Welcome…

August 17, 2009 Tony Hurst

So, how can a man possibly know enough about the subject of enriching women’s lives to actually publish a blog about it?

My answer is that men (and all people) can know and talk intelligently about anything that they choose to fully participate in.

I have chosen to make a career out of working for a company that was created by women and for women. Obviously that necessitates getting connected pretty seriously to what women need. Mary Kay Ash repeatedly referenced a singular directive to her sales force: “Enrich women’s lives!” That’s my job and I take it very seriously. That’s not to say that I haven’t made some regrettable mistakes in my career or in my personal life with regards to being a responsible counterpart to the women in my midst; but the ideal is clear and I refuse to be discouraged by my failures.

I intend for the content of this blog to address moderate women’s issues (and to be an open forum for such) and to be inclusive of my advocacy for some of the fine examples of feminine professionalism that cross my path on a daily basis. The need for an outlet that properly advances my deep respect and admiration for these incredible women, some of the finest people that I’ve known in my life, has been burning inside me for quite some time. So here we go.

I want to be careful in my discussions here not to enter into the “generalization trap”: Having discussions that focus on female behavior being “intrinsically this” or male behavior being “intrinsically that” or whether those elements are intrinsically complimentary to either gender. This blog is about being anything that any of us is smart enough to be regardless of our respective genders and I am prepared to shed the spotlight on anybody who is actively participating in the enrichment of women’s lives. While there are obvious physical and chemical differences between men and women I’ll posit only one opinion on the matter by quoting Dr Louann Brizendine, M.D., in her book, The Female Brain, “Biology powerfully affects but does not lock in our reality. We can alter that reality and use our intelligence and determination both to celebrate and, when necessary, to change the effects of sex hormones on brain structure, behavior, reality, creativity –and destiny.”

Subject closed.

The above being said I have obviously chosen to focus myself singularly on women; for my clientele and for my professional supervision (both of me and by me), as well as for the audience of this blog. I have done so because I have been personally and professionally graced and inspired by many of the characteristics that I find uniquely admirable in the feminine business culture that I’ve been exposed to. Professional women that I admire choose to behave in some particularly sophisticated ways that I find profound and unparalleled in the world of business. Today’s business women have been influenced by the women who came before them (as well as some men), and as with any subculture that finds itself generally isolated from the mainstream (i.e. the historically ostracized female business culture as rejected by the predominantly male business culture); they have matured with a unique perspective. I’ve found many particularities of note that characterize the behavior of the modern successful business women that I admire and I have found their approach to professionalism to be incredibly powerful and profitable. (And I want some O’ that!) So there you are: I want to define these elements through discussion and example here so that we can all benefit from them.

Please follow along with me! Share with me and help me to fulfill my responsibility to Mary Kay Ash’s prime directive.