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Show Notes
The Power of Mattering (Zach Mercurio)
- Amazon USA Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D8XMWCLJ?tag=9natree-20
- Amazon Worldwide Store: https://global.buys.trade/The-Power-of-Mattering-Zach-Mercurio.html
- eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=The+Power+of+Mattering+Zach+Mercurio+&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5339060787&customid=9natree&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
- Read more: https://mybook.top/read/B0D8XMWCLJ/
#matteringatwork #leadershipculture #employeeengagement #recognitionandinclusion #psychologicalsafety #workplacebelonging #organizationalculturechange #ThePowerofMattering
These are takeaways from this book.
Firstly, Defining Mattering as a Leadership and Culture Metric, A central theme is clarifying what mattering means in a work context and why it belongs on the list of core leadership outcomes. The book presents mattering as more than feeling good about oneself. It is the experience of being significant to others and to the mission, supported by observable signals in everyday interactions. Leaders often assume that pay, promotions, or occasional praise cover this need, yet employees can still feel invisible, replaceable, or disconnected from impact. Mercurio positions mattering as a root factor beneath many familiar workplace problems, including disengagement, quiet quitting, conflict, and churn. When people believe they do not count, they protect themselves by withholding effort, ideas, and emotional investment. When they do count, they take ownership, collaborate, and persist through difficulty. This topic encourages leaders to treat mattering like any strategic priority by making it explicit, discussing it openly, and watching for early signs of erosion. It also reframes culture as the sum of repeated moments that either reinforce significance or send subtle messages of indifference. The takeaway is that culture change starts with leaders understanding mattering as an actionable, everyday experience rather than a vague aspiration.
Secondly, Noticing People: Attention as Proof of Value, The book emphasizes that one of the fastest ways to increase mattering is through genuine noticing. Noticing is more than being friendly or checking in. It involves paying close attention to a person’s effort, strengths, challenges, and context, then reflecting that awareness back in a way that feels specific and credible. Many recognition programs fail because they are generic or delayed, which can feel performative. Mercurio’s focus is on consistent micro behaviors that communicate you are seen. This can show up in how leaders ask questions, listen without multitasking, remember priorities, and respond to personal or professional changes. Noticing also includes identifying unspoken contributions, such as emotional labor, coordination work, or behind the scenes problem solving that keeps teams functioning. When leaders notice these forms of effort, they validate work that is otherwise invisible and reduce resentment. The topic also highlights the risk of selective noticing, where only loud voices or high status roles receive attention. Leaders can counter this by building routines that broaden visibility, such as structured meeting rounds, regular one to ones, and debriefs that surface contributions across roles. Over time, noticing becomes a leadership habit that strengthens trust and psychological safety.
Thirdly, Showing People They Are Needed: Meaningful Contribution and Ownership, Another key topic is the difference between being appreciated and being needed. Appreciation can be pleasant, but need signals that a person’s contribution is essential to progress. The book argues that leaders create mattering when they connect individuals to real responsibility, clarify the importance of their role, and invite them into problem solving rather than treating them as interchangeable labor. Feeling needed is not about overwork or guilt. It is about having a clear line of sight between what someone does and what the team or customer gains. Mercurio encourages leaders to provide context for tasks, explain the why behind priorities, and show how decisions are influenced by the work people deliver. This topic also covers autonomy and empowerment as components of need. When leaders trust people with meaningful decisions, they demonstrate belief in their capability and importance. Conversely, constant second guessing, unnecessary approvals, or hoarding information communicates that individuals are not relied upon. The book’s approach suggests designing work so people can make visible contributions, then acknowledging those contributions in ways that highlight impact. Teams benefit when members know how they uniquely add value, which reduces role confusion and increases accountability. A culture of being needed turns engagement into shared ownership.
