We recently read a very interesting statistic in a blog post from Bill Taylor on the Harvard Business Review last week that got plenty of conversation going in our office.
The statistic was that men's testosterone levels have dropped 17% per cent in the last 20 years.
So what does this mean? Why has this happened? Is it good? Is it bad? Does it really matter? Should we really care? There were plenty of questions this statistic raised.
The hypotheses abounded in our conversations, and in our heads. Are men losing their ‘manliness’ or are levels simply returning to a level that should be welcomed. Again, lots of questions with few answers that were concrete.
Another interesting statistic intrigued us was that 82% of jobs lost in the last year were by men. Are we seeing something at play here?
Having picked up on these figures, the new Dockers campaign (a clothing brand) centres around a call to inspire the masculinity in all men. It sure is clever marketing, but is it possibly one small flag for an even bigger shift? Are we on a zeitgiest of men re-discovering lost masculinity, or is the testosterone-charged environment of the past, a dark era that should be said goodbye to in an emphatic fashion?
We would love to know you thoughts on this one...
Warm wishes from the intrigued,
Darren and Alison
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The evolution revolution
Charles Darwin rocked the world with his highly controversial theories of evolution over 200 years ago. As time has moved on and with a swag of scientific data to back up his concepts, there seems to little debate around the validity, or at the very least generalised acceptance of the concepts of ‘survival of the fittest'.
But today one thing has been running around my head. To evolve, it isn't about being the fittest anymore. As we move headlong into the second decade of this second millennium, I think evolution is no longer survival of the fittest; evolution is survival of the optimist.
To succeed and prosper at just about anything in your life, you need to be optimistic. I am not talking about holding-hands-skipping-through-the-tulips type optimism here. I am talking about real, get-up-after-you-have-been-knocked-down type optimism.
When you think about it, pessimism serves no real good in the world. It shortens your lifespan, makes your think less innovatively and reduces collaboration. And before pessimists cry "But I am a realist", I am sorry, but optimists are realists too. Realism doesn't justify pessimism's insidious resultant effect on people's lives.
So if you want to evolve, whether it is in your career, your goals, or your personal development, use the power of optimism; it was Darwin's missing link.
Have a fantastic week!
Darren and Alison
But today one thing has been running around my head. To evolve, it isn't about being the fittest anymore. As we move headlong into the second decade of this second millennium, I think evolution is no longer survival of the fittest; evolution is survival of the optimist.
To succeed and prosper at just about anything in your life, you need to be optimistic. I am not talking about holding-hands-skipping-through-the-tulips type optimism here. I am talking about real, get-up-after-you-have-been-knocked-down type optimism.
When you think about it, pessimism serves no real good in the world. It shortens your lifespan, makes your think less innovatively and reduces collaboration. And before pessimists cry "But I am a realist", I am sorry, but optimists are realists too. Realism doesn't justify pessimism's insidious resultant effect on people's lives.
So if you want to evolve, whether it is in your career, your goals, or your personal development, use the power of optimism; it was Darwin's missing link.
Have a fantastic week!
Darren and Alison
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The meaning of meaning
Have you hit your mid-year lull yet?
Does the feeling of New Year resolution and invigoration seem like a distant memory?
Are you swamped with work and just feel a little flat?
The months of May and June traditionally can be tough ones…our work year is in full swing, we have yet to get to half way, and the end of financial year is rapidly approaching. If you feel as though you are in a rut, or experiencing a bit of ground hog day, try asking yourself the following questions; why am I doing what I do? What is the meaning of it?
Victor Frankl, legendary author, philosopher and holocaust survivor wrote in his humanity-inspired tome Man's Search for Meaning that meaning makes anything manageable. Throughout the horrors of Nazi concentration camps, Frankl observed people find, lose and sometimes rediscover their will for life in the most abhorrent of circumstances. With meaning present, whether it was anger, love, a goal, or a desired state, Frankl observed the fundamental survival mechanism…meaning.
When you think about it, knowing the meaning behind something makes it more palatable, more manageable. Whether it is setting a goal to help focus your mental energy, or thinking about why a certain individual really ‘presses your buttons' or even just understanding the reason for getting out of bed of a morning, a search for meaning truly makes anything manageable.
As we finish typing this, we are in joggers and running gear, about to head out for our long run, the toughest session of the week in our training program (we are both running the Gold Coat half-marathon in July)…I can tell you we aren't really looking forward to the effort, heat or the pain. But meaning makes it manageable. If we don't train, we won't get the result we are after.
