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Product & Management Stage

Leadership Taboos: The Male and Female Rhythm at Work

September 17, 2025 9:40 AM
Power Talk
🇬🇧 English
Bratysława 1

About

There are many topics that no one is afraid to talk about today: mental health, neurodiversity, and burnout. But the topic of biological rhythms in men and women raises at least slight concern, even though it is our biology, our natural cycle, which affects our effectiveness and relationships at work. Most organisations operate at a rhythm established decades ago, based on a single energy level and a single way of functioning. And yet our teams are more diverse than ever. We differ not only in our competencies, but also in our biological rhythms. That is why I would like to start ‘defusing’ this topic not only by talking about its impact

on the way we work, but also by showing how leaders could unlock the potential of their teams if they were aware of this rhythm. And I'm not just talking about women. Men are also governed by biology and have their own rhythms. Really :)

Talk by

Photo of Aga Szóstek, Author, Strategic designer
Aga Szóstek
Author at Strategic designer

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From the recording

Talk in brief

In this WaysConf 2025 presentation, author and strategic designer Aga Szóstek explores how biological rhythms and hormonal cycles impact workplace performance, decision-making, and leadership. Szóstek breaks down the 24-hour male testosterone cycle, noting its morning peak and afternoon dip, and contrasts it with the multi-phase female cycle, which mirrors four seasons of varying creativity, focus, and energy. While men and women share identical core cognitive abilities, their social behaviors, risk tolerance, and emotional baselines fluctuate differently. Szóstek advises leaders to move away from rigid, industrial-era schedules and instead design work environments that respect these biological realities. This includes offering flexible working hours to match individual circadian rhythms, scheduling high-energy creative tasks for the morning, and normalizing afternoon recovery breaks. Ultimately, building organizational awareness of these natural cycles allows teams to communicate their needs without stigma, reduce burnout, and optimize collective productivity.

Key takeaways

  1. 01

    Leverage the Male Daily Testosterone Peak

    Men experience a significant testosterone boost in the morning, making it the optimal time for competitive tasks or difficult negotiations. Conversely, late afternoon is the best time for others to negotiate with male leaders as their testosterone drops and they become more relaxed.

    Watch from 1:47
  2. 02

    Align Female Tasks with Cycle Seasons

    Women experience distinct cognitive shifts throughout their monthly cycle, with the spring phase boosting creativity and networking, while the autumn and winter phases favor deep focus, detail-oriented tasks, and strategic planning. Forcing high energy during low-hormone phases leads to chronic fatigue and performance debt.

    Watch from 9:24
  3. 03

    Understand Gender Cognitive Commonalities

    Despite hormonal differences, men and women possess identical core cognitive functions, including logical thinking, problem-solving speed, learning efficiency, and daily decision-making capabilities. Differences lie in behavioral and emotional fluctuations, not intellectual capacity.

    Watch from 16:41
  4. 04

    Incorporate Afternoon Recovery Breaks

    Both genders experience energy dips during the day, with men experiencing a sharp testosterone drop between one and three in the afternoon. Leaders should facilitate guilt-free recovery zones or short breaks to restore focus for the rest of the workday.

    Watch from 2:24
  5. 05

    Build Awareness to Avoid Taboos

    Discussing biological cycles in the workplace should focus on general awareness and personal needs rather than invasive questioning. When employees understand their own rhythms, they can request task adjustments or schedule shifts without having to disclose private medical details.

    Watch from 29:40
Read edited transcript highlights

These concise notes were edited from automatic captions and checked against the talk structure. They are not a verbatim transcript.

The Daily Rise and Fall of Testosterone

Men operate on a 24-hour hormonal cycle driven by testosterone, which is lowest at the start of the night and rises during sleep to peak in the morning. This morning surge provides a thirty percent increase in testosterone compared to the rest of the day, fueling assertiveness, focus, and competitiveness. Because of this, the morning is the most effective time for men to tackle difficult challenges or debates. As the day progresses, testosterone levels steadily decline, leading to a noticeable energy dip in the early afternoon and a highly relaxed, non-combative state by the evening.

Watch from 1:18

The Creative and Social Boost of Estrogen

During the follicular phase of the female cycle, known metaphorically as spring, a surge of estrogen increases brain plasticity and enhances neural communication. This biological shift provides women with a significant boost in creativity, curiosity, and social energy, making it an ideal time for brainstorming, networking, and launching new projects. However, this high-energy phase also has a downside, as it can lead to perfectionism, difficulty concentrating on highly repetitive tasks, and a tendency to make minor detail-oriented mistakes.

Watch from 7:36

Focus and Decision-Making in the Autumn Phase

As progesterone peaks and then begins to drop in the autumn phase of the female cycle, women experience a shift toward deep focus and risk aversion. This phase serves as a natural period for self-organization and critical decision-making. It is the time when women can realistically evaluate commitments made during more optimistic phases, streamline schedules, and directly communicate boundaries. While directness is a superpower here, the drop in estrogen can also trigger self-criticism and a temporary decline in creative thinking.

Watch from 12:31

The Importance of Rest During the Winter Phase

The menstrual phase, or winter, is characterized by low levels of all primary hormones, resulting in a natural drop in physical and mental energy. Instead of forcing productivity and incurring a performance debt that damages the next cycle, women should use this time for low-energy tasks like strategic planning, goal setting, and detail-oriented work. Accepting this temporary drop in social drive and creativity prevents chronic fatigue and allows the body to recover properly for the upcoming cycle.

Watch from 14:10

Addressing Hormonal Cycles Without Offending Employees

Discussing hormonal cycles in a professional setting requires a delicate approach that prioritizes general education over personal intrusion. Leaders should never ask employees direct, invasive questions about their menstrual cycles. Instead, organizations should foster a culture of general biological awareness. When both managers and team members understand how these rhythms affect energy and focus, employees feel empowered to communicate their current capacity and request task adjustments or extensions purely based on their needs, without needing to disclose private medical information.

Watch from 29:40

Practical Rituals for Remote Team Well-being

Creating healthy workplace rhythms is especially crucial for remote teams, who often have to establish their own boundaries to stay sane. Effective team-driven practices include starting the day with asynchronous check-ins focused on personal well-being, blocking out collective focus times to prevent meeting fatigue, and respecting long lunch breaks. A critical but often ignored rule is to step away from the computer entirely during lunch; eating at one's desk while staring at a laptop screen prevents true cognitive recovery and leads to afternoon burnout.

Watch from 33:16
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