Fourthly, Including and Elevating Voices: Belonging That Produces Results, Mattering is closely tied to inclusion because people cannot feel significant if their voice is ignored or their presence is merely tolerated. The book frames inclusion as an active practice: inviting input, making space in conversations, and ensuring people see evidence that their ideas influence outcomes. Leaders often say they want candor, yet meeting dynamics, hierarchy, or time pressure can silence quieter contributors. Mercurio’s emphasis is on designing interactions that distribute airtime and decision influence more fairly. This includes how leaders facilitate meetings, ask for dissenting views, and follow up on suggestions. Inclusion also means recognizing that different roles have different visibility and power, so leaders must intentionally draw in perspectives from frontline staff, new hires, and underrepresented groups. When inclusion is real, people take interpersonal risks, share early warnings, and propose improvements. When inclusion is absent, employees protect themselves and innovation slows. This topic also highlights that inclusion is not only moral, it is operational. Better decisions come from broader information and honest debate. By making involvement predictable and safe, leaders create a team environment where people feel they belong and their participation changes the trajectory of the work. That is belonging with consequences, which deepens mattering.
Lastly, Building a Culture of Significance Through Systems and Daily Rituals, Beyond individual behavior, the book focuses on making mattering durable through systems. Cultures drift when they rely on a few charismatic leaders instead of shared practices. Mercurio’s framework encourages embedding significance into how work is structured, how feedback is delivered, and how success is defined. This topic covers practical ways to turn mattering into routine: onboarding that helps new employees see their purpose quickly, performance conversations that reference strengths and impact, and recognition that is timely and tied to outcomes. It also includes how leaders respond during stress, change, or conflict, when people are most likely to feel disposable. A culture of significance is reinforced when leaders communicate transparently, explain decisions that affect livelihoods, and acknowledge uncertainty without withdrawing attention. Measurement and accountability also matter. Leaders can use pulse checks, stay interviews, and team retrospectives to discover where people feel unseen or underused, then adjust norms. The topic implies that the goal is not constant praise but consistent evidence of significance. Over time, these rituals reduce burnout and cynicism because employees can point to repeatable moments where they are noticed, needed, and included. The culture becomes self sustaining as peers also adopt the same signals of mattering.
- Amazon USA Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D8XMWCLJ?tag=9natree-20
- Amazon Worldwide Store: https://global.buys.trade/The-Power-of-Mattering-Zach-Mercurio.html
- eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=The+Power+of+Mattering+Zach+Mercurio+&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5339060787&customid=9natree&toolid=10001&mkevt=1
- Read more: https://mybook.top/read/B0D8XMWCLJ/
#matteringatwork #leadershipculture #employeeengagement #recognitionandinclusion #psychologicalsafety #workplacebelonging #organizationalculturechange #ThePowerofMattering
These are takeaways from this book.
Firstly, Defining Mattering as a Leadership and Culture Metric, A central theme is clarifying what mattering means in a work context and why it belongs on the list of core leadership outcomes. The book presents mattering as more than feeling good about oneself. It is the experience of being significant to others and to the mission, supported by observable signals in everyday interactions. Leaders often assume that pay, promotions, or occasional praise cover this need, yet employees can still feel invisible, replaceable, or disconnected from impact. Mercurio positions mattering as a root factor beneath many familiar workplace problems, including disengagement, quiet quitting, conflict, and churn. When people believe they do not count, they protect themselves by withholding effort, ideas, and emotional investment. When they do count, they take ownership, collaborate, and persist through difficulty. This topic encourages leaders to treat mattering like any strategic priority by making it explicit, discussing it openly, and watching for early signs of erosion. It also reframes culture as the sum of repeated moments that either reinforce significance or send subtle messages of indifference. The takeaway is that culture change starts with leaders understanding mattering as an actionable, everyday experience rather than a vague aspiration.
