Here’s a dad who definitely pitches in! In this week’s Newsweek, leadership expert Dan Mulhern’s “My Turn” is a smart, sensitive and strong response to the magazine’s recent report on the Great Recession–caused downturn of the mover-and-shaker man in America, “The Beached White Male.” (You might also want to read Working Mother’s take in our award-winning article “Role Reversal,” which we published last year.) In the epistolary piece, Mulhern, whose powerful working-mom wife is former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, talks to his son, Jack, about what it means to be a modern man. He writes:

My dad, like so many men of his generation, could tell his wife what to do. He could tell his staff. And his boss could tell him. You and I need a more nimble strength. For example, you will have to stand up to your woman. You will honor her when you treat her as an equal, neither unduly backing down nor asking her to give up her principles and experience. You won’t have clear social roles to inherit. Instead, you’ll have to talk, negotiate, sacrifice, and make it up as you go along. A modern warrior prevails not by sheer physical strength but by exercising his values with discipline.

As a modern man, you’ll learn way more than if you were large and in charge. It used to be a man’s world (and, in some measure, it still is). If you lead like Mom, you’ll know how to persevere. You need not fear strong women, or dismiss gentle men. And if you so choose, you’ll be a great stay-at-home or lead parent, giving and receiving incredible lessons and profound joy. Either way, it’s a great time to be a man.

 Share Dan's article with your sons, your daughters and your spouse.

What do you think about Dan’s POV?