 |
|
|
|||||
Early this year, Mark Zuckerberg made headlines by saying corporate culture needs more masculine energy. This sentiment was echoed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseths call for the militaryan employer of 2.1 million Americansto return to a warrior ethos, promoting traditional masculine standards like aggression and athleticism. And yet, according to recent news reports, recruits at ICE (another workplace) are struggling to pass basic fitness tests, and Hegseth allegedly installed a makeup room at the Pentagon. Such contradictions remind me of a former manager who once criticized a potential hire for being kind of girly, yet spent most of his free time online researching spa treatments and shopping for floral polos. Masculinity standards can be nebulous and conflicting. GQs 2025 State of Masculinity Survey asked 1,929 American men their thoughts and beliefs on masculinity, and men surveyed defined masculine as strong, protective, and toughbut when asked how theyd like to be described by a friend, they said respectful, honest, and responsible. It seems even men themselves are confused about what masculinity is. Meanwhile, the GQ survey also found that 68% of men think about how to be masculine every single day. Men are navigating mixed messages, says gender equality and masculinity researcher Dr. Sarah DiMuccio, Head of Research and Development at Above & Beyond, a DEI consultancy and leadership academy based in Copenhagen. Be more open and empathetic. But also: ‘man up’ and be decisive. In todays world, workplace leaders are doubling down on a narrow, quasi-toxic version of masculinity, determining who gets heard, who gets promoted, what behaviors are rewarded and what the tone of the organization is. This impacts the way men behave, define success, and shapes business, as well as larger culture. The consequences are real: Economically, harmful behaviors associated with masculine stereotypes cost the United States over $15.7 billion each year. Masculine performanceand anxiety As a gay man, Ive never been naive about how masculinity is used as currency. But because I was raised in what I now realize was a very progressive household, it wasnt something I worried much about. I started rethinking how I performed it after being passed over for a work promotion. My then manager (the floral-polo-bedecked one) encouraged me to apply for this interview, telling me I was a natural fit. While Id never mentioned being gay to him before, it somehow came up during an interview hed sat in on. The unofficial, non-HR-sanctioned feedback I got from him when I didnt advance? I think they were just looking for, like, a sports-and-beer guy. Can I absolutely prove it was being gay? No, but Id bet money on it. A 2022 study published in Sex Roles: a Journal of Research found that both gay and straight men tend to prefer gay colleagues who are in leadership roles to present as masculine. And while I subjectively feel I present pretty masculine, masculinity and sexuality are routinely conflated. Even at more progressive companies, I now strategically choose when to acknowledge my sexuality. Its hard to blame me, when work culture (and the wider culture) rewards a very narrow idea of masculinity, putting it on a pedestal for others to conform to. Dr. Travis Speice, a sociologist specializing in gender and sexuality studies, says, Sometimes, it doesnt actually matter how we perform our gender or our sexuality in the workplaceit’s other people who decide whether its acceptable or not. This can lead to some absurd-seeming contradictions. One might think Pete Hegseths installation of a makeup studio in the Pentagon flies in the face of warrior ethos, but if others have already deemed him (or any man) the right kind of masculine, it might not matter. And yet: I dont know that any performance is absurd if the performer feels like there is a social advantage by following through with that performance, Speice says. On top of the muddied definitions and public displays of masculinity, the pressure for men to perform as masculine at work worryingly has an adverse effect on everyone involved. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Social Issues, entitled “Work as a Masculinity Contest,” found that workplaces prevalent with men attempting masculine performance tend to be ones also filled with toxic leadership and bullying, as well as fewer opportunities, more burnout, and worse wellbeing for the women in the office. Success comes to focus not on meeting performance goals, the study says, but on proving you are more of a man than the next guy. Thus, being a top performer is tantamount to being a manor for the winners, the man. The need to prove masculinity at work can cause men to behave aggressively, embrace risky behaviors, and sexually harass others. Half of men have taken time off from work to cope with mental health struggles, but less than one in ten would disclose said struggles. DiMuccio was a researcher on a 2021 study entitled Masculine Anxiety and Interrupting Sexism at Work, which found that 94% of men at work experience masculine anxiety: the stress men feel living up to masculine expectations. She points out how the way this anxiety manifests doesnt always look like nervousness: Sometimes it looks like bravado, competition, or withdrawal. Speice adds that In some work environments, straight men may feel even more pressure to perform traditional masculinity, desperate to prove their real man status. The tech bro: Our loudest archetype At the moment, few industries capture the celebrated absurdity of masculinitys narrowest view more than Big Tech. Silicon Valley is embracing a new era of masculinity, Zoe Bernard wrote in her 2023 piece for Vox entitled Silicon Valleys very masculine year. (An award that Silicon Valley is about to win for the third year in a row, and maybe then we can retire the trophy.) Tech’s “leaders are powerful, virile, and