Nine Minutes on Monday: The Quick and Easy Way to Go From Manager to Leader

12Laughter in the Funeral HomeThe Need to Play

I never did a day’s work in my life. It was all fun.

—Thomas Edison

The funeral home was quiet when I walked in. Come to think of it, funeral homes are always quiet. I was there to meet a man named Michael Pierson, the director of Pierson Funeral Homes. I had one burning question on my mind that I wanted an answer to. Do the people who work in funeral homes have any fun?

Few jobs would seem more serious than working in a funeral home. Helping people say good-bye to loved ones by providing them with a dignified and respectful service is one of the most important jobs on the planet. But if you are like me, it doesn’t look like a fun place to work. In fact, from the outside it would seem like a downright ...