“Mattering is our inherent need to feel significant and to feel significant to the people around us,” explains Zach Mercurio, an expert on mattering and its crucial role in creating meaningful and engaging workplaces. In his conversation with Alex Raymond, Zach stresses that mattering is more than just a feel-good concept—it’s a fundamental human need that can transform motivation, productivity, and overall well-being. When people feel like they don’t matter, it often leads to disengagement or even quiet quitting.

Zach explains how crucial it is for leaders to make their teams feel noticed, affirmed, and needed. Why? Because when employees believe their work contributes to a larger purpose, they find deeper meaning in their roles. By fostering an environment where individuals feel valued and connected to the organization’s mission, leaders can inspire greater engagement and long-term success.

Quotes

• “Mattering is our inherent need to feel significant and to feel significant to the people around us. And it’s three primary things. It’s a fundamental human instinct. So, for everyone listening, the first thing you did when you opened your eyes was tilt your head upward. You looked for a caretaker, then reached out your hands and grasped for significance. And so, your very survival as a human, depended on you procuring mattering to someone else, enough to keep you alive. It’s a basic survival instinct. It’s a fundamental need for motivation. When we look at motivation in life and work, it is almost impossible for anything to matter to a human being who doesn’t believe that they matter.” (02:47 | Zach Mercurio)
• “It’s hard for anything to matter to someone who doesn’t believe that they and what they’re doing matters.” (03:47 | Zach Mercurio)
• “Meaningful work is doing what matters to us and what matters to the world. It’s mattering by default.” (05:47 | Zach Mercurio)
• “Mattering is really at the core of these concepts: it’s I feel valued and I know how I add value.” (06:07 | Zach Mercurio)
• “Feelings of not mattering either result in acts of withdrawal or acts of desperation. What’s an act of desperation? I matter more than you think. Complaining, blaming, protesting. A lot of difficult employees are, in my practice, the most difficult employees are employees who feel the most unseen, unheard, unacknowledged, and misunderstood.” (08:16 | Zach Mercurio)

Links

Connect with Zach Mercurio:

Website: https://www.zachmercurio.com/

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://amplifyam.com/

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