Mattering is the Foundation of Your Success

Mattering isn’t just a feel-good concept—it drives business success. When individuals feel valued, their engagement, productivity and loyalty soar. At Four Simple Words, we help build cultures that strive to weave mattering into every interaction, translating into measurable business results.

Starting with listening to your team, we focus on fostering environments where people don’t just fit in—they matter. Through engaging, reflective facilitation, we’ll help your team identify barriers to mattering and challenge assumptions about what mattering really is. Our approach isn’t about shame and blame or othering. Committed to the three pillars of equity, our efforts focus on embedding mattering into organizational cultures, driving meaningful action, and creating measurable change.

Our Equity Champion Lakhdeep Singh Dhaliwal discusses the Power of Mattering at work. Click here to book a time to chat with Lakhdeep.

The Business Case for Mattering

69% of employees are willing to work harder if they feel more valued in the workplace. (Flip, 2024)

Employees who find passion and meaning in their work are three times more likely to stay with their company than those who do not. (McKinsey, 2021)

One in four employees considering a job change could be retained by fostering a culture of open and people-focused communication Avantgarde Experts (2022)

The Power of Mattering: A Framework for Equity

Unlike traditional DEI frameworks that often focus on metrics and compliance, mattering emphasizes the personal and systemic transformation required to ensure that every voice is heard and valued. Unlike DEI, mattering is not about checking boxes; it’s about building a culture where everyone feels they belong. Our approach is grounded in three key principles:

Mattering is systemic and predictable.

Organizations, not individuals, are responsible for mattering. Mattering happens when organizations recognize patterns and create systems that value diverse contributions. By addressing predictable patterns of absenteeism, turnover and low morale for example, we can reduce the predictability of who succeeds and who fails. This systemic approach ensures that everyone can benefit from the positive effects of mattering.

Mattering interrupts harmful practices.

Mattering is more than recognition; it sees the unique value each person brings and adds to the organization. This principle focuses on interrupting practices that negatively impact marginalized groups, including Black, Indigenous, racialized, English language learners, low income, and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals. By doing so, we create a more equitable environment that benefits everyone, moving from performative gestures to authentic acknowledgment of all voices within an organization.

Mattering cultivates unique gifts and talents.

This principle is foundational to organizational culture and success. It’s about consistently recognizing and utilizing the diverse abilities within your team, not just during special occasions or for select individuals. This approach involves using people’s specific talents to educate and celebrate with others, creating a rich, inclusive culture that values everyone’s contributions.

Beyond DEI: The Impact of Mattering

Learn more about Diversity Dishonesty from this NotebookLM podcast we created. OK, AI created it and we really like it.

Before and during COVID, organizations began to embrace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, recognizing the importance of representation in the workplace. These efforts have resulted in “diversity dishonesty” – a focus on appearances without meaningful internal change. This has led to employee skepticism, a general backlash about inclusion and DEI fatigue.

Unlike surface-level diversity efforts prioritizing optics over substance, mattering steps into conversations about the core human need to feel valued. It goes beyond representation in company photos or junior hiring practices to address the root causes of employee disengagement and inequality. When everyone feels seen, heard, and valued for their unique contributions diversity and inclusion become natural outcomes rather than forced initiatives.

Mattering Training

Read about The Power of Mattering our Maslow-based and adult learner-designed training that will open eyes, hearts and minds.

Our Mattering Team

Read about our team and why they are interested in deconstructing power and building communities of service.

Mattering matters so much to us that we are creating a conversational AI to revolutionize how employers connect with their teams. Are you ready for the future of employee engagement? We are. Learn how to save the $41,000 that s*itty boss moments can cost at AskLucky.ai

Are you looking for the blindspot video that Lakhdeep and Curt referenced in a recent talk? Here you go! As you watch this again, reflect on these questions:

  1. What is a recent snap judgement you made and how might a blind spot have contributed?
  2. What is a sign that your brain is working on autopilot?
  3. What blind spots have influenced your team culture and impact?

Click here for a copy of the excellent PWC debrief guide.

We hear you saying

You started or manage your business because you care about and believe in the value you bring clients. Your profit is one way you can measure and point to that value.

You want to be an employer people are proud to work for. You care about your growing team and know that many of them look different than you and arrive at work with unique life experiences. 

Mattering is equal parts important and overwhelming which means you feel stuck about where to start and don’t want to do this wrong. The risks of having these conversations seem to out weight the benefits.

Let us reflect back

We also believe in the power of business to be a force of good. There is nothing wrong with making money as long as you bring your team along on the journey. 

Stepping into mattering with intentionality and humility shows you are committed to the team’s wellness and your collective growth. Your team wants to succeed…with you. They are ready and willing to do what it takes to grow.

For the record, mattering conversions are not easy or ever ‘solved’. You can also do this. Equally important, cultures that embrace authentic inclusion have a competitive edge that is very, very hard to match.

We hear you saying

As a public institution, this is a very complicated conversation. You have a mandate to serve everyone in your community and each of them has thoughts on what mattering should (or should not) include

When it comes to mattering, your team (and community) are at very different points on the journey. That makes this learning process seem slow for some and threatening to others.

Reimagining power in your context is overwhelming and could be perceived as irresponsible or even illegal.

Let us reflect back

Mattering is a value that many municipalities think of as a tactic. This difference will create tension between your approach to this work and community expectations. 

Commitment is hard to prove. Allyship is an action (not a title) that needs to be proven time and time again. And, mattering metrics are not the end result of this work. 

We hear you saying

You understand the importance of mattering and feel the added stress of doing it well because of the unique nature of your work.

Budgets are already stupidly tight and this is another important need that is stretching your organization thin.

The one-off sessions and meetings are not enough. Your dreams for a culture of inclusion clearly aren’t working because people keep leaving.

Let us reflect back

That pressure you feel is natural. When you are honest about the external lens on this work, your team will want to step up and learn with you.

James Baldwin once said “If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” Mattering is a way to show your staff and clients you really do care about them. 

Traditional mattering work has been focused on measuring outputs. The more we focus on outcomes, the easier it is to invite others in and be clear about expectations.

How can we be of service?

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