Time votes to ban "Feminist"

 

Time magazine is running a poll as to which words should be banned and the word feminist appears on the list.

I had to read the list twice and slap myself to believe that they had actually put this word on there.

And perhaps what surprised me the most is over 45% of the readers had voted to do away with the word. Who are these people and what in god’s name are they thinking.

At a time when the debate is rich and engaging at a global level, we have a well-respected magazine place it on a “ban” list.  

Why is the word “boys club” not on the list!

We are in an era, I believe, where the word feminist is no longer seen as a dirty word, feminism is seen as a movement, a demand for equality.

Because if we are not equal than what are we?

We are not bra burning, male hating monsters. We are level headed, smart, entrepreneurs who simply want equal representation at leadership levels, equal pay; not be among the world’s poorest, or refugees or be the victims of domestic and sexual violence.

We believe in and demand social, political and economic equality. And what may I ask is wrong with that?

For a moment let’s imagine if we did do away with the word. How would we describe ourselves then?

For a long time so many were afraid to be labelled feminists, I was one of them, not anymore, as more and more men and women join this movement it becomes richer and stronger and it starts to create a ripple effect, a revolution that will inspire and demand change.

We cannot be feminists quietly, by ourselves, in our own time, the movement requires men to join us to ensure that we have significant impact and influence.  

I grew up in an environment where girls were not encouraged to be themselves, were spectators rather than participants, their ambitions were denied, their aspirations were only around marriage, yet the men were the opposite.  And in many places in the world this culture still exists.

In Australia the debate is rich around the gender pay gap, which is currently at its highest, women in senior leadership positions, on boards and of course whether we legislate on quotas and targets.

So for Time magazine to put this word on a list of potential words to be banned is sadly a reflection of where we stand globally on this debate of equality.

The disappearance of this word would mean that we ignore, forget and deny generations of good men and women who have fought for us to have the right to vote, the right to work and now we fight for gender equality.

I would prefer to ban words such as “paygap”, “inequality”,” housewife”, “sexism”, “sexual harassment”

At a time when this is a global debate, why is gender equality not on the G20 agenda?

Our Prime Minister could easily lead this discussion and it is one that is worthy of a discussion at this level. However Mr Abbott has not been proactive on this issue. Women in Australia will retire on 40% less superannuation then men, they will pay more interest in their university loans then men simply because they will have children.

It will be 2089 before we achieve equal pay globally. That is 75 years and almost 3 generations away. We cannot let this happen, this is not the legacy I want to leave my children.

We all know that the issue of gender equality is not just a fight or an issue for women.

Yet the answer to the issues lies in the hands of our leaders. Our male leaders. Who if any of them will have the courage to actually start the ripple?

Ripple Affect

It is common for women to ask men to " put themselves in women’s shoes and consider how it would feel to be a woman." We hope that by asking men to do this they will have some empathy towards us. 

To date, I don't believe, that this has worked very well. Men don't seem to be able to put themselves in our shoes.

Maybe we need to ask a different question because men are certainly not “feeling” what we do.

Perhaps the question needs to be “how would your life be different if you were born a woman”?

This question gets men to actually consider the ‘biases’ against women and how they would react to them if they were against them.

To help our male counterparts understand what it would be like to have been born a woman here
 are few thought starters:

In many countries being born a woman does not equate to the celebration of a new life, it equates to being a burden on the family which may result in your death as an infant, if you are kept alive then education may not be your privilege, becoming a child bride may be or worse being sold into slavery. Your male family members will often decide your fate and if you choose to defy these it may result in your death.

You may be one of the 70% of women who make up the world’s poor, where you are a victim of systematic discrimination in education and healthcare, you may have never learnt to read and write, be the one in three that is a victim of abuse or forced into labour.

You would have had to fight for the right to vote and now that you have it, fight for equal pay and equal employment opportunities.

You may be the victim of violence, in Australia 1 woman a week dies from domestic violence and 1 in 3 have experienced violence of some sort.

