There’s a lot of debate these days about what it means to be a man. But maybe the answer is simpler than we think, and a lot of masculinity just comes down to confident competence. A broad set of know-how. The ability to get stuff done. The capacity to move through the world with purpose and skill.As someone who's lived several lives in one, Elliot Ackerman certainly embodies that ethos. He's a decorated Marine, a former CIA paramilitary officer, a National Book Award-nominated novelist, and now the writer of <a href="https://www.thefp.com/w/elliot-ackerman" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Man Should Know</a>, a column at The Free Press that explores the small but significant skills that shape a man’s life.Today on the show, Elliot and I talk about why young men are struggling, how intention, discipline, and competence can change the way a man carries himself, and a few of the specific skills a man should know — from how to wear a watch to how to give a eulogy.Resources Related to the Podcast<ul><li><a href="https://amzn.to/485MRNO" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Elliot's novels</a></li><li>Elliot's "A Man Should Know:" columns:</li><li><a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/a-man-should-know-how-to-introduce-yourself" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How to Introduce Yourself</a></li><li><a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/a-man-should-know-how-to-be-a-friend" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How to Be a Friend</a></li><li><a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/a-man-should-know-how-to-own-a-watch" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How to Own a Watch</a></li><li><a href="https://amzn.to/4p4sIz6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fields of Fire by James Webb</a></li><li><a href="https://amzn.to/4oWz9E9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien</a></li><li><a href="https://amzn.to/482GJHG" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/manly-know-how/100-skills-every-man-should-know/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AoM Article: 100 Skills Every Man Should Know</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AoM Skills Archives</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/advice/podcast-307-make-bed-change-world/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AoM Podcast #307: Make Your Bed, Change the World</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/people/relationships/10-ways-to-be-a-better-husband-today/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AoM Article: 10 Ways to Be a Better Husband Today</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/style/accessories/mans-guide-wristwatches-choose-watch/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AoM Article: How to Choose a Watch</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/how-to/write-deliver-eulogy/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AoM Article: How to Give a Eulogy</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/how-to/write-deliver-eulogy/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AoM Article: A Eulogy for My Grandfather, William D. Hurst</a></li><li><a href="https://amzn.to/4obmJaB" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Poetics of Manhood: Contest and Identity in a Cretan Mountain Village by Michael Herzfeld</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/manly-lessons/macgyver-manhood-and-the-art-of-masculine-improvisation/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AoM Article: MacGyver Manhood and the Art of Masculine Improvisation</a></li><li>Free Press discount code: subscribe at <a href="https://thefp.com/manliness" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">thefp.com/manliness</a>, and save 10% off your first year</li></ul>Connect With Elliot Ackerman<ul><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/elliot.ackerman/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Elliot on IG</a></li><li><a href="https://x.com/elliotackerman" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Elliot on X</a></li></ul>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.

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