Seahorses are the only animals in which eggs are fertilized inside the male's body.
I remember learning this fact on a school trip to the Long Island Science Museum in 4th or 5th grade. At which point another boy in our class made a comment that I still remember to this day:
"But what about his job?"
Something Practical: What We Can Learn From Seahorses
While tomorrow kicks off Women's History Month, overcoming traditional, vestigial gender roles that have been a part of our society for centuries remains a work in progress (at best). You know some of these silly concepts, the ones that dictate how men and women "should behave" and what roles they should play in society. However, as we progress into the 21st century, it's increasingly clear that gender roles are not only outdated, but so are the definitions of gender, itself.
So I emailed a few friends, some of the most accomplished and successful leaders in their respective professions, with a simple question: "How we can overcome these ingrained concepts of traditional gender roles that are antiquated and often harmful?
A few responses:
1. Promote gender equality in the workplace:
"Honestly so much of this starts in traditional corporate power structures. So one of the most important ways to overcome traditional gender roles is to promote gender equality in the workplace. This means paying men and women the same wages, encouraging the use of self-identifying pronouns, providing equal opportunities for advancement, and making everyone aware of gender bias in the workplace so we can take steps towards eliminating it."
2. Encourage boys to express their emotions:
"At a young age, boys are often taught to suppress their emotions and be "tough." However, this can lead to problems later in life, such as mental health issues and difficulty forming meaningful relationships. By encouraging boys to express their emotions and be vulnerable, we can help break down traditional gender roles."
3. Teach girls to be assertive:
"When I was growing up, the girls were taught to be polite, quiet, and submissive. However, these traits can hold them back in their personal and professional lives. It took me longer to find a voice as I grew up. ButbBy teaching girls to be assertive and confident, we can help them identify goals and eliminate barriers to achieving them. My daughter is already so different than I was as a kid.”
4. Promote shared parenting:
"Society often dictates that women should be the primary caregivers for children. Fuck that. But you know this can be just as limiting for both men and women, right? Showing and promoting shared parenting in movies and TV is a start, but also making access acceptable, making FMLA more flexible... all of that, will help both parents be more involved in their children's lives."
5. Challenge gender stereotypes:
"Honestly, just start challenging gender stereotypes every time you see it. Just be like 'Nope. That's a gender stereotype.' Question assumptions about what men and women should be interested in, how they should behave, and what roles they should play in society. This is the way to a more inclusive and equitable society for all."
Back to the male seahorses. They have what's called a "brood pouch" on their belly, and the female transfers her eggs into this pouch to be fertilized and incubated. I feel like most of us guys already have brood pouches, so let's do this!
That said, seahorses also do something I'm not sure male OR female humans could handle. About a month after the transfer of eggs to the male, he releases the hatched offspring into the water… and then will start the process all over again after a few days. Ummm... no thanks.
SOMETHING PROFESSIONAL: Three Engines That Could
In the last edition of the Four Ps, I jumped into some ideas about startups. Basically why they're different than working at, building, or leading established and emerging companies. I got several emails with some questions and comments (thanks!). One specific question that came from a friend (and former colleague) in the North Carolina area asked about another fundamental part of any early-stage business model: building an engine for growth that ensures the company does not stagnate in Years 2 or 3.
So let's dig into an impromptu follow-up "Part 2" on startup life and keys to success.
There are three different kinds of growth engines:
The retention engine works by ensuring that existing customers who already generate a constant stream of revenue not only stick around, but deepen the relationship. The focus is not to win new customers by investing in marketing, but rather to make current customers use the product even more often by offering new features or great service. Call it account management, client management, etc.
The viral engine works by featuring those existing customers as the primary stars of your company’s marketing. Awareness of the product spreads among your target customers through word-of-mouth. This can save you a lot of marketing expenditure, so startups should make it as easy as possible for customers to engage in this kind of viral marketing. Part of it is helping them to celebrate and share their success, but also featuring them in blogs, case study recaps, podcasts, and Twitter Spaces, as well as more bite-sized
The paid engine works by investing into marketing: positioning, productization, presence at events, partnerships, P.R., and paid advertising. (Even more Ps). Of course, this is only sustainable if existing customers bring in enough revenue to ensure the CPA (cost per acquisition) is lower than the user lifetime value.