You would have had to give up your career at some point to have your children and yes just imagine giving birth.

More often than not, the role of ensuring that the household is still functioning will be your responsibility. And yes your husband will potentially be coming home late most nights.

Every month you will of course have your periods, you will bloat, have tender breasts, feel grumpy, tear up and often be in pain.

Every two years you will have to have a pap smear.

Then at some point you will go through menopause.

You will retire on 40% less superannuation than your husband if you are in Australia

You will pay more interest for any loans you may have taken out to complete your university degree simply because you will choose to take a break and have kids

The common language you will hear is that you have to ask for what you want, lean in, learn how to do business like a man, letting go of the guilt.

In the workplace you may be described as bossy, bitchy, aggressive, and often be accused of sleeping your way to the top.

You will have to work harder in business to gain the promotions that your male counterparts currently get.

You will feel enormous guilt over just about everything.

Everything you wear will be commented on and judged, how you do your hair and your makeup, nails, shoes....the list will go on.

You will spend a lot of money getting most of your body waxed to ensure that you are virtually hairless for your partner as this seems to be the trend today

Oh and of course there is the whole weight issue. If you add on a few kilo’s your male partners in life and work will no doubt notice it and comment. Note also that the waist line of your male counterparts seems to grow in girth yearly

Now of all the above were not challenging enough lets add to the mix the following

o   Under representation in the media

o   No such thing as a cheap haircut

o   Under representation in politics

o   More likely to be harassed in public

o   At worse other women will not support your endeavours

So, if you were born a woman, some of the challenges you may face , depending on where you are born, will be around gender equality, gender pay gap, violence, poverty, hunger, homelessness, trafficking, under-representation at all levels.

Given all the above, how many men would choose to live the life of a woman.

Not many I would suggest. Who in their right mind would want to deal with these issues?

If the thought of being born a woman is not one that any man would want why is it that men are not championing the issues we face louder than women are, why are they not leading the charge more aggressively than woman are.

There are more men around board tables, directors and CEO’s of companies, surely the issue of gender equality should be an easy one to fix if these men truly understood what their life would be like if they had been born a woman!

Common ground between politicians and real estate agents!

I attended an event recently where the keynote speakers were political analysts discussing the upcoming Victorian State Elections.

What I found fascinating and interesting was the focus on the changing face of the electorate and the key ways politicians now had to engage with them to gain their vote.  

Simply being the local politician who represented and followed the party line on policies wasn’t enough.

The electorate today is more informed, has access to information or data and they demand  a connection with party policies and the politicians. There are, in fact, more swinging voters than ever before and the youth coming through question everything.

As I sat and listened to the speakers, I was amused at the irony of how the issues politicians face are not dis-similar to ours in real estate.

How do you get people to know you, like you and trust you, to vote for you or select you as their listing agent?

It was suggested, by one of the speakers,  that if political parties had call centres that employed nurses, teachers or mums to make calls or even door knock suburbs to share with the constituents the virtues of a political party and their polices they would obtain far more engagement then what they currently do.  It’s the power of third party endorsements – sound familiar.

If these political campaigners then used social media to comment or share their views and experiences, they would obtain even more cut through with their constituents.

Believe it or not, if political parties did consistent DL drops with a message that the consumer connected with and then door knocked they would get buy in.

What I found fascinating was the key issues political parties’ face is identical to what we face in real estate - having a database that is up to date and called and marketed to in a consistent manner.

To quote one of the presenters – if a politician had an up to date data base, that was consistently called, who connected with the consumers and ensured that people understood his/her key message and the benefits of voting for him/her; then that politician would be more likely to win an election!

Database connection was more powerful and engaging than any TV, newspaper or radio advertising.

As agents we do have an advantage over politicians – we are perhaps more trusted!

On a serious note however most agents work in farm areas and you don’t need to have an entire state on a database; just everyone from your farm area.

