Showing Up: How Men Can Become Effective Allies in the Workplace with Ray Arata

Ray Arata is the author of two books, Wake Up Man Up, Step Up: Transforming Your Wake Up Call to Emotional Health and Happiness and Showing Up: How Men Can Become Effective Allies in the Workplace.

As an expert in leadership, inclusion, allyship, and emotional literacy, professionals connect with Ray because he leads from his heart and practices what he teaches in his own businesses and personal life. He brings an extensive business background and more than 15,000 hours in leading men to develop emotional literacy. Through his keynote presentations, workshops, executive coaching and management training, he applies the same heart-based principles that have helped him to lead a thriving business and fulfilling personal life. Ray is also the Co Founder of the Betterman Conference.

We start our conversation with Ray and we talk about Men need to be “the best version of themselves.”

Ray’s shares his personal journey the turning points for him that were born out of 2 challenging life changing events. Ray was introduced to a Mankind Men’s weekend that was for him a “healthy initiation in to manhood.” This literally woke Ray’s “Ass Up.” Since then Ray has attended some 55 Men’s weekends.

Ray shares how he got in to the Corporate World to advance Healthy Masculinity in the Workplace. Ray recommends listeners should check out “The Mask You Live In” on YouTube.

Ray talks about the origins of The Betterman Conference and what it’s all about. We discuss it’s all about Compassion, Empathy & Understanding.

Today I discuss Ray’s most recent Book Showing Up: How Men Can Become Effective Allies in the Workplace. Ray wrote this during Covid.

Ray asks this question of men…”How do I want to be experienced by other people?” Ray reveals in the book he is inviting men to go on a Proactive journey of Introspection.

Ray shares the 4 steps on this journey…the rules that don’t work for men.

We discuss work environments in light of the Pandemic. Ray used it as an opportunity to put the spotlight on “Command and Control…”

Ray shares his big vision to get Corporate Global to “right their ships” to engage men in their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Men will do their bit to use their power and privilege for good to shift the culture.

We talk about Ray’s goal to create a Docuseries to showcase “Positive Masculinity.” Ray in his book talks about the 6 Principles of Heart Based Leadership.

Ray shares that Vulnerability is a sign of strength and that “We are enough.”

I ask Ray about the 7 highly effective steps that will start the journey for Leaders. It’s all about Leaders putting their power under the microscope.

We finish up with Ray’s work with the Betterman Conference and it’s goal for men to be Aspirational. An experiential safe place for men to learn and get inspired to think differently and to get energised.

This year’s Conference explores the 3 P’s – Power, Privilege and Patriarchy.