134: How to Bless Your People with Mark S. Young

In Genesis 12:2 God says, “You are blessed and you shall be a blessing.” This particular interpretation is a modern read, but one that is quite interesting to consider in the context of contemporary life regardless of your faith orientation, or lack thereof. What does it mean to be a blessing to your team members? How can we approach being a manager as if it’s our chance to elevate and honor our colleagues?   Today’s guest is Mark S. Young. Mark is passionate about strengthening the experience and opportunities for the professionals who help make a thriving workplace, both in the Jewish community and beyond.   For 20 years, Mark has held leadership roles in human resources, education, and leadership development for Jewish organizations and other non-profits. Bless Our Workforce, Mark's first book, builds off his previous writing and presentations on how to best invest in Jewish community professional talent, including his $54,000 Strategy series on ejewishphilanthropy and his 2016 ELI Talk: Mah Tovu.   Mark and I talk about what he’s learned in the process of writing his new book Bless Our Workforce about how to invest in and support the talented staff on your team. We touch on a number of different ‘blessings’ as he calls them and how you can apply them to your people, even when working at a distance during COVID.   Get one of 10 free 20-minute coaching calls with Markt when you join the Modern Manager community. Plus, get additional member content, bonuses, coaching and community. Purchase the full episode guides and Modern Manager merchandise at www.themodernmanager.com/shop.     Get the free mini-guide at www.themodernmanager.com/miniguides.   Subscribe to my newsletter to get episodes, articles and free mini-guides delivered to your inbox.    Read the related blog article: Be A Blessing To Your Team.   Key Takeaways: When we invest in our teams, our organizations become more productive, healthier, and profitable.  In order to help our staff, we need to know what they need to do their best work and what work feeds their creative drive and motivates them. Instead of squeezing people into a rigid job description, hire talented, quality people and fit a job around their interests and needs.   When people’s needs are met at work, they feel like they're part of something greater than themse