How Empowerment Leads to Engagement
by Alain Hunkins, originally published on Pioneer Leadership If it were you, which would you most prefer? No choice Someone else’s choice for me My choice The answer is obvious: In general, we prefer to make our own choices. There’s a freedom that comes from making our own choices. This is the heart of empowerment: the ability to be directly involved in our work. This involvement includes prioritizing the work, as well as when and...
Reprint: Men’s Rites of Passage & ManKind Project: FAQs
A special reprint from #NewWarrior Mike Morrell, reprinted with permission. When I wrote An Open Letter to my Brothers in light of #MeToo last month, it really struck a chord. It’s been shared more than just about anything I’ve ever written – over 21,000 times as of this writing. I think the reason that it’s resonating – among men, women, and nonbinary folks alike – is because the increasing cultural truth-telling about men in power...
The Armor That Sinks Men
Guest post by Snake Bloomstrand I accidentally discovered armor when my Father died. I’d been unaware until a confrontation with a neighbor revealed how guarded I’d become. She’d learned of my Father’s death and asked, “How are you?” “Fine,” I replied. “Fine?” She asked, “How can you be fine? Your Father just died.” The skepticism reflected in her eyes caused me to doubt myself and wonder if I was missing something. Her question...
The Part of Your Brain That Can Make Work A Joy…or a Hell
by Alain Hunkins There’s a small part of your brain called the RAS: Reticular Activating System. The RAS is the gateway for nearly all sensory input entering the brain. The RAS works like a bouncer outside a nightclub. It decides what information to let in, what to keep out, and which information should be treated like a “VIP”. Excepting smells, there’s no way to get into that brain without getting past the RAS. The RAS has a...
Grandfathers & Grandsons
Guest post by Peter Clothier (for my grandsons) Tomorrow is your sixth birthday, Luka. In this morning’s meditation, my thoughts turned not only to you but also to my older grandson, your cousin, Joe; and to my own two grandfathers. I was thinking about how important grandfathers can be to their grandsons, and my own role as grandfather… I write down these thoughts for you both, so that you’ll have at least a passing acquaintance with...
Dear Brothers, from Mike Morrell
Guest post by Mike Morrell, from MikeMorrell.org Dear Brothers: Have you noticed it? We’re entering a sea-change. For generations, our unconscious actions and ways of being toward women went unnoticed, were accepted by default, or even celebrated. But in the public sphere, the tide is turning. These altered currents arguably started with Bill Cosby. Then Donald Trump, Roger Ailes, and Bill O’Reilly (“the conservatives”) crested the...
Real Men Feel: Episode 69, Male Violence
Guest post: Andy Grant: Real Men Feel Male Violence, Episode 69, October 10, 2017 In the wake of the Las Vegas Massacre, Real Men Feel’s Andy Grant and Appio Hunter, have an open discussion on male violence. All fans of the show were invited to take part. Is violence innate to being a man? Are white males particularly violent? If male violence is a problem is it primarily a mental health issue, a gun issue, something else? Can it be...
Women in Men’s Groups?
(or) Why Men’s Groups Need Women Guest post by Erin Brandt Bottom Line: Because AFTER men get tremendously powerful support from other men in digging through their deepest shit and celebrating their biggest wins, what’s crucial is practicing integrating your new skills… directly with women… – *with* the support and guidance of your brothers – with women specially chosen because of their love of, respect of and skill with...
The Elements of a Personal Growth Plan
by Jim Wolfson Reprinted with permission from http://jimwolfson.com/ The Elements of a Personal Growth Plan How to Set Your Life up for Change To be alive is to be growing and transforming. Once a person settles in to his or her patterns, tries to keep control, there is a certain kind of dying that begins. I’ve worked with many people who express a desire for change. They are somehow blocked in life, are suffering or confused, and...
Lessons I Learned from Nightfall
by Keith R. Jarvis When I first learned about the solar eclipse of August 2017, I immediately thought of Asimov’s short story Nightfall, and the later novelization with Robert Silverberg. Of course the total eclipse that arrives on Monday won’t affect us in the same way as the residents of a world that has never experienced night. But the sense of catastrophe beyond control and my inability to prevent mass insanity has run...
A “Rookie” Perspective of Connecting with the ManKind Project
By: David J. Galvagno “Grey Wolf” – Syracuse NY In February of 2015, I was asked by a friend if I wanted to come to his men’s group he had been telling me about. I knew these men got together and talked about their lives, and helped each other, and it was connected to this weekend he had gone on endlessly about previously. It was all connected to this MKP thing he first discovered on a trip to San Diego. I was curious enough to...
