Connecting with Jay Geneske

How have relationships influenced your professional development and leadership style?

I've had the great privilege of working alongside people in a wide range of issue areas, such as education, the environment, democracy, and the arts, and across various contexts including nonprofit, private sector, advocacy, and philanthropy. Along the way, these relationships have provided me with rich and diverse insights into how others perceive the world and approach problem-solving. I've discovered there’s a certain kind of magic in how these insights can transcend fields or sectors. For instance, I've leveraged my relationships with people in the private sector to provide unconventional or unexpected approaches in nonprofit settings, and vice versa.

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

In addition to the usual tips you’ll find in Forbes or HBR articles, I have a simple yet meaningful practice: whenever a former colleague or professional contact I've connected with personally comes to mind, I send them a quick note, chat, DM, or text. These quick notes go beyond a generic “How are you?” They are sincere and are never transactional. I genuinely want to know about their new job, their kid's college campus tours, and so on. We're all busy, but even a brief exchange can be meaningful.

How have you intentionally built inclusiveness into your circles?

One way is to reframe the question as "How can I be more intentional about earning access to new circles?" While this approach still carries an agenda, I think it centers curiosity, humility, openness, and perhaps even a bit of vulnerability – all qualities that are very healthy but can be challenging to embody in a transactional world.

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

The community I want to spotlight is my neighborhood block. Having lived in numerous neighborhoods across several cities, I've never encountered the energy and dynamism that I experience in my current community. Our neighbors come from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ages, yet we are closely connected. We care deeply for our neighborhood and our culture, and consistently show up for each other in profoundly meaningful ways.

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

This one is easy: Lindsay Verstegen. She's an incredible leader, mentor, and game-changer in her field. She's also my childhood best friend who, twenty years ago, connected me with the man who would become my future husband.

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 Catherine St-Laurent , Ann Shoket , Candice S. Cook , 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.