I am a feminist

As we celebrate women’s day this month in South Africa, I find myself wondering what all the fuss is about. Women aren’t another species, like the endangered African Grey Parrot, necessitating solemn tribute.

If anything, I've always thought the differences between men and women were overrated. Even if one of my female friends assured me that “Women are from Venus, men are from hell!”

Turns out, she may have a point. There are some major differences and they’re not very flattering – to men.

• A man is ten times more likely to commit murder, nine times more likely to go to prison and nearly twice as likely to die in a car accident, (the next time he disses your driving just remind him who’s more likely to get home alive.)
• Women are now the majority of the workforce in the USA. More women are now managers, (perhaps it’s time we changed the word to: “womanagers”) For every two men who get a university degree, three women will.
• Women are better managers because they’re more empathic and better listeners. And the latest research shows that they’re better investors because they’re less impulsive and risk taking.

Turns out Timothy Leary was right: “Women who seek to be equal to men, lack ambition.”

Fortunately sex change operations are becoming safer, but perhaps there’s a cheaper option for the dumber sex – learn from women. Here’s my five step plan:

1) To men, listening means: waiting for our turn to speak. But listening is the key to building empathy. Practice active listening. Once they’re finished speaking, paraphrase back what you’ve heard. This not only clarifies your understanding it demonstrates that you haven’t just been doing mental replays of Saturday’s game.   

2) The biggest complaint that women have about men is that we don’t express our appreciation. Women are better at saying thank you. That’s not just sweet, it’s good leadership. The number 1 reason people leave a job? Lack of recognition. When you see someone doing something well, tell them. What get’s rewarded, get’s repeated

3) Ready to kill that guy for tailgating you? Take in a deep breath and think about the consequences. Your testosterone is telling you that you’re bigger and stronger, so is his. Blood is likely to spill from both sides.

4) If that investment just seems too good to be true, it probably is. Take a day to think about it. Nothing wrong with taking a risk but make sure it’s calculated.

5) Write cute blogs about how much better women are. That way they might favour you when they take over the world.Men have around 90% more testosterone than women, that’s partly why we’re more impulsive and aggressive. It worked for our cavemen ancestors who survived by tooth and claw while the women stayed at home caring for the babies.

In a more civilized society our animal instincts are letting us down. Women don’t need their own special day, men do; with women gaining in education, income and leadership we’re fast becoming the endangered species.

In the new world every day is women’s day – happy women’s day!

Looking for a Woman’s Day keynote presentation for your team?

Justin presents: “History is now Her-story.”

HISTORY IS NOW HER-STORY

Why Women Are The Ultimate Competitive Advantage

Women are now the majority of the workforce. For every two men who get a degree, three women will. Research shows that women make better managers because they’re more empathic and have better communication skills, perhaps they should be called “womanagers”!

Yet many women still think that they need to be more like a stereotypical, high-dominant male to succeed in business. In this program both men and women will discover why we all need to be a little bit more like women. They will learn:

• Why teams with highly appreciative managers are 30% more effective.
• Why it’s better to over-communicate rather than under-communicate.
• Resolve conflict by focusing on making it right instead of being right.
• Why in sales, service and leadership, listening is more important than speaking.
• Phrase requests that respect the other person’s free will
• Give critical feedback in a way that makes them love you for it.

Women still represent less than 5% of CEO’s, this program will inspire women to step up to claim their rightful leadership position. Coming from a man, the message will be delivered without bias, giving it additional credibility.

" Justin Cohen is the key reason that this year’s annual convention was rated the best in our chapter’s history." - Dave Goranson, President, American Society for Training and Development, USA

“Justin delivered a powerful message that will have a long lasting effect on our people. We are experiencing early returns on our investment with a clear increase in sales numbers.” - Raymond O’Neil, MD, HSBC MIDDLE EAST

"Justin knocked it out of the park! The audience was enthralled, engaged, laughing, and on the verge of tears at times which in my book makes a great presentation and a great speaker. There were a lot of a take-aways for the entire organization." - Ellen George, Dean, Corporate Education, Illinois Central College

For more information, email: [email protected]

 Justin Cohen

Bestselling author

Speaker Hall of Fame Inductee

CNBC Africa Talk Show Host

www.justinpresents.com