"Mattering:" It’s Good For Business ... And Perhaps For Every Relationship

As a psychologist and researcher, Mercurio explores one of the most overlooked forces in leadership and culture—the human need to feel seen, heard, and valued.

Excerpt: "Let’s explore something that seems to be getting more attention every day: the issue of “mattering.”

For most of us, to matter means to be noticed, to be cared for, to be important to others.

There’s no doubt that a person's feeling that they matter is directly tied to their ability to thrive.

Dr. Zach Mercurio understands this better than most. He’s author of The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance.

As a psychologist and researcher, Mercurio explores one of the most overlooked forces in leadership and culture—the human need to feel seen, heard, and valued. His groundbreaking work reveals how a hidden epidemic of insignificance is quietly eroding engagement, trust, and performance in organizations, and what leaders can do to reverse it.

Drawing from the emerging science of mattering and his experience with hundreds of teams, Mercurio introduces a practical framework for creating cultures of significance.

Whether you’re a seasoned executive, a new manager, or you simply want to be more effective in your personal relationships, this man’s insights are well worth your attention.

Mercurio says mattering is different from self-worth or self-esteem because it’s a reflection of appraisals of us by other humans.

“Self-worth is my own belief in my worth,” Mercurio says. “But to have that belief sustained, I must see evidence of my significance in my environment. Mattering is a survival instinct. It’s a basic need. It’s the experience of feeling significant to those around us that comes from feeling valued and adding value.”'