Secondly, Noticing People: Attention as Proof of Value, The book emphasizes that one of the fastest ways to increase mattering is through genuine noticing. Noticing is more than being friendly or checking in. It involves paying close attention to a person’s effort, strengths, challenges, and context, then reflecting that awareness back in a way that feels specific and credible. Many recognition programs fail because they are generic or delayed, which can feel performative. Mercurio’s focus is on consistent micro behaviors that communicate you are seen. This can show up in how leaders ask questions, listen without multitasking, remember priorities, and respond to personal or professional changes. Noticing also includes identifying unspoken contributions, such as emotional labor, coordination work, or behind the scenes problem solving that keeps teams functioning. When leaders notice these forms of effort, they validate work that is otherwise invisible and reduce resentment. The topic also highlights the risk of selective noticing, where only loud voices or high status roles receive attention. Leaders can counter this by building routines that broaden visibility, such as structured meeting rounds, regular one to ones, and debriefs that surface contributions across roles. Over time, noticing becomes a leadership habit that strengthens trust and psychological safety.
Thirdly, Showing People They Are Needed: Meaningful Contribution and Ownership, Another key topic is the difference between being appreciated and being needed. Appreciation can be pleasant, but need signals that a person’s contribution is essential to progress. The book argues that leaders create mattering when they connect individuals to real responsibility, clarify the importance of their role, and invite them into problem solving rather than treating them as interchangeable labor. Feeling needed is not about overwork or guilt. It is about having a clear line of sight between what someone does and what the team or customer gains. Mercurio encourages leaders to provide context for tasks, explain the why behind priorities, and show how decisions are influenced by the work people deliver. This topic also covers autonomy and empowerment as components of need. When leaders trust people with meaningful decisions, they demonstrate belief in their capability and importance. Conversely, constant second guessing, unnecessary approvals, or hoarding information communicates that individuals are not relied upon. The book’s approach suggests designing work so people can make visible contributions, then acknowledging those contributions in ways that highlight impact. Teams benefit when members know how they uniquely add value, which reduces role confusion and increases accountability. A culture of being needed turns engagement into shared ownership.
Fourthly, Including and Elevating Voices: Belonging That Produces Results, Mattering is closely tied to inclusion because people cannot feel significant if their voice is ignored or their presence is merely tolerated. The book frames inclusion as an active practice: inviting input, making space in conversations, and ensuring people see evidence that their ideas influence outcomes. Leaders often say they want candor, yet meeting dynamics, hierarchy, or time pressure can silence quieter contributors. Mercurio’s emphasis is on designing interactions that distribute airtime and decision influence more fairly. This includes how leaders facilitate meetings, ask for dissenting views, and follow up on suggestions. Inclusion also means recognizing that different roles have different visibility and power, so leaders must intentionally draw in perspectives from frontline staff, new hires, and underrepresented groups. When inclusion is real, people take interpersonal risks, share early warnings, and propose improvements. When inclusion is absent, employees protect themselves and innovation slows. This topic also highlights that inclusion is not only moral, it is operational. Better decisions come from broader information and honest debate. By making involvement predictable and safe, leaders create a team environment where people feel they belong and their participation changes the trajectory of the work. That is belonging with consequences, which deepens mattering.
Lastly, Building a Culture of Significance Through Systems and Daily Rituals, Beyond individual behavior, the book focuses on making mattering durable through systems. Cultures drift when they rely on a few charismatic leaders instead of shared practices. Mercurio’s framework encourages embedding significance into how work is structured, how feedback is delivered, and how success is defined. This topic covers practical ways to turn mattering into routine: onboarding that helps new employees see their purpose quickly, performance conversations that reference strengths and impact, and recognition that is timely and tied to outcomes. It also includes how leaders respond during stress, change, or conflict, when people are most likely to feel disposable. A culture of significance is reinforced when leaders communicate transparently, explain decisions that affect livelihoods, and acknowledge uncertainty without withdrawing attention. Measurement and accountability also matter. Leaders can use pulse checks, stay interviews, and team retrospectives to discover where people feel unseen or underused, then adjust norms. The topic implies that the goal is not constant praise but consistent evidence of significance. Over time, these rituals reduce burnout and cynicism because employees can point to repeatable moments where they are noticed, needed, and included. The culture becomes self sustaining as peers also adopt the same signals of mattering.
