Connecting with Jarrid Green

Jarrid Green co-designs and implements programmatic efforts for the Center for Business and Social Justice , an initiative of BSR which seeks to mobilize companies to take systemic and intersectional approaches to their social impact efforts. Jarrid’s role includes the development of research, thought leadership, frameworks, and capacity-building opportunities related to corporate social impact strategies. He also provides collaborative oversight and direction for the Center’s organizational and administrative functions, facilitates the execution of the Center’s ongoing corporate, civil society stakeholder, and donor activities.

How have relationships influenced your professional development and leadership style?

Without question, interactions with people from diverse walks of life have informed and driven my career and leadership development. I am very fortunate that I have had mentors who have offered me insight, guidance, encouragement, and role modeling that has strengthened my ability to be a strategic and multiskilled leader. Interestingly, some mentors have been so through formal roles and affiliations while others have been casual or unintentional, influencing my growth simply through their proximity.

Do you have any tips for maintaining and building strong relationships?

Authenticity is key. People can sniff out superficial engagement especially when they feel there is a distance in engagement effort between themselves and another person. This certainly has influenced the shape of my personal network and inner circle. Secondly, I know many people hold the belief that respect is earned, which I agree with wholeheartedly. I also believe that relationships are fueled by the respect offered to others, particularly those in the workplace. In my career, this has come in many forms, through the respect I have shown towards more senior and/or experienced colleagues as well as the respect I have offered to my team members as a manager. Both efforts take grace and require some room for missteps and growth. Still, it is the effort that counts. No manager or leader wants to feel as though their team does not support their good-faith efforts. No contributor wants to feel as though their ideas are never offered the light of day or that they risk professional ruin due to a singular mistake. Navigating this dynamic has required some gentleness throughout my career journey.?

How have you intentionally built inclusiveness into your circles?

This is an interesting question for me. As an openly queer, Black man, I have to manage for my safety and the safety of my loved ones in ways that many of my peers often do not. At the same time, being accepting of my full identity (and it’s likely evolution) has afforded me a lifetime opportunity of access to other individuals who tread different paths than what society deems and regulates as “normal” through culture, policy, policing, and presented socioeconomic opportunities. This bleeds into the interpersonal and nonpersonal aspects of my professional career in many ways, including through a consciousness of how much I choose to share or not with colleagues based on my understanding of whether my work environment, culture, and policies offer me a chance to thrive at comparable levels as my peers. Perhaps, an alternate way to say this is that building intentional inclusiveness in my circles requires heightened awareness for whether my own effort to be inclusive maintains or expands the safety of my personal and professional circles.

What community or communities are you proud to be a part of?

Perhaps, a little outside of the box,? but I’m proud to be part of the Les Mills BodyPump instructor community. In short, my journey in fitness began young through Pop Warner league football. It evolved into team sports with individual events in high school through track and field, which kept me running on my own for a bit until I joined both Frontrunners DC and Frontrunners NYC in my early adult years. Some of the connections I made in those groups have created lifetime friendships that have served as the backbone or instigator to my chosen family of loved ones across multiple cities. What folks today don’t know about me is that I was incredibly skeptical of gym memberships for such a long time in my life. Not knowing what to do with a free weight scared me. The judgment of presumably straight men scared me. Nowadays, I know better.?

Nonetheless, I started doing Bodypump in 2017 and just being around class regulars and strong instructors kept me in a routine surrounding some health care scares in my family. It was a great way to get an hour or two away from my demanding job, my MBA schedule, and caretaking duties. The pandemic shattered the in-person class but I kept going at home with virtual classes alone. In the last year, I challenged my own social anxiety and imposter syndrome in going through the instructor certification class to become an instructor. I was shaky at first, for sure. Now, I have taught more than 100 classes across multiple gyms. There’s simply? no better feeling in the world for me right now than the feeling I get from my regulars and new class participants who clap, say thank you, and go about the rest of their lives once we’ve shared an hour together.?

Who’s a Connector that's made a difference in your life??

Shoutout to Dr. Aerial A. Ashlee who saw me and gave room for my passions and leadership during my college years through our work at the University of Maryland’s Leadership and Community Service Learning Center . Aerial managed to successfully complete a full-time Master’s program while being a terrific student organization advisor and friend. I’m certain I wouldn’t be where I am today in my career without her support.

It's an honor to feature inspiring change-makers across industries who share their stories and words of wisdom about how to build meaningful relationships. Catch up on #CONNECTED with our previous guests, including Alix Lebec , Paul M. Katz , Gina Bianchini , and more!

Susan McPherson is a serial connector, seasoned communicator and founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies , a communications consultancy focused on the intersection of brands and social impact. She is the author of The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Relationships.

Follow Susan on LinkedIn , Twitter and Instagram and order her new book, The Lost Art of Connecting , also available on Kindle and Audiobook.