Republished: Diving Into The Secret Society Of The ManKind Project
Republished with permission from Warrior.do – thanks to #NewWarrior Tony Balbin Photo by lacabezaenlasnubes We drove down a long, narrow road deep in the Wisconsin forest. The sun was winding down and fresh snow laid on the trees around us. As we approached the retreat center, a man dressed in black stood in the middle of the road staring blankly at the three of us. Having nowhere to go, we stopped the car. Slowly, he walked...
What the NY Times Missed – How to Raise a Feminist Son
by Boysen Hodgson There is a trending topic this morning from @NYTimes based on the article “How to Raise a Feminist Son.” Overall, the advice offered in the column – from my perspective – was excellent! It’s the kind of encouragements, boundaries, and awareness that I strive to bring to my parenting every day (for my son AND my daughter!). Claire Cain Miller did well, collecting research based tips from...
Thrive or Just Survive: Men’s Work Beyond Woundedness
by Jan Hutchins “Few among men are they who cross to the further shore. The others merely run up and down the bank on this side.” ― Gautama Buddha I no longer cry at ManKind Project graduation celebrations. At the first 20+ gatherings where our brotherhood welcomes home the new initiates and their families, I had the wettest hankie in the room, gushing as our “new brothers” spoke of their transformations, weeping as their families and...
5 Painful Prices of Living with Constant Urgency
by Alain Hunkins When you’re asked, “How’s your week going?”, is your gut response to say: Crazy Busy? If so, you’re not alone. Crazy Busy – constant urgency – has become the new normal. Only there’s one problem. If everything is urgent, then nothing is urgent. There are things in life that demand urgency. A heart attack. A house on fire. A war. Yet, too many people I work are feeling overwhelmed. They’re not cardiac surgeons, or...
Why Do We Make Poor Decisions?
This is a wooden box. Some people use them to jump up onto for exercise. I am one of those people. Two weeks ago, I was using a box quite similar to this one, when I caught my left hand on the edge of box as I was jumping the 24 inches on to it. It hurt, but I thought it was just a bruise. I finished the workout, and noticed that my finger was pretty swollen. Just to be on the safe side, I figured I should have it checked out. I...
3 Reasons Leaders Should Never Fix Their People
Daniel leads a team of twenty research scientist/leaders. In preparing to work with the team at their annual leadership conference, I spoke to Joanne, one of Daniel’s direct reports. Joanne brought me up to speed with the team, their group dynamics, and the work that they do. One of the things Joanne shared was: One thing you should know that Daniel is a terrific leader. However, he has a one particular sensitivity you should be...
Circles, Triangles, and Squares
Understanding why it is essential to create culturally relevant events for different demographic groups, for different ‘kinds’ of people, is often hard to explain. A New Warrior in the Los Angeles Area, Christopher (Magnificent Jaguar) O’Dell partnered with Illustrator Christina T. Epley to show us why it’s important. Seeing this, I wonder what shapes MKP will continue to evolve into. The ManKind Project has...
Why Leaders Shouldn’t Go the Extra Mile
Guest post by Alain Hunkins My head was in a fog. I could barely move. All I wanted to do was sleep. This wasn’t my usual week. I was in the throes of a particularly brutish cold. And still- I had stuff to get done. All the momentum on my projects ground to a halt. I didn’t feel like doing anything. In fact, for two days, I couldn’t even think about thinking about anything. Then I remembered: The project team. Ugh. Just the week...
This One Leadership Skill Will Send Your Credibility Soaring
Guest post by Alain Hunkins My twelve year old son, Alexander, just got braces on his teeth. In case you don’t remember or never had them, braces hurt the first few days. A lot. Alexander is a trooper, and knew that the pain in his mouth would eventually subside. But that first afternoon, he was extremely uncomfortable. Later that evening, around dinner time, the phone rang. It was his orthodontist, Dr. DeMaio. He was calling to see...
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     The ManKind Project® is a global nonprofit education and training organization dedicated to helping men find and live the best of who they can be as men. We support over 1000 men's groups in over 10 countries around the world. Our flagship training is the New Warrior Training Adventure. Over 58,000 men have stepped out of their comfort zones to make a better life for themselves and their families. |
