The Masculinity Manifesto

This shows up in so many ways in our lives as we work to serve and lead others well: When your coworker drops the ball on the assignment, do you sweep it under the rug? When your client doesn’t uphold their end of the deal, do you say something? When you slack off on your own work, do you acknowledge or justify it? When you say you’ll help your fri

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.

Looking back, the people I hold in the highest regard are the ones who did everything they could—not to beat me, but to empower me on my own path of growth and progress. Leadership is selfless, not selfish. When you learn to empower others, your needs will be served—not because you’re consumed with what you’ll get, but because you’re focused on wha

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.

Some of the angriest people I know are often the weakest and most incapable, and conversely, some of the deadliest men I know are the kindest and calmest. That is the softer side of violence. Embracing it is a tempering mechanism for the nature of men. Our propensity to be physical never goes away. It simply lies dormant while we uselessly attempt

Your job as a leader is not to do everything, but to ensure everything gets done. I know this may sound counterintuitive, but consider the last arrogant boss you had who thought he or she knew everything. Were you more or less influenced by his or her smoke and mirrors? Less, obviously.

As you’re leading, ask yourself the following questions: “What am I trying to accomplish?” “What do others need from me?” “What is the best way to give people what they need and help us all win?”

Forgetting that you’re here to serve others is the quickest way to undermine what you’re working so tirelessly to develop. It may seem like you’ll need to place your own needs above others’ in order to lead effectively. While it’s true that you do need to take care yourself, never make the mistake of thinking that your subordinates exist to serve y