Cole Waybright joins Danielle Burmeister in this discussion about what drew him to the funeral profession, his advice for those just starting out and how his career has evolved into where he is now. Cole Waybright is Vice President of Sales Optimization with Homesteaders Life Company. In their chat, Cole talks about his early experiences in the family funeral home business and what he’s learned along the way. They also forecast trends in the profession like cremation, the importance of hiring good talent and the leadership lessons he’s learned and implemented within his team. Hear more about Cole and how his passion for service, continuous improvement, and mentorship have shaped his approach to leadership and innovation in the funeral profession.
Chapters:
0:47 Tell us about your family’s history in providing funeral services.
2:31 What was it that changed your mind to go ahead and enter into funeral service and go to mortuary school?
3:31 Once you started at the funeral home, was there anything in those first few years that you found surprising?
4:41 What is your most meaningful or memorable funeral service you planned for a family?
6:14 You eventually transitioned from day-to-day operations into more of a training role. Can you talk about what motivated you to made that change and what that process looked like?
11:25 What has changed in the profession over the course of your career and where do you think it’s heading?
16:57 As you look at the future of the profession, what role do you think Homesteaders is going to play in that?
19:43 Can you talk about how you approach leadership challenges and how you are leading your team through a period of growth and change?
22:14 As someone who excels at finding good talent, do you have any tips, recommendations or lessons you’ve learned about finding good people?
24:14 You’ve been in the business for awhile, what advice would you give to someone just starting out in this profession?
26:44 What are you reading right now?
28:26 What is giving you energy right now?