The issue then becomes more about consistently marketing to your database with a message that people are going to connect with and consequently, select you as their listing agent.

Time and time again it has been proven that there needs to be a balance between success and connective marketing. The consumer needs to know that you understand their needs and you are the right agent to list with because of your success.

The reasons why people sell or buy homes are upgrade, downgrade, death, divorce and change in financial situation. Why not create marketing around these key messages linked in with your success?

Using social media not to market properties you have listed, sold or leased but more about what you are putting back into the community and have others endorse your success.

Lastly the concept of a call centre or lead generator shouldn’t be out of the question. Why not have someone call your database on a regular basis to constantly keep it updated, connect with your constituents and find you leads.

The research we conduct at Harcourts consistently shows that we are selected as the listing agent because the vendor knew the agent; was referred by family or friend; had used us before or simply contacted the local Harcourts office. Given these are the reasons it is important you have a mix of the following as part of your ongoing prospecting plan:

• Consistent calls to your database
• Success marketing
• Connective marketing
• Social media presence
• Boards in your local market
• Advertising in your local press   

 It is much easier for us to build a database, relationships and become the agent of choice than it is for a politician to do the same and get elected.

Virgin's unlimited holidays

We are constantly discussing flexible workplaces, engaging the next generation of workers, hot desking, having people work from home and it seems that Richard Branson has gumpzed us all by announcing that his staff can have unlimited holidays.

The Virgin staff in the US and UK head office will receive unlimited leave on the proviso their work is up to date. The focus, Branson states, is on getting the work done rather than the 8am-5pm hours.

An interesting paradigm shift for employers and employees.

Employees are being held accountable on the fact that when they take their leave their work is 100% up to date and that everyone is across what they are responsible for and their time away will not in any way damage the business or their careers.

The idea is to create workplaces that boost morale and drive productivity. Virgin is not the first business to head down this path.

The positives are clear, employees, you would assume, will be less stressed because they are taking regular breaks which then impacts positively on their productivity and the bottom line.

As employers we don’t have to set times for annual leave or pay out those who choose to leave. I would also assume that long service leave would no longer be applicable.

The key positive impact is from a recruitment perspective. You would assume that this would be attractive to potential employees when assessing who or which brand they want to work for.

It seems that by allowing employees to take unlimited breaks what we are testing here is the trust we have in each other and whether unlimited leave actually does equate to productive motivated team members.

The jury is still out on this I feel.

The reality is that yes we are much more productive before we go on leave. While on leave however almost all of us check emails so we don’t return to an overflowing in box.

If you work in a team environment and take regular breaks it means that someone is constantly having to pick up your work. No different to what happens when you take your required leave now however it is only for a fixed period of time.

If you are given the choice of unlimited leave, how often will you actually go? And given Branson’s criteria – you will not damage the business or your career, you would perhaps not actually take any extra leave.

We have held onto the traditional 4 week leave for far too many years in my opinion. With the use of technology and access we have to each other across the globe I believe it is time for business to reassess leave entitlements.

If we didn’t want to be as extreme as Branson, however still make changes and attract people into our businesses or sectors, perhaps consider

·        6 – 8 weeks leave vs 4 weeks

·        1 week leave to work for a not for profit

·        The day off on your birthday

·        The day off on your child’s birthday

·        The day off on your spouse’s significant birthday or event

·        Flexible work days

·        Ability to work from home

Annual leave is something we can change per business or group or industry.

If we all agree that employees who are less stressed and tired are far more productive, that the traditional 4 weeks leave needs to be changed, then as employers we each have the ability to change the landscape on this and perhaps attract and retain the best people in the process.

 

Letting go of the excess baggage

Life is a series of emotional experiences varied by the effect of our environment, people we meet, family, friends, lovers, partners and the list goes on. 

These unique experiences play a role in shaping who we were, who we are and who we are about to become. 

Many of the experiences we collect in life are memorable, treasured and when we recall them fill our hearts with joy and love. 

