3 Ways Women Can Embody Male Energy in Their Businesses and Increase Their Profits
One of the best things about starting and growing a business is how much you get to grow as a person. Taking a business from start-up to six-figures and way beyond requires a lot of energy-specifically female and male energy. As with all things in the universe, balance is again the key. In business, you will reach profits faster when you can embody both female and male energy in your business.
As a married women with four children and the coach to hundreds of women and men over the last decade, I have been observing the differences between men and women (and boys and girls too) and I love asking the question: What is different and how did it affect their results? There is so much we can learn from each other, you only need to have the intention to do so. And even though this article is directed toward women, men only need to read and flip the lessons to grow their businesses too.
Here are three ways women can embody male energy in their business and increase their profits:
One- Men Ask Themselves “How Will I Make Money Today?”
The first main difference I notice between male and female business owners is that men move faster and are more focused on answering this question: “How will I make money today?” whereas women tend to be too shy or take way too long to get to this question. Since men often have their identities connected to this question, they get right to business figuring it out and thus are profitable sooner. Women on the other hand have multiple identities (no joke intended!) and wear so many hats that they hardly have time to get focused enough on one identity. And because women are known for this, we often have to prove ourselves far longer to men before they will support us. Sound familiar?
What I have witnessed: When women are able to clear away the Clutter (see the next two points below) and focus on the answers to this question, they are unstoppable. Because they naturally embody the female energy of connection, trust, and empathy; they are able to move at lightning speed in their business because they focus on “How to make meaningful money today?”. I am smart and lucky enough to surround myself with women who balance their male and female energy well and their businesses as does mine bypassed many of our male counterparts a long time ago. All men have to do is put some of that female “meaningful” energy into their work and they will experience the same results.
Two- Men Delegate Effortlessly
The second difference I see between women and men is the way they delegate. I often say that men come out of the womb delegating while women are naturally caretakers. Since I was lucky enough to have a little boy almost four years ago after three girls, I can say with experience that I think delegating is a male dominate trait. And yes, I definitely get my husband better after all these years now that I understand he was just born that way. Seriously though, balance is what you should strive for in life and in business. My own struggles were in this area as were many of my clients.
What I have witnessed: The more I delegated and relied on others to reach my life and business goals, the more abundant my life became. Stephen Covey talks about the difference between being interdependent and independent. Interdependence is the sweet spot because you are able to experience the brilliance of others instead of trying to do everything yourself. Men get this. They would never try to do all the things a woman tries to do in a single day. As my clients and I delegated in our businesses over the years, we were able to reach goals that would have never been possible otherwise.
And yes, we girls did have to give up some of our female energy to delegate more. We had to do less caretaking and not feel guilty about it. Very hard. We had to rely on the “community” to help us raise our children. Hilary Clinton said “It takes a village to raise a child”. I totally agree. I couldn\’t run successful businesses without great neighbors to rely on. And if you don\’t have children, then know it also takes a virtual village to raise a business too! Everyone wins when you delegate. My business is far more successful because there is brilliance pouring into it that I am not capable of producing. And on the home front, my husband is far closer to my children because he is given the opportunity to be their sole caretaker when I travel.
Three- Men So “No” With Ease
The third main difference is how men and women say “no”. The ease at which men are able to say no is simply astonishing to me. I think they just process it through one filter: Do I want to do this?
On the flip side, women process the decision through at least half a dozen filters that are something similar to this:
- Can I do it?
- Who will be mad at me if I do it?
- Do I have time to do it?
- I don\’t have the right outfit to do it!
- Maybe I shouldn\’t even be thinking of doing it?
And the filtering goes on and on until we simply say, YES because it is much easier than saying no.
What I have witnessed: As my clients and I began to say “no” and say it often, we empowered the people we love to step up and say yes and play with us in a meaningful way. When we began to say no to those things that didn\’t bring us and the world as a whole more inner peace, we began to use our new attained free time in smarter ways. We began to create passive income opportunities that allowed us to then delegate more and be able to focus on the question that should be at the tip of every entrepreneur\’s lips: “How will I make meaningful money today?”
Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Sheri McConnell is the CEO of Sheri McConnell Companies, Inc. and the president and founder of two national organizations, the National Association of Women Writers-NAWW and the Global Institute of Associations-GIA. You can visit Sheri, access her free article archive, and find out more about all four of her companies at www.sherimcconnell.com. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, their four children, a weenie dog, and two cats.
