SamTastic Weekly Tip: 5/5/25 - Mattering Matters

This week’s tip: Mattering Matters

Is feeling that you belong at a school the same as feeling that you matter?

“Belonging is feeling welcomed and accepted in a group, whereas mattering is feeling significant to the group’s individual members. Mattering is an even more fundamental need than belonging.  Mattering—a mainstay concept in the fields of psychology and sociology for more than 40 years—is the experience of feeling significant to those around us because we feel valued and know that we add value. It is a primal need. When people know that they matter at work, they thrive.” Zach Mercurio, The Power of Mattering at Work

SAM teams track time spent with each teacher, and other staff members, to improve their practice.  Can you use your TimeTrack data to consider if your work conveys a belief that each person matters?  You might start by looking at data showing time spent on celebratory feedback.  Did each staff member receive one or more celebratory feedback session this year?  Was your feedback, overall for the year, more directive or non-directive?  Did you ask a lot of open-ended question or did you make a lot of statements? 

Mercurio suggests: “Renew your intention to pay close attention to others. Begin by asking more-meaningful questions. We tend to begin conversations with “How are you?” or “How was your day?” These standard greetings don’t give us any insight into the people we lead. Instead ask questions that are clear, open, and exploratory.

Clear questions have an object and a time frame.

• For example, instead of saying, “How are you?” you might ask, “What has your attention today?”Open questions give people the opportunity to share their experiences.

• Instead of asking, “Did the meeting go well?” you might ask, “What was the most important insight you heard in the meeting?” Exploratory questions seek to understand, not evaluate.

• Instead of “What did you get done today?” you might ask, “Which parts of today’s projects were most challenging for you and why?”

You can access Mercurio’s article by using this link:  “The Power of Mattering at Work” 

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