Mattering vs. Metrics
Let me know if this sounds familiar - you walk into the office on Monday and instead of "How was your weekend?" you're asked about the weekly dashboard and why last week's numbers look so bad on this week's report
I often get asked something along the lines of "How can I make my team feel like they matter when our leadership only seems to care about numbers?" It’s a tough spot to be in. But here is the good news: you have the power to create an environment for your team where they feel seen, valued, and essential.
When leadership focuses solely on metrics, they look at the outcome of work but completely ignore the source of the work. The source is the human doing the work. We have to remember that relationships precede results - always.
If you want your team to feel like they matter, you have to show your people they matter. In "The Power of Mattering" by Zach Mercurio, he breaks this down into three core practices:
The first is Noticing - noticing is more than just saying "Good morning." It’s about seeing the details. When we notice someone, we are giving them the greatest gift a human can give: our attention. We are signaling to them that they aren't invisible.
The second is Affirmation - we often use the word "appreciation" when we should be using "affirmation." Appreciation is general: "Thanks for the hard work!" It’s nice, but it’s a bit like a participation trophy. It’s thin. Affirmation, on the other hand, is specific. It’s about showing someone how their unique gifts made a specific difference. Instead of "Great job," try "The way you organized those files saved the whole team three hours of work this morning. Your attention to detail is exactly what we needed."
The third is feeling Needed - there is a big difference between being employed and being needed. You can be employed and feel completely replaceable. But when you are needed, you feel indispensable. Ask your team for their opinions. Involve them in the "how" of hitting those KPIs. When you ask, "What do you think is the best way to approach this goal?" you signal that their brain, experience, and voice are required for the team to succeed. This isn't just about being "nice"; it’s about acknowledging that you literally cannot do this without them.
It takes courage to be the buffer between a KPI-obsessed executive team and a human-hearted staff.
But compliance-based leadership is a short-term game. It might get the numbers up for a quarter, but it will burn your people out by the next one. Leading with courage means taking that pressure on yourself and transforming it before it reaches your team.
You might not be able to change the entire corporate culture overnight. You might not be able to stop the CEO from obsessing over the bottom line. But you can change the culture of your weekly 1:1s. It's amazing how when you prioritize the human being, the metrics actually tend to take care of themselves. People who feel they matter work harder. They stay longer. They innovate more. They care. And when people care, the red on that dashboard starts turning green on its own.
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If this resonated with you, consider picking up a copy of Realizing You're Worth It to dive deeper into how you can transform your professional life and the lives of those you lead. We’re building a community of leaders who choose courage over compliance every single day. If you want more reflections, tips, and a little encouragement delivered to your inbox, why not subscribe to our weekly newsletter? We’d love to have your voice in the conversation.
Coach Ha-Keem