None of these work without a solid measurement plan. Many startups give in to the temptation of using vanity metrics, which makes it hard to face actual problems and fix them. Defining the right metrics to track and continuously evaluating them is crucial for any startup. The right core metrics differ from company to company, but often they’re things like: % increase in number of paying customers, average session length per customer, and number of recommendations generated per, say, one thousand customers.
When analyzing data, it can be helpful to use "cohort analysis." Instead of simply looking at how the revenue or user base has grown, compare how new customers behave compared to old ones. On average, how often did customers who signed up six months ago recommend your product to their friends? What about customers who signed up four months ago? Two months ago?
In the beginning, every startup should initially focus on one engine of growth. By Year 2, startups should be able to engage all three engines of growth at the same time, but it’s smart wise to focus on only one of them at first so that it picks up speed as quickly as possible. Focusing on one engine of growth also makes it easier to assess the success of new features: if they help the growth engine gain speed, they’re valuable; if not, they’re a waste.
SOMETHING POLITICAL: The Greatest Man to Be President
As the news spread last week about Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, entering what is now the final stages of his life, it reminded me of something that a college professor of mine said 20 years after Carter left office:
"Jimmy Carter turned out to be right about almost everything."
Even more incredible is that this professor is the grandson of one president (Eisenhower)and the son-in-law of another (Nixon), both of whom were members of the Republican Party.
Jimmy Carter is the only person in history to be President of the United States when I was born. One of my earliest memories is going with my parents to vote for him in the 1980 election at the King of Kings Lutheran Church. During his time in office, he proposed several ideas that were met with skepticism and criticism, but as time has passed, many of his ideas have been proven correct::
Renewable energy: In the late '70s, Carter was an advocate for renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. He even installed solar panels on the White House. At the time, many people thought he was wasting taxpayer money on a frivolous project. However, today, renewable energy is more popular than ever, and Carter's vision for a sustainable future has been vindicated.
Human rights: Carter made human rights a cornerstone of his foreign policy, even if it meant speaking out against countries that were allies of the United States. He believed that supporting dictators and human rights abusers was not only unethical, but ultimately counterproductive.
Healthcare: Carter believed that every American should have access to affordable healthcare. He proposed a comprehensive healthcare plan that was ultimately defeated, but many of the ideas he championed, like preventative care and community health centers, have since become staples of the American healthcare system.
Nuclear disarmament: Carter was a strong advocate for nuclear disarmament and believed that the United States should take a leadership role in reducing the world's nuclear arsenal. He signed the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, which limited nuclear weapons, but the treaty was never ratified by the US Senate.
Education: Carter believed that education was key to solving many of the country's problems, from poverty to crime to international competitiveness. He supported initiatives to increase funding for education and promote innovation in teaching. Today, the importance of education is more widely recognized than ever, and Carter's ideas about the role of education in society have been validated.
Jimmy Carter also had the longest post-Presidency of anyone to ever serve, and spent all of that time giving back in so many ways. But looking back, he should be remembered as a visionary leader who proposed many ideas that were ahead of their time.
SOMETHING PERSONAL: The Best Things In Life Are Free
In case you haven't noticed, I spend a good chunk of my time thinking about, learning about, connecting around, and jumping into Web3 applications for brand marketers and agencies. If you're not curious by now, I think you probably would have unsubscribed from this newsletter (Please don't!).
For those who miss when the Four Ps used to be a weekly video blog, and long to see my face, I've got an invitation and treat for you"
Next Wednesday, on March 8 at 1pm ET, the A.N.A. (Association of National Advertising) has asked me to host and present a Web3 “101” webinar for its members. The good news it's not just limited to members. Meaning you're welcome to join! Best of all, it's free!
So join me as we step into the future. Learn the terms, see great examples, but most importantly, understand the benefits of expanding your consumer relationship with digital tokens.
Would love to see some friendly faces and familiar names in the audience. And yes, invite the curious, the confused, the curmudgeonly, and the risk-averse members of your team from the back office and bring them along on this journey into Web3.
One other big piece of Web 2.5 news from the past week: Spotify is now token-gating. Not to say I told you so, but… well…
See you soon for March Mattness!