Come ready to look at yourself from an expert’s point of view and join Robbie Pape at the CANA Convention! Enjoy Chicago in September and book yourself for September 11-13, 2024, at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park: cremationassociation.org/CANA24
About CANA
Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,700 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization.
