Masculinity in Business - It's Time for a Paradigm Shift

Mark Zuckerberg, in an article published on Fox Business News, credits his martial arts training as informing his new views on masculinity. He says it's been a "positive experience" for men to be able to "beat each other" and he celebrates aggression's "positive merits." Coincidentally, he's also replacing Meta's fact-checkers with Community Notes similar to Twitter.

Is Zuck a bored man-child going through a mid-life crisis, or has martial arts training been an epiphany moment in his life?

Sadly, my take is that the excessively wealthy CEO of Meta is simply doing what he thinks is politically expedient to keep his company relevant when there is a new administration in the White House. He, of immense wealth and privilege, is climbing onto the anti-DEI bandwagon because it is the easy thing to do.

Masculinity - Key Traits (Copilot AI)

• Strength: Physical and emotional resilience.
• Courage: Willingness to face danger or adversity.
• Independence: Self-reliance and autonomy.
• Leadership: Ability to guide and influence others.
• Assertiveness: Confidence in expressing one's opinions and desires.
• Stoicism: Control over one's emotions and maintaining composure.
• Protectiveness: Desire to safeguard others, especially loved ones.
• Competitiveness: Drive to excel and succeed.

Real men understand that these traits are not the sole domain of any gender and, in fact, value leaders that exhibit qualities like compassion, empathy, and emotional intelligence.

When Masculinity Becomes Toxic

There was a time when I was an avid runner. After many years I became fairly good, competitive regionally in the age-graded rankings.

Many of the same people entered the same races. When I had the chance to finish in front of Mike A, or Ken M, or Bill W, my motivation was to become a better runner and improve my time. No chest-thumping or wagging of fingers in faces. Well, there was an ambulance chasing attorney, Ken V, that I absolutely was thrilled to beat, but only because he would prance about before a race determining who were his age-group competitors and pronounce to each of us he "had to beat" us.

Ken V exhibited masculinity that was both obnoxious and toxic. Some of the most prominent traits of masculinity that has become toxic include:

• Aggression: Promoting violence and dominance over others.
• Emotional suppression: Discouraging men from expressing emotions or seeking help.
• Antifemininity: Rejecting traits or behaviors considered feminine.
• Hyper-competitiveness: An excessive focus on winning and power.

When masculinity becomes toxic, there are harmful effects for men and women.

Women suffer because toxic masculinity reinforces gender stereotypes, increases the risk of gender-based violence, perpetuates the objectification of women, among other things.

Men suffer because toxic masculinity suppresses the expression of emotion, leading to anxiety, depression and suicide, promotes aggressive and controlling behaviors that can lead to violent relationships, discourages the seeking of help for mental or physical health, to name a few impacts.

Business Thrives when People are Heard and Valued

Most of us like to have a fair chance to comment on a change to a business practice that affects our roles, for example. And few of us like to be told what to do.

I remember my frustration when I was speaking to a CEO (in a past role) that told me, "I don't pay you to think, I pay you to sell."

When people are heard and valued (Inclusivity = the I in DEI):

• Leaders benefit from enhanced decision-making and improved communication.
• Teams benefit from increased collaboration and better conflict resolutions.
• Corporate culture benefits from greater employee satisfaction and from diverse perspectives that drive creativity and adaptability.

There's ample data to show that active efforts to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture increase a company's bottom line. DM me for more information.

Interested in Shifting the Paradigm on Masculinity?

I'll certainly miss some names in the list below, but here are people I follow that are active on LinkedIn and challenging the status quo:

Jeremy Stockdale who each Wednesday writes compelling posts each Wednesday to #SmashThePatriarchy

Frederick Van Riper, R-PLC who publishes the Dads Interrupted newsletter

Mark Morris who is challenging outdated gender stereotypes in Australia, among other things

Daniele Fiandaca who is co-founder of Masculinity in the Workplace and an active voice on LI

Harriet Waley-Cohen who exposes the sexists and misogynists in society

Joe Cardillo who fights disinformation and challenges norms

Sam Plant who uses his voice as a committed advocate and ally for gender equity

Robert Vos is an ally in HeForShe, standing in solidarity with women for a gender equal world

Robert Baker is a "Disruptor in Residence" n Diversity & Inclusion at EDHEC Business School

Matt Stewart (he/him) advocates for a sense of belonging in all workplaces

Christian Ortiz ??? who is transforming artificial intelligence with Justice A.I.

#MasculinityInBusiness #ParadigmShift #ToxicMasculinity #DEI #Leadership #Project63 #TheHumptyProject