the rest of the Conscientiousness facet bundle. In day-to-day practice, that might show up as skipped lunch breaks, rushed paperwork after a long service or difficulty pivoting between tasks. Love ranking low suggests certain staff perceive a gap in close emotional connection, either with colleagues or with clients. Single mentions of Humility, Bravery and Appreciation of Beauty round out a tail that is thin yet instructive: No acute weakness dominates. Gender added one more shade to the portrait. Although the sample was small (six women and 10 men), a chi-square analysis flagged a non-random distribution of signature strengths. Women clustered in Curiosity and Social Intelligence, whereas men leaned toward Humor and Kindness, though both groups met on the common ground of Honesty. In a workplace context, that means mixed-gender teams already contain complementary assets: Women bring investigative thinking and nuanced reading of emotional cues, and men contribute levity and tangible acts of care. Leaders can thus assign roles — for example, family-intake meetings, after-care follow-ups and community-outreach events — by matching those natural inclinations rather than forcing the fit of employees. One might wonder whether these results generalize beyond funeral homes, and in many ways, they do. Any profession that navigates high stakes, strict regulations and intense human emotion — think hospice care, emergency medicine or family law — would benefit from the same combination of forthright diligence and measured empathy. What this study adds is empirical confirmation that such a blend does indeed manifest in the wild, not merely in professional ideals. Moreover, it shows that blind spots are measurable and therefore coachable. When Self-Regulation lags, leaders need not rely on guesswork; they can deploy evidence-based tools. The same principle applies to Love, Justice or any other virtue: You cannot manage what you do not measure. In summary, funeral-service professionals emerge from this dual-survey analysis as diligent truth-tellers who keep their composure amid sorrow but could gain from deliberate work on self-care and relational depth. Their Courage provides the ethical steel, Humanity supplies enough warmth to soften the edges and sporadic sparkles of Wisdom and Transcendence keep curiosity and humor alive. By reinforcing existing strengths and patching the identified gaps, funeral organizations can create a culture that is not only legally compliant and operationally smooth but also resilient, compassionate and ready for the evolving needs of the families they serve. Rethinking the future, together. Visit Batesville.com/New to learn more. ©2025 Batesville Services, LLC Directors Digest | 19
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