Men and women approach courage and career success differently. Men see courage as facing death to protect their family, while women see courage as embracing life and nurturing others. For men, career success is defined by social status, recognition, and wealth, while women value passion and meaning more. Both men and women can achieve an ideal career by having a clear vision and commitment, though men must overcome ego challenges and learn to embrace life more fully.

1. ICF FOR MEN deep thoughts 2

2. Men and women differ in the kind of courage they possess and exhibit.

3. Men are more courageous in facing death . Women are more courageous in facing life .

4. Why the difference?

5. It’s because a man must be strong and protect his family. To do this, he must be willing to face death.

6. On the other hand, a woman does not fear life. In fact, she embraces life and nurtures it, for she knows she will one day become a mother.

7. Since a career is essentially a life (or how one chooses to spend the better part of life), women tend to embrace the idea of an ideal career more than men.

8. Women trust life more than they trust society, whereas men trust society more than they trust life.

9. Men trust society because only society can give them status and power. Women trust life because only life can give them the ultimate experience for a woman: motherhood.

10. Since women trust the natural process of life unfolding, they are more spontaneous and authentic. Since men trust society more, this might explain why they are more inclined to do what it takes to “look good”: power, status, external signs or evidence of superiority.

11. This is not a judgment of men’s behavior. In fact, it is society that puts enormous pressure on men to “perform” and succeed.

12. Sally Hogshead, author of “Radical Careering,” defines success as: The ongoing process of becoming your best self.

13. I doubt that most men would agree with that definition. Success for men is something objectively more verifiable , like social status, peer recognition, financial rewards and material comfort.

14. For this reason, “career success” is defined differently for men vs for women.

15. Men might wholehearted embrace the Talent axis and the World’s Need axis more than the Passion and Meaning axes.

16. Women, on the other hand, might embrace the Passion and Meaning axes more than the Talent and World’s Need axes.

17. Yet, most employers don’t really distinguish between male and female employees. They offer the same rewards to both groups.

18. This is a severe talent policy mistake.

19. Also, in pursuing an “ideal career,” the challenge for men lies more in being willing to embrace life . This inevitably means being willing to give up some control. It means “feeling the flow and then going with the flow.”

20. For women, in pursuing an “ideal career,” the challenge lies in being more assertive and seeking more control.

21. Many men might think that pursuing an “ideal” career is too, well, idealistic.

22. However, there’s nothing wrong with aiming high. Man would never have set foot on the moon without JFK’s vision of landing on the lunar satellite before the end of the decade.

23. A person can succeed in realizing his ideal career IF he has a clear, compelling vision AND is committed to operating without illusions .

24. A man CAN succeed in realizing his ideal career IF he clearly visualizes the man he wants to become, and has the courage to critically examine his own strengths and weaknesses.

25. Unfortunately, self-honesty is hard for men. Much harder than for women. Why?

26. It’s because in all social interactions, men have to deal with something that most women don’t have to deal with. It’s called…

27. The EGO .

28. The male ego has ruined the lives and careers of more men than most people imagine.

29. However, many men eventually realize this, and often overcome their ego. Sometimes, in doing so, they change the course of history.

30. Mikhail Gorbatchev and Frederik Willem de Klerk, for instance, revised and reversed their publicly stated position, leading to great positive change in their respective countries.

31. In the end, every man has a special talent. If he courageously commits to developing that talent in order to serve others better, he would find himself not only happier but also richer – financially and in all other ways.

32. In workshop after workshop, I have seen and felt the unmistakable courage of women as they explore and then commit to pursuing their ideal career. Do men also have the courage to do so?

33. To see more of this presentation, please look for slideshows in my Slideshare portfolio with “ICF for Men” in the cover page. For more information on consulting or coaching or public speaking on ICF, please contact me at [email_address] You can also subscribe for FREE (value of $800) to my success secrets blogzine at www.realtimesuccesssecrets.blogspot.com