swole,” Bernard writes. Todays tech brosMark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Mukhave become the unofficial poster boys for performative masculinity, trading in hoodies and office foosball tables for MMA and bow hunting. Nick Clegg, former Meta Vice President of Global Affairs, recently critiqued the tech bros (though it should be noted he spoke highly of Zuckerberg as a colleague), in an interview with The Guardian, hinting at the fragility of performative manliness. He called the trend cloyingly conformist, adding: I couldnt, and still cant, understand this deeply unattractive combination of machismo and self-pity. Dr. Peter Glick, a Professor of Psychology at Lawrence University (and co-author of the Work as a Masculinity Contest study) told me that traditional masculine roles provided men with a set of privileges that some feel are slipping away due to gender equality and DEI advances. My own sense is that if anything, we have moved into a phase of highly reactive, defensive, aggrieved masculinity, he says, especially among many men who resent loss of status, power, purpose, and clarity with respect to how to fulfill masculine identity. DiMuccio agrees, citing the influence of the manosphere: a loose, online network of blogs, forums, and social media promoting traditional masculinity and highly critical of anything it deems feminist. Men are promised belonging and purpose, but in a way that is deeply problematic, misogynistic, and reinforces narrow versions of masculinity even more, she says, noting that these spaces thrive on masculine anxiety. They turn the fear of losing status or identity in a changing world into resentmentand performance. If youre accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression, says Clegg. Rethinking masculinity Growing up, being perceived as masculine wasnt something I worried about. I attribute that to my father, who, on paper, embodies traditional masculinity: Hes tall, not super emotive, and possesses the authoritative air befitting a retired Marine Colonel. But his is actually a more nuanced version of masculinity: While he certainly has protective and imposing traits, hes neither aggressive nor bombastic, embodying a quiet confidence that seeks neither attention nor approval. He modeled being a decent guy, not arbitrarily proving he was the man. Perhaps those qualitiesa steadying, grounded presence that doesnt default to performing toxic traits or demanding others to comply with themis what masculinity in the workplace could look like instead. DiMuccio thinks that deep down, Most men do know, at some level, that these [toxic] behaviors silencing others, overcompensating, refusing to ask for helpundermine teamwork and performance. But she points out that, in many workplaces, the social rewards of being perceived as masculine still justify the performance. Its not that men dont care about the greater goal. They do. But the cultural script of masculinity is so strong that it can override logic. Changing that requires shifting what we reward and recognize as leadership and success at work, DiMuccio says. For better or worse, the concept of masculinity will continue to shape the ways we live and work. We can point out its hypocrisies and absurdities all we want, but the reality is that the ways men choose to telegraph masculinity shape who gets ahead, who gets heard, and how teams functionreflecting a broader cultural tendency to reward appearances, conformity, and social signaling over substance. Recognizing this dynamic might empower individuals to identify and call out the smoke and mirrorsand allow more men to stop playing pretend.
Category:
E-Commerce
If you work in an office, your next coworker might not be human at all. Workers are already well-acquainted with artificial intelligence in the office, using AI tools to take notes, automate tasks, and assist with workflow. Now, Microsoft is working on a new kind of AI agent that doesnt just assist, but acts as an employee. These Agentic Users will soon have their own email, Teams account, and company ID, just like a regular coworker. Each embodied agent has its own identity, dedicated access to organizational systems and applications, and the ability to collaborate with humans and other agents, states a Microsoft product roadmap document. These agents can attend meetings, edit documents, communicate via email and chat, and perform tasks autonomously. The rise of AI has already spelled death for middle management, and is having a significant and disproportionate impact on entry-level workers in the American labor market, according to economists at Stanfords Digital Economy Lab. Gartner projects that by 2028, 33% of enterprise software applications will incorporate agentic AI, and at least 15% of daily business decisions will be made autonomously by AI agents. If AI employees can soon take over the grunt work no one wants to do, like scheduling and reporting, leaving people to handle the big picture tasks, thats a win, right? Yet it also raises questions like: whose job is it to supervise AI employees? How much can AI really be entrusted with? And what happens if, or when, something goes wrong? Last year Deloitte surveyed organizations on the cutting edge of AI, and found just 23% of these organizations reported feeling highly prepared to manage AI-related risks. According to one study, 40% of agentic AI projects could be canceled by the end of 2027 due to inadequate risk controls, unclear business value and escalating costs. As AI rapidly establishes itself as a workplace norm, 2025 will be remembered as the moment when companies pushed past simply experimenting with AI and started building around it, Microsoft said in a blog post accompanying its annual Work Trend Index report. The rollout of Agentic users could start later this November, according to internal documents first reported by The Register. With Microsoft Ignite this week, stay tuned.