Meaning makes anything manageable…even for very slow, less-than-motivated amateur runners! We hope the tough stuff for you in May/June can be made manageable by discovering the meaning you attach to it.
Warm wishes,
Darren and Alison
--- FREE Courage as a Skill E-book ---
Darren and Alison Hill have put together an exciting e-book, Courage as a Skill, which explores developing the skill of courage in your life. The book provides a unique and dynamic look at how to develop this skill and equips you to step into courageous decision-making and to reap the benefits.
Click here to download the free e-book Courage as a Skill
Enjoy!
--------------------------------------------
Does the feeling of New Year resolution and invigoration seem like a distant memory?
Are you swamped with work and just feel a little flat?
The months of May and June traditionally can be tough ones…our work year is in full swing, we have yet to get to half way, and the end of financial year is rapidly approaching. If you feel as though you are in a rut, or experiencing a bit of ground hog day, try asking yourself the following questions; why am I doing what I do? What is the meaning of it?
Victor Frankl, legendary author, philosopher and holocaust survivor wrote in his humanity-inspired tome Man's Search for Meaning that meaning makes anything manageable. Throughout the horrors of Nazi concentration camps, Frankl observed people find, lose and sometimes rediscover their will for life in the most abhorrent of circumstances. With meaning present, whether it was anger, love, a goal, or a desired state, Frankl observed the fundamental survival mechanism…meaning.
When you think about it, knowing the meaning behind something makes it more palatable, more manageable. Whether it is setting a goal to help focus your mental energy, or thinking about why a certain individual really ‘presses your buttons' or even just understanding the reason for getting out of bed of a morning, a search for meaning truly makes anything manageable.
As we finish typing this, we are in joggers and running gear, about to head out for our long run, the toughest session of the week in our training program (we are both running the Gold Coat half-marathon in July)…I can tell you we aren't really looking forward to the effort, heat or the pain. But meaning makes it manageable. If we don't train, we won't get the result we are after.
Meaning makes anything manageable…even for very slow, less-than-motivated amateur runners! We hope the tough stuff for you in May/June can be made manageable by discovering the meaning you attach to it.
Warm wishes,
Darren and Alison
--- FREE Courage as a Skill E-book ---
Darren and Alison Hill have put together an exciting e-book, Courage as a Skill, which explores developing the skill of courage in your life. The book provides a unique and dynamic look at how to develop this skill and equips you to step into courageous decision-making and to reap the benefits.
Click here to download the free e-book Courage as a Skill
Enjoy!
--------------------------------------------
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Making art or colour by numbers
In the current climate, through the linking and marketing capability of the internet, individuals are able to offer their unique skills, experience, expertise and inventions to the world in a way that was never previously possible.
I have recently been reading Seth Godin's book ‘Linchpin', in which he talks about the importance of individuals at work becoming an artist, rather than replicate the art of others. Much of the work we do can feel more like ‘colour by numbers' then art. Notions such as ‘don't upset the apple-cart', ‘why fix something if it's not broken', and ‘we follow this process because it's the way it's always been done', all lead us to stick to the rules and colour by numbers.
The reality is that organisations, teams, leaders and individuals who have achieved success have rarely taken the path of least resistance. They have all stepped courageously into creating insight and boldness in order to challenge the status quo. They look for different ways, new strategies and alternative options in what they are doing. They have created art.
To quote Seth: ‘Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient'
Unleash the artist in you onto the canvas of your choice, it might be a new strategy, a new product, a way of connecting and sharing with others. And when you discover what your art is, share your gift in a way that changes the people around you.
Warm wishes,
Darren and Alison
I have recently been reading Seth Godin's book ‘Linchpin', in which he talks about the importance of individuals at work becoming an artist, rather than replicate the art of others. Much of the work we do can feel more like ‘colour by numbers' then art. Notions such as ‘don't upset the apple-cart', ‘why fix something if it's not broken', and ‘we follow this process because it's the way it's always been done', all lead us to stick to the rules and colour by numbers.
The reality is that organisations, teams, leaders and individuals who have achieved success have rarely taken the path of least resistance. They have all stepped courageously into creating insight and boldness in order to challenge the status quo. They look for different ways, new strategies and alternative options in what they are doing. They have created art.
To quote Seth: ‘Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient'
Unleash the artist in you onto the canvas of your choice, it might be a new strategy, a new product, a way of connecting and sharing with others. And when you discover what your art is, share your gift in a way that changes the people around you.
Warm wishes,
Darren and Alison
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