However, from time to time, we do encounter moments or events that impact us deeply. Experiences that hurt us to our core and give us so much pain we just wonder, how are we going to move on. 

This can cause us to stop, curl up, change who we are, become cautious and suspicious. We know that we never want to feel this way again. 

What we do as we heal is we package these emotions and fear and we let it impact who we are becoming. Most emotional upheavals cause us to change who we are or the direction we may be heading in.  

We can become angry, distrustful, we have triggers that take us back, a word, a tone, a sound.

At an extreme we end up in therapy, we can battle self esteem and confidence issues, we may have breakdowns or suffer depression. 

I have had experiences in my life that have taken me to the edge. 

Its an interesting place to be. 

What I have discovered however, is the human spirit and strength, is an amazing thing. 

Once you decide to step back from the edge you have the ability to rebuild your life with colors that are strong and vibrant. 

Part of the rebuilding though, no matter what emotional experience you are walking away from is to say thank you for the lessons and let go of the fear, the anger, the suspicion. 

You attract into your life what you give out. You have the ability to manifest the outcome. So be very careful of what you do put out. 

When new people come into your life make sure that the baggage you carry, and we all do, is light, full of love and care, lessons that have been learnt and you are ready to create new experiences and lessons. 

Its a bit like going on holiday. Only take the things you need not the whole house.

So let go of the things that don't need to be taken to the next destination.

Who knows what you may find waiting for you if you are just open to it. 

Would anyone miss you?

Can you imagine sitting down with your great grandparents or even your grandparents and explaining to them the world we live in today.

The technology we now have in place would be mind blowing for them. Imagine trying to explain that the mobile phone is all we really need to talk to people, run businesses and stay connected.

The fact that we have connections to people we haven’t even met, thanks to social media platforms such at twitter, facebook and linkedin and we know what is happening anywhere in the world, as it unfolds, through social media rather than the daily papers or the 6pm news. This alone would astound generations gone by.

It’s because of these connections scarcity no longer exists. We can do anything we want with a mobile device and a connection to the internet.  The bottle neck that generations prior to us experienced no longer exists.  

What does this mean for us?

Well, what we do know is that people today are looking for experiences and connections. In fact, most teenagers would rather give up their car and keep their phone as the phone connects them to the rest of the world.

So how are you connecting with your tribe, what stories are you telling them?

Humans are story machines, you need to tell great stories that are memorable and remarkable enough to resonate and spread. No one cares about the facts, they care about the stories.

If one of your colleagues came in with an awesome haircut, you would ask, where did you get that haircut? People remark on the haircut because it was remarkable.

If you had a great massage, the best one you have ever had, no one is going to remark on your massage unless you tell them about it. As the client, you make the experience tangible by sharing it, getting others to connect with the experience and they, in turn, will want the same.

A lot of what we do in real estate is like the haircut and massage. We can run great opens and conduct awesome auctions – very tangible, however how do we make people feel when they interact with us face to face, via the internet or phone; how well are you making the intangible, tangible.

How remarkable is your marketing, the service you deliver, the connections you are building?

They may be remarkable to you but are others going to remark about it.

We create environments by connecting with people, these connections are like links on a chain that you can constantly add to. However to connect with people we need to care about how we make them feel, not just once, but every time we interact with them. You have to care more about the experiences than you do about the transactions.

If you create the connections and feed it with experiences they can remark on, at some point, it will feed you back.

Your customers decide if you are worth remarking on.

A question to ask yourself constantly - if you disappeared from your market place today, would anyone actually miss you?

No matter how large your boards, how big your market share, the tribe you work in will only miss you if you were remarkable to them.

Most of our businesses get noticed. This is different to getting remarked on. The streaker on grand final day gets noticed but the win the Hawks had over the Swans gets remarked on.

If you have not reviewed your business strategy recently or don’t really have one, I would suggest that you review or put one in place immediately. Remember what got you here won’t get you there.

