Jen Stark and Jarrid Green: The DEI Flashpoint and How We Move Forward

Today I speak with Jen Stark and Jarrid Green, Co-Directors, of the Center for Business and Social Justice. We candidly discuss how DEI and other topics became flashpoints and ideological hostages rather than sustained corporate efforts, and how companies can break this cycle.  We explore the questions executives and boards are asking, how companies can respond to activist shareholders and continue to promote fairness and equity while also fulfilling their responsibility to ensure strong financial performance - and why we're “beyond the business case” so we can adapt our narrative. Jen and Jarrid offer valuable advice on how everyone from the C-suite to DEIB and CSR professionals in the trenches can stay motivated and respond.    To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com Key Takeaways:You cannot be neutral anymore. Consumers want to know what their money will support and want to be value aligned.Be authentic with yourself - you need to understand why you are doing what you are doing.Lean into your smaller, individual communities. Mass media and social media information sharing is not enough.   "We’ve left the era of case-making. There are enough data points, surveys, and white papers that if it is was just rational thought governing business decisions, you’d be in a different place." —  Jen Stark   Episode References: Kerner Report: pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/bombshell-political-reportThe Center's Social Justice Guidebook: bsr.org/en/focus/equity-inclusion-and-justiceHow to Survive a Plague by David France: penguinrandomhouse.com/books/209900/how-to-survive-a-plague-by-david-franceSuffs: The Musical: suffsmusical.com From Our Partner: SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatest asset: their people. Through their tailored assessments and expert coaching at every level, SparkEffect helps organizations manage change, sustain growth, and chart a path to a brighter future. Go to sparkeffect.com/edge now and download your complimentary Professional and Organizational Alignment Review today. About Jen Stark and Jarrid Green, Co-Directors, Center or Business and Social Justice Jen Stark is a strategy development and implementation expert at complex health and humanitarian organizations with 20+ years of experience. She launched BSR’s Center for Business and Social Justice in 2022 alongside Jarrid Green to illuminate a path for companies to shift from performative to transformational actions with a focus on public policy engagement and influence. She is frequently cited in business press on flashpoint topics and is an advisor to Gauge.ai and GoFundMe’s Compassion Leadership Network.  Jarrid Green co-designs and implements programmatic efforts alongside Jen Stark for the Center for Business and Social Justice, an initiative of BSR that seeks to mobilize companies to take systemic and intersectional approaches to their social impact efforts. Jarrid’s role includes developing 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, and acilitates the execution of the Center’s ongoing corporate, civil society stakeholder, and donor activities. Connect with Jen and Jarrid: Business for Social Responsibility: bsr.org/en/collaboration/groups/center-for-business-and-social-justice Jen Stark LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jenstark Jarrid Green LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jarridgreenmba   Connect with Maria: Get Maria's books on empathy: Red-Slice.com/books Learn more about Maria's work: Red-Slice.com Hire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross Take the LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy LinkedIn: Maria Ross Instagram: @redslicemaria Facebook: Red Slice Threads: @redslicemaria We would love to get your thoughts on the show! Please click https://bit.ly/edge-feedback to take this 5-minute survey, thanks!