Not Mattering At Work? Find A Boss Who Really Cares
Do you matter at work, or are you heading for burnout? Knowing how to identify care in leaders will help you land a job where you feel relevant — and this feeling will energize you!
Key Takeaways:
- We need to put energy into showing authentic care towards others — every day!
- When you matter in the workplace, your career trajectory and mental health are fueled.
- Leaders who notice and affirm their team, unlock potential, and reduce burnout in their employees.
“Hello, my name is Justice, how are you?”
That single sentence abruptly woke me up from my jetlagged, auto-pilot morning in Johannesburg, South Africa recently. I had rushed up to an information desk in a shopping mall, fired off my question to ask directions to a Sunday market, and waited for a quick answer. Instead, a woman called Justice looked me in the eye, greeted me “hello”, and then shared her name with me, slowly and deliberatively. She then paused to allow my lack of greeting to sink in.
I paused. And then I started again. This time, I greeted her to show that she mattered. She smiled, and then answered my transactional question for directions with dignity (Wake up Georgi, she is not Siri, she is human!).
At that moment, Justice reminded me of something important: authentically caring is something that you can (and should!) decide to put energy towards every day.
Making Empathy Matter in a Tech-Driven World
This scene shamefully came back to me as I was listening to Zach Mercurio’s thought-provoking book, The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance. As someone who helps young professionals build meaningful and fulfilling careers (Tune into my podcast or find out more about my book: Work That’s Worth It), I realized Justice had given me a mini-masterclass in something most workplaces and leaders desperately lack — showing people that they are significant.
I consider myself deeply empathetic and a good, caring listener. But not that day. And with technology becoming a bigger part of our lives, we are all deprioritizing showing people they matter.
But here’s the thing: while Mercurio’s book is written for leaders in the workforce, it’s also a treasure map for job seekers, entrepreneurs seeking funding, and anyone looking for mentors. And your life outside of work, too.
If you can spot the leaders who truly understand making people feel valuable, you’ve found the people who will help you thrive, and perhaps enjoy your 90,000 career hours. This will help make your work worth it!
The Hidden Crisis That Leads to Burnout in a Career — And How Leaders Can Unlock Your Potential
Let’s take a closer look at the real crisis people face in the workplace — a place where they often feel undervalued and insignificant.
Research from Gallup shows that:
- Only 39% of workers said they had someone at work who cared about them as a person (down from 47% in March 2020).
- Thirty percent said they had someone at work who invested in their unique potential (down from 36% in March 2020).
- MIT Sloan research during the Great Resignation revealed that toxic corporate culture (including workers feeling disrespected, excluded, and unappreciated) was 10 times more important than compensation in predicting employee turnover.
This isn’t just about employee satisfaction — it’s about your career trajectory, your mental health, and whether you’ll spend 40+ hours a week feeling energized or heading toward burnout.
The leaders who understand mattering don’t just manage people; they unlock potential. And you can learn to identify them before you even accept a job offer.
Check out my short video about Burnout: How The Kindest People Lose.
Do I Matter at Work? 7 Interview Red and Green Flags That Will Show You What to Expect If You Get The Job
Mercurio introduces a simple yet effective framework for mattering. It’s built on three pillars:
- Noticing (the practice of seeing and hearing others)
- Affirming (the practice of showing people how their unique gifts make a difference)
- Needing (the practice of showing people they’re relied on and indispensable)
Here’s how to spot these qualities in potential leaders, mentors, and colleagues in conversations or interviews:
1. They Will Want to Know Your Name (Especially the Hard-to-Pronounce Ones)
People who embody mattering don’t just scan your resume (or pitch deck) — they see you as a whole person. During interviews, they’ll take time to get your name right, ask about your background, and show genuine curiosity about who you are beyond your work experience.
Green Flag: “Tell me about yourself {insert name!} followed by questions that show they were actually listening, not just getting through another to-do item.
2. They’re Curious About Your Perspective, Not Just Your Skills
Yes, they need to know you can do the job. But leaders who understand mattering want to know how your unique viewpoint will enrich their team. They’re not looking for culture fit — they’re looking for culture add. And you should be able to communicate your perspective through your answers.
