I want you to start each day with your visualization process—your manifesto. And I want you to cap each day with the same. Did you show up for yourself and others the way you wanted to? Did you gain ground or lose ground with others? When you screwed up, how did you correct it (or how should you have)? What are you going to commit to doing better

When we fear what others might think about us or what actions they might take as a result of that perception, we hinder our ability to perform at our highest level—aggressively. Know this: some people’s opinions matter (my wife’s and my kids’, for example), but not everyone’s. You need to learn to let go of what other people think of you. It can be

But knowing it’s going to be a battle should not deter you from fighting it. Anything worth having is worth fighting for. If you abdicate your responsibility as a man to embrace the work that will serve you and others well, we’ll continue to see a decline in the moral decency and prosperity we enjoy. That may be hard for us to see now (in the midst

Here’s the truth: everyone wants to be a leader; few are willing to lead.

You take all the information at hand and you decide what you’re going to do. Men who have learned to garner influence, credibility, and authority with others have learned to become decisive. Don’t get trapped in paralysis by analysis. Have faith that you’re capable of obtaining the information you need, evaluating it, and making good choices for

I saved self-respect for the last of the eight characteristics of masculinity because it might just be the most important topic we discuss in this book. If a man can learn to develop a healthy level of self-respect, everything else we’ve talked about here will begin to fall into place.

“Never forget, it’s now your job to put yourself out of work.” That’s the uncomfortable truth about leadership so many men are unwilling to acknowledge—that it isn’t about leading perpetually. In fact, if your people (family, friends, colleagues, coworkers, etc.) cannot function without you there, you are the antithesis of a leader, not the

If you can learn how to wield the power of competition to draw out the best in yourself and others, they’ll always view you as a strong, powerful leader capable of maximizing personal performance. And who doesn’t want the best for themselves?

Instead of measuring your level of leadership by the sophistication of your title, measure it by the human capital you have with others. That’s what really matters.