Your Work Friends

The Power of Mattering: What Happens When People Feel Truly Seen w/ Zach Mercurio

• Season 2

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Well friends, we're getting deep today - and we mean DEEP.

Ever feel like you're just going through the motions at work? Like you could disappear tomorrow and nobody would really notice? Yeah, we've all been there. This episode might just change how you show up everywhere.

We sat down with Zach Mercurio, researcher and author of "The Power of Mattering," and honestly? This conversation hit us right in the feelings. Zach breaks down why 30% of people feel invisible at work (despite being in meetings ALL DAY), and more importantly - what we can actually do about it.

This episode is about more than workplace recognition. It’s about creating a culture where people feel they truly count. Whether you manage others, or just want to show up with more meaning, this conversation will change the way you work, lead, and connect. After all, being "seen" isn't a nice-to-have, it's everything.

Here's what we're diving into:

⏰ 3:45 The Mattering Crisis: Why we're lonelier than ever despite being more "connected" than ever (spoiler: it's not about having more people around you)

⏰ 12:20 Transactional vs. Transformational: How our emoji responses and hurried interactions are literally making us worse at being human

⏰ 18:35 The NASA Example: How they got 300,000 people (including janitors) to feel essential to putting a man on the moon

⏰ 25:10 The NAN Framework: Notice, Affirm, Need - three simple practices that separate great leaders from everyone else

⏰ 35:45 "Bosses Are Done Being Nice": Why the pendulum swing back to command-and-control is doomed to fail (and what to do instead)

⏰ 42:30 Going First: What to do when your boss operates transactionally (hint: someone has to make the first move)

🔥 REAL TALK YOU CAN USE TODAY:

  • The one question to ask your team that will change everything: "When do you feel like you matter to me?"
  • Why "hurry and care can't coexist" - and what this means for your leadership
  • The notebook trick that transformed a distribution center (seriously, it's so simple)
  • How to spot the difference between belonging, inclusion, and actually mattering

Join us as we explore why the "squishy stuff" isn't optional anymore - it's actually what drives everything else in organizations. Because work is hard enough without feeling invisible while you're doing it.

About Zach: 

Zach Mercurio researcher, author, and speaker specializing in purposeful leadership, mattering, meaningful work, and positive organization

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. We are not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or the management.

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Speaker 1:

I'm Mel Plett, talent strategist coach and someone who survived Big Law, big Four and more than a few broken org charts.

Speaker 2:

I'm Francesca. I've led people strategy at Nike and Deloitte. I like my advice how I like my coffee strong and no bullshit. We host your work friends, the podcast that breaks work down so you stay ahead. We talk work stuff. The human stuff, the awkward messy, what the f*** is actually happening, stuff Each week we drop new episodes with real talk, smart guests, fresh insights and straight-up advice Hit, play. We've got you, yeah, the occasional F-bomb or two.

Speaker 1:

Hey, this is your Work, friends podcast. I'm Mel Plett and I'm Francesca Ranieri. We're breaking down work, so you stay ahead, Francesca. What's going on?

Speaker 3:

Not much. Summer's full rolling Went to an airplane house.

Speaker 1:

You sent me those pictures of the airplane house and I'm intrigued. I want to see the inside. Sounds interesting.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, For those that don't know, in the Portland area there's a guy that. For those that don't know, in the Portland area, there's a guy that I think it's a 727 that he took apart and rebuilt in the woods and you can go up to this airplane that is now his house. My understanding is that he's also going to be building one in Japan as well, but it's actually really cool because he lets anybody on his property you can go and stand on the wing. Would you ever want to live in a plane?

Speaker 1:

I could see myself living in a plane. If it was gutted and you made it into something really cool, why not? Who?

Speaker 3:

cares. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's like a prefab home yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, why not I don't know If you could turn a school bus into a home.

Speaker 3:

There's options here Recycling.

Speaker 1:

Yes, that is the name of the game. Okay, we sat down with Zach Mercurio, who recently published his book the Power of Mattering, which just blew me away. Zach is a researcher, an author, a speaker, and he specializes in purposeful leadership, mattering, meaningful work and positive org psychology. He wrote the Power of Mattering how Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance, and he also wrote the Invisible Leader Transforming your Life, your Work and your Org, and the Power of Authentic Purpose. And he's worked with hundreds of organizations worldwide, including teams at JP Morgan, delta, marriott International, the National Park Service, the Army and more. And his work, his research on meaningful work, has been awarded by ATD, the Academy of Management and the Academy of Human Resource Development. And I don't know about you, but this book just blew me away in how much people don't see how they matter right now. This book just blew me away in how much people don't see how they matter.

Speaker 3:

Right now, I'll tell you, for the majority of the book, I had, like, almost felt like I was going to cry, like I was feeling so emotional about it. And it's because, at the end of the day and what Zach talks about is, even from the very first moments of your life, you want to feel like you matter. You need to know that you matter and, by the way, that does not change ever. Yet there's so many of us walking around feeling like we don't matter at all. You'll hear Zach talk about this, but just so you understand the difference also between belonging and inclusion and mattering belonging is being asked to be a part of the team, inclusion is getting to play the game, and mattering is knowing how you contribute, knowing how you're significant to the team, and that's the difference. It's the knowing of how you offer value, how you're significant and feeling. That's the difference. We've got opportunities to do that every day, all day, for everybody in your life.

Speaker 1:

For everybody. Yeah, Personally and professionally. And listen, the squishy stuff matters. People don't want to talk about the squish, but the squishy stuff is what drives organizations. You need to give a shit. Stuff is what drives organizations. You need to give a shit and it's different than belonging. It's actually you seeing why you matter. I love the example he also gives about NASA and laddering, and everyone from the janitor up through the astronaut knew how they contributed to getting a man on the moon and it got me thinking how are we doing that for our own teams and our people at work, Even if it's on a project? How are you letting them know how their contribution even if they're doing the design of the deck, like how does that contribute to the overall results and why? It not just how it contributes, but why it matters and why their role in this matters? I would say, on my own reflection, I wish I did more of that. It's something I definitely will be paying a lot more attention to.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, I think the I feel like I tried to do this and I feel like I should have done it even more no-transcript, no-transcript, no-transcript.

Speaker 1:

Okay, these can be one word answers. They could be a sentence. We could dive in further wherever it goes. All right, it's 2030. What's work going to look like?

Speaker 4:

There's two ways it could go. So one, the bosses are getting the power back right now because the talent market has shifted. You know it was more pro employee, Now it's more in favor of employers right now, and whatever bosses do with this newfound power will change the experience of working I, whatever bosses do with this newfound power will change the experience of no-transcript.

Speaker 1:

Our music is by Pink Zebra and if you loved this conversation and you want to contribute your thoughts with us, please do. You can visit us at yourworkfriendscom, but you can also join us over on LinkedIn. We have a LinkedIn community page and we have the TikToks and Instagram. So please join us in the socials and if you like this and you've benefited from this episode and you think someone else can benefit from this episode, please rate and subscribe. We'd really appreciate it. That helps keep us going. Take care, friends. Bye friends.