Red Flag: Interviews that feel like interrogations focused solely on technical competencies.
Green Flag: Questions like “What’s a perspective you bring that others might not?” or “How do you approach problems differently?”
3. They Seek to Understand, Not to Judge
I’m sure you know the feeling of being around someone — a teacher, sports coach, or friend’s parent — who instantly makes you feel at ease. And with that, you lean into showing more about who you are, your ideas, and what you care about. Your words may not come out perfectly during a meeting, but the interviewer should be working with you to extract your ideas, not waiting to pounce on mistakes. You should feel excited about what you are sharing. And so should they. You should feel like they “get you.”
Green Flag: They ask clarifying questions about your responses and are genuinely trying to understand your thought process. You might even hear them say things like “Help me understand…” or “Tell me more about…”
Red Flag: They’re checking boxes, and you feel on edge.
4. They Look for Your Potential, Not Just Your Proven Track Record
Leaders who understand mattering believe all people have strengths and value. You’ll feel this in how they respond to your answers — they create psychological safety that might even inspire you to take more risks in how you present yourself.
Green Flag: Leaders who ask about your aspirations, not just your achievements. They want to know where you’re headed, not just where you’ve been.
5. They Pay Attention to Details
These leaders remember what you mentioned as you walked to the interview room. They connect dots between different parts of your conversation. They prove they’re listening by weaving your earlier comments into later discussions.
This matters because it shows they value you enough to be fully present. Attention is one of the scarcest resources a leader can give — and when they give it to you, they’re signaling that you matter.
6. They Share the WHY Behind Their Work
Leaders who create cultures of significance don’t just describe job duties — they paint the bigger picture. They believe every team member contributes to a larger vision. As Mercurio shares in his book, it’s like the NASA janitor in the 1960s who, when asked what he did for work, replied: “I am getting a man to the moon.” He felt part of that bigger vision!
Green flag: Stories about impact, purpose, and how your role contributes to something meaningful. If they can’t articulate why the work matters, how will they help you feel like you matter?
7. You’ll Hear Stories About Celebrating People Over Wins
The best leaders know that wins are ultimately about people. They share stories of team members who overcame challenges, learned new skills, or brought unique solutions to problems — not just quarterly revenue numbers.
Green flag: Celebrating the team reveals a leader’s values. Leaders who celebrate people create environments where everyone can thrive.
Mattering is a Two-Way Street — Show Others You Care and You’ll Stand Out!
Here’s the thing Justice taught me in that Johannesburg shopping center: mattering flows in all directions. As you evaluate potential leaders, it’s also crucial to show that the people you interact with matter to you.
Whether it’s the HR coordinator scheduling your interview, the receptionist who greets you, or the CEO themself — let them know you’re listening, you’ve done your research, and you believe you can contribute meaningfully to their work.
This isn’t just a good interview strategy (though it absolutely will make you stand out). It’s practice for the kind of professional you want to become.
Finding Your “Justice Moments” to Spot Good Leaders
We spend roughly a third of our lives at work (That’s 90,000 hours). Working alongside or for people who care — and who show that you and your time matter — changes everything about that experience.
As you navigate interviews, networking events, and career conversations, look for the leaders who: pause before answering your questions, ask about your perspective, and remember details from your previous conversations. They are the ones who can articulate not just what they do, but why it matters.
These are the people who will invest in your growth, celebrate your wins, and help you build not just a career, but work that’s truly worth it.
Do You Want to Build a Career That Matters?
Check out my podcast “Work That’s Worth It” for conversations with leaders who are creating workplaces where people thrive.
And if you want to master your own “mattering” skills — both for evaluating potential employers and for becoming the kind of professional others want to work with — pick up Zach Mercurio’s “The Power of Mattering.”
Your future self will thank you.
Sources:
- Gallup. “U.S. Employee Engagement Sinks to 10-Year Low.” January 14, 2025.
- Sull, Donald, Charles Sull, and Ben Zweig. “Toxic Culture Is Driving the Great Resignation.” MIT Sloan Management Review, January 11, 2022.
Want more stories of people who’ve cracked the code on combining income and impact?
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Georgi
