The one thing that every man needs most

I bet you thought I was going to say sex. While that is funny and probably a close second, that is not the thing that every man needs most. Any other guesses? The answer...respect. The number one thing you can do to show your man that you need him and that you value him is to respect him. Men operate based on the level of respect they are afforded. I liken it to a car that needs oil. Well lubed, everything fires on all cylinders. But let it get dry and things start to overheat and friction builds up.

Men are performance driven. Whether it is at home or at work, a man's self worth is measured by his success in life. While success can be defined in many different ways, one thing holds true. The feeling of success can be strengthened by the amount of support a man is given.

Men are, by design, made to be the leader in the family. In general, men are bigger, faster, stronger, louder, and most of the time more obnoxious than women. It is only natural that a man feels drawn to lead. This does not mean that women are unable to lead in the family, nor does it mean that a man should lead with force or with arrogance. I believe that a great leader is one who practices humility and who leads with a servant's heart (i.e. Jesus washing his disciples feet; and the level 5 leader as defined by Jim Collins in Good to Great). Rather, this means that it is only instinctive that men serve in a leadership role, and with that leadership the feeling of respect is needed.

So what does this mean to you women who are smarter, and probably more qualified, to lead in the family. That is harder to answer, but I would say that your job would start by learning how to equip your man to lead. Have you ever heard the saying, behind every great man there is a great woman. I know this is going to sound so typical, but let me use a football analogy. While the quarterback is the face man and leader of the team, he is certainly not the only valuable person on the team. If his receivers failed to run their routes, completions would not be made. If his linemen failed to block, he would never get a pass off. All other 10 positions on the field are equally important as the quarterback, and each position should be given 100% effort for the team to succeed.

To equip your leader, you must first respect him. By doing this, you are giving him the opportunity to earn that respect.