Category:
E-Commerce
Our culture equates busyness with importance, overcommitment with achievement, and exhaustion with value. For high-achieving professionals, this belief system isnt just inconvenient, its quietly eroding energy, focus, and fulfillment. Meetings pile up, emails never end, and the pressure to do it all becomes a measure of worth. And yet, this version of productivity is deeply misleading. The truth is, sustainable success doesnt come from cramming more into your day. It comes from aligning what you do with who you are, and giving yourself permission to prioritize energy, clarity, and presence over perpetual motion. Because motion for the sake of it is meaningless. The Cost of Outdated Beliefs Most of our thoughts are inherited patterns: echoes of beliefs we absorbed without realizing or having context. Many high achievers carry invisible scripts around their worth and value that may seem insignificant, yet arent harmless. They quietly shape decisions, drain energy, and fuel cycles of overcommitment. Left unchallenged, they keep us trapped in performance over presence, forcing a choice between professional success and personal fulfillment that shouldnt exist. The data confirms the danger: Nearly 60% of professionals report negative stress impacts, including irritability, fatigue, and decreased motivation. Chronic stress is linked to over 120,000 deaths each year in the U.S. alone. Leaders who push past their limits not only compromise their own well-being, but they also set a tone for teams that normalizes depletion. Rewriting Your Inner Story The first step to changing the way you work and live is identifying the beliefs running the show. Ask yourself: Which internal narratives drive my decisions? Which of them are inherited, unexamined, or outdated? Do they still serve me, or do they keep me misaligned? Once these scripts are visible, you can begin to rewrite them. Old belief: I must prove my worth by doing more. New truth: My worth is inherent; I do not need to earn it through busyness. Old belief: Busyness is a sign of importance. New truth: Stillness is a strategy, not a liability. Reflection and focus expand my impact. Old belief: I can (and should) do it all. New truth: Freedom comes from focus, not volume. Saying no is wisdom, not weakness. Even small shifts in thinking create space for bigger changes in behavior, energy, and presence. Story in Action Consider Laura, a senior leader at a fast-growing tech firm. On paper, she was thrivingleading teams, closing deals, and responding to emails at all hours. Yet she felt perpetually drained, anxious, and disconnected from both her work and her personal life. Every day felt like a treadmill she couldnt step off. When she began questioning her internal narratives, she realized her default belief: If Im not constantly available, Im failing. With that recognition, she experimented with small rituals to reclaim her energy. She started each morning with a 10-to-20-minute walk, phone-free, allowing her to plan her day with clarity. Before meetings, she paused to breathe and set her intention. And in the evenings, she created simple rituals that increased her presence: journaling one win for the day as she stepped away from her laptop, a gratitude circle at dinner with family, and reading for pleasure. These small, deliberate actions transformed her experience of her own life. Laura wasnt doing less; she was choosing differently. Her focus sharpened, her decisions felt clearer, and she felt more present in conversations with her team and family. By embedding rituals instead of relying on autopilot routines to just get through the day, she reclaimed control over her energy, rewrote the story she was living by, and discovered that sustainable success comes from alignment, not overextension. Rituals, Not Routines: A Practical Tool Changing beliefs is only the beginning. Without intentional action, old habits quietly reassert themselves. This is where ritualsintentional and meaningful rhythms unique to youbecome transformative. Unlike routines, which can be automatic and draining over time, rituals are infused with purpose. They create moments of renewal, grounding, and clarity. For example: Starting your day with a five-minute reflection instead of jumping straight into email. Brewing coffee or tea while you set an intention for the day or the next meeting. Closing the workday with a transition ritual, signaling the shift from professional to personal time. Winding down with reading, candlelight, journaling, or a hot shower. These intentional pauses are strategic, not indulgent. They preserve energy, enhance focus, and allow you to operate from alignment rather than autopilot. Presence as a Leadership Advantage The most effective professionals arent necessarily those who work the longest hoursthats the old way of working. Theyre those who show up whole because theyre in alignment with who they are, inside and out. Presence is a competitive advantage. It fosters better decision-making, inspires teams, and creates ripple effects that extend far beyond individual performance. Leaders who model energy stewardship and intentionality shift culture without a single memo. By choosing rituals that anchor them in alignment, they normalize boundaries, reflection, and focused contribution. And in doing so, they give others permission to do the same. Practical Steps to Begin Identify your top stress-beliefs. Notice moments you feel compelled to say yes or overcommit. Ask what underlying belief is driving the behavior. Reframe them. Convert old stories of proving and performing into new narratives of presence, permission, and focus. Anchor with rituals. Introduce small, meaningful practices that support the beliefs you want to live by. Examples include morning reflection, mid-day resets, or transition rituals between work and personal life. Observe the ripple. Notice how these changes affect your energy, decision-making, relationships, and the culture around you. Even small, consistent choices shift patterns over time. They turn pressure into presence, busyness into clarity, and stress into sustainable energy. Redefining Work-Life Success Utimately, high performance doesnt require sacrifice, but it does require alignment. When you stop measuring worth by how much you do and start measuring it by how intentionally and fully you show up, everything changes. You dont have to do it all. You have to do what matters, and do it in a way that preserves your energy, your joy, and your ability to be fully present. The rest will follow. The future of work starts now, and success is being redefined: Lead not from exhaustion, but from alignment. Lead not to impress, but to empower. Your rituals are the blueprint, not only for your own performance but for the culture you create.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||