Mattering Mindset™ Methodology: From The Insights Of Matthew Emerzian

For too many decades, so much of matters most was seen as “soft” or “nice to have,” but not as a “must have.”

Culture told us to be strong and operate with a stiff upper lip—to push our feelings aside and get back on the horse. Companies told us to keep our nose down, to grind for 40 years, and hit the mark… or else.

But not today. The old ways of doing things simply don’t work anymore and keynote speaker, best-selling author, and founder/CEO of Every Monday Matters (EMM), Matthew Emerzian, has been a leading force for over 15 years to shift our mindset. He calls it The Mattering Mindset™.

Even before the pandemic forced the world to adopt the term “New Normal,” “It’s Time for a New Normal” was the tagline for Emerzian’s non-profit organization. He saw a human pandemic long before COVID. He saw us losing our humanness, thereby lacking purpose and significance, abandoning our civility and sense of community, and consistently choosing self over the greater good.

Coined as the “Thought Leader of Humanness,” Emerzian set out to change this. He felt we could do better and has proven we can and will.

Today, mental health is common vernacular, purpose and culture get headline billing, and our values have shifted as we search for something more. Through his keynotes, workshops, experiences, and the EMM Corporate Culture and Engagement program, Emerzian is changing the way companies do business.

Emerzian writes, “Too often, organizations aren’t seeing the results they’re after when they rely on the old, hard way of doing things. Too often, we’re all hustle and no heart, and as a result see low engagement, high turnover, lackluster performance, and waning competitive advantage. But these are the symptoms and not the cause of a larger root issue.

Truth is, in today's modern workplace, people do not fully engage unless they feel like they matter. And all too often, they feel like they don’t.

We can no longer afford cultures of disconnect, apathy, and compliance at best. In these hyper-competitive and uncertain times, there’s a mandate for a new model for engagement with mattering at the center.”

Welcome to the Mattering Mindset™ Methodology, a framework that illustrates how “mattering” is at the core of everything we do, both personally and professionally.

Through their research and work in the field with over 3 million people, Emerzian and the EMM team created their own definition of “Mattering.” They found that most definitions were solely focused on how one felt—“valued,” “important,” “seen”—but ignored half of the story… how other people felt. Their definition aptly reads, “Embracing our role in creating a world where everyone feels seen, heard, and loved.” As Emerzian paradoxically states, “I matter, but it’s not about me.”

According to the Mattering Mindset™, the foundation of “Mattering” is built upon the perspectives of “I Matter,” “You Matter,” and “We Matter.”

“I Matter” - I am here for a reason and choose to embrace who I am and who I want to become.

“You Matter” - I understand how I impact others and choose to accept, empower, and value them.

“We Matter” - I am part of something bigger and choose to contribute and work together for the greater good.

As we dive deeper into the framework, we find that each of the three perspectives is aligned to attributes or values. For example, someone how embraces “I Matter” values agency and purpose; someone who embodies “You Matter” values authenticity and empathy; and some who personifies “We Matter” values community and selflessness.

These attributes inspire us to think differently towards ourselves and others, which ultimately empowers us to make different choices and take different action. Collectively, this commitment changes cultures. It creates places where people feel like they belong, can contribute, and be proud to be.

Through this endeavor, Mattering solves for turnover challenges, as people don’t leave work when they feel like they matter. Mattering solves for leadership, because people don’t want to be managed, they want to feel like they matter. And mattering solves for engagement, because people show up and deliver when they feel like they matter.

As Emerzian says, “Organizations that matter don’t just delight their shareholders, they hold us to a higher standard and change lives for the better. Organizations that matter move the world.”

We happen to agree. Make it matter.