I believe the recent presidential primary has shown very clearly that men and women are more equal in the United States than ever before. We have demonstrated that we can accept or reject candidates for the highest office of the land or a corporate position based primarily upon their qualifications, irrespective of race or gender. However, while I fully accept that men and women are equal under the law, I do not accept that we are equal under the laws of nature, and such differences can be the cause for distraction in the delicate art of business communication.
I shall not debate as to which gender drew the shorter straw in the aging process; I will, nevertheless, lament my gender’s peccadilloes. I long ago made peace with my receding hairline. I was in my late 30’s when the migration began and I was determined never to pretend that I had hair. No comb-over. No toupee. The hair I would wear would be the hair that was there.
What I didn’t expect, was that when the hair left the top of my head, it would decide to sprout in some unlikely and worrisome places. At first, every once in a while, I noticed a single, long hair growing somewhere out of the middle of my forehead. Are you kidding me??? Suddenly, there it would be, a couple of inches long, having seemingly grown overnight, waving to all, proud as could be. What is that about? This began in my late 40’s and I pondered if this could be one of the first signs of manopause.
These follicles were the precursors to ever increasing sproutings (and I apologize in advance for being indelicate…) on my ears and out of my nose. I was horrified! What in the name of the Intelligent Designer could be the use of having hair grow in these places? Did my ancient ancestors need to have furry ears to warm them in their dotage while the young folks hunted the wooly mammoths, slew bison and gathered grains?
And, if this was true, then why do I sprout these hairs either individually or in small useless clumps out of the holes in my head? These hairs couldn’t keep a few cells warm, much less an entire ear or nose. Something had to be done and I took a two-prong approach.
I went to my local Target and found that there are a number of products specifically designed to solve my problem. They were even called “Nose and Ear Hair Trimmers.” They have rotating blades encased in protective sleeve, thank goodness, so that I don’t have to have nicked and bleeding ears and nose as a result of my hairquest.
Additionally, I have asked my barber to take a whack at any errant ear hair that she may discover while she trims the hair that remains on my head. I’ve found that barbers won’t just do this on their own unless they are invited to do so.
So, please don’t wait until Father’s Day or a birthday to give your favorite man of a certain age a gift that will spiff him up mightily. Tell him to make sure and let his barber know he wants his ears groomed, too. If he is particularly adventurous, laser hair removal systems are targeting ears and noses. It’s not a job I’d want to imagine but someone’s got to do it.
Communications is an art, and it is incumbent upon us that we keep the distractions to a minimum. Now, while some men might not pay attention to excess ear and nose hair, I guarantee that the women who now are at all levels of business are very sensitive to these issues. Nothing can get in the way of delivering our message clearly and effectively like our audience being so focused on our ear, nose, or eyebrow hair that they cannot listen.
Dennis Tardan is a communications consultant and empowerment trainer. His passion is helping people to communicate their core messages with greater clarity, effectiveness and confidence. His company is Tardan Professional Development and he is based in Texas, USA. www.tardanprodev.com |