Look for the edge in your business and people, what is your “only” that will blow your competition out of the water.

Just like fashion, remember wedged shoes? They were fashionable, then they weren’t, then they were again. Just because you are remarkable today does not mean you will be tomorrow. So you must constantly invent and reinvest to stay ahead and be remembered.

Being remarkable isn’t enough. Our competitors copy remarkable quickly so you have to be remarkable and valuable to the client at the time they need you.

Our industry is full of databases that no one calls, marketing that too often does not connect with the tribe, service that is average and a pre-conceived reputation with clients that isn’t remarkable. 

What an opportunity!

To be remarkable and valuable is so very easy, most will opt out, however if you are the agent that opts in and provides experiences that are remarkable, creates connections that are constantly added to, understands what your tribe wants because you pay attention, you will never be missed because you will never become extinct.

 

Poor dont drive very far

Well Mr Hockey, our esteemed Treasurer, is in the news yet again and this time over comments that he believes that poor people won’t be impacted by any fuel tax because they don’t drive cars very far or even perhaps own one.

This simple and generalised statement shows how out of touch Mr Hockey really is. In the last 10 months he has been photographed smoking expensive cigars, sitting on a silk chair when making his austerity speech, dancing on the night he announced the need to slash pensions, told us that cuts to the budget didn’t go far enough and complains how hard it is to be the treasurer.

In case you haven’t caught up with the latest, Mr Hockey hopes to re-introduce the fuel excise tax that he sees as a way to raise money to pay for roads.

These comments from a man who is chauffeured to work every day!

The Australian Institute recent analysis states that the poorest 20% spend more than three times as much of their income on petrol; the lowest income earners in Australia spend the greatest amount on fuel as a proportion of income. This research does fly in the face of Mr Hockey’s comments.

Most in the higher income brackets tend to have multiple cars and potentially get a deduction on fuel or have their company pay for all costs associated with their car.

How will a fuel tax impact business and transport of goods, will the additional costs be passed onto the consumer – I suspect it will.

In Melbourne the urban sprawl goes for kilometres into the vastness that is Victoria fuelled by the great Australian dream to own a home on a ¼ acre block.

Inner city high density living is also not a choice for many families, elderly or low income earners due to affordability, lack of space and community feel.

So more and more people are moving out and commuting back into the city or inner city suburbs to work.

The urban sprawl may cater for family, housing and lifestyle needs however it does not necessarily cater for employment needs.

So many of our ‘urban sprawlers’ in fact are driving distances to work. Now according to Mr Hockey’s statement and data, only the rich drive long distances, therefore does this make our ‘urban sprawlers’ rich?

I would suggest Mr Hockey that this segment of our community may disagree with you.

Across the country public transport budgets have been slashed, in fact it was Mr Hockey who slashed the funding to any public transport projects in Australia that wasn’t already under construction.

Anyone who catches public transport in Victoria will certainly agree that we have issues with our trains, trams and buses running to time and in many country areas are non-existent. Which means that they need a car, unless they intend to start riding horses again.

Many in the country drive long distances just to get groceries, get their kids to schools or themselves to work.

The figure Joe is quoting of $16 per week on petrol is an absolute farce. I would love to know who does actually pay that much per week for petrol.

Mr Hockey is making the assumption, based on his data of course, that low income earners don’t have cars or drive long distances is so far from the reality; in fact most often they have old cars that are not fuel efficient. Remember too that low cost housing isn’t always located in the inner city fringe.

Joe Hockey needs to understand that owning a car is not a luxury item, it is a necessity. Majority of us need a vehicle to get us to and from work, visit family and friends, take out kids to school and do the shopping.

The comments made by Mr Hockey smacks of elitist, condescending, us and them mentality which is not what this country is about.

It seems that selling his budget hasn’t been as easy as he thought it may be and he needs some basic sales lessons. Perhaps I will invite him to our next training session.

It sadly does show however how out of touch Mr Hockey and his government perhaps is.