Aug 30, 2018
Joe Gerstandt isn’t just a straight white dad with tons of
tattoos. He’s also an expert on diversity and inclusion who has
trained leaders at Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, the
government, and more. He also speaks on how each of us can become
conscious champions for diversity and inclusion in our work and in
our lives. Jennifer and Joe talk about his journey from small-town
America to where he is today, and what he teaches that changes so
many people.
- Joe grew up on a farm in a small town in a class of 26
kids. From there he went into the Marine Corps for four years, a
transformational experience in terms of diversity. Then Joe went
from sales to working in a non-profit, and finally into corporate
life before becoming the thought leader he is today. But when Joe
talks about how he got from there to here, his guiding principle
was that he was a person who made mistakes and LEARNED from them.
As a young adult, Joe didn’t believe things like racism, sexism,
and other forms of discrimination really existed. Joe shares how
those feelings changed radically over his professional career.
- One of the things that ‘lit him on fire’ in the Marine Corps
was, despite the terrible pay and living conditions, Joe believed
in what he was doing. He had strong leadership and a chance to
advance through meritocracy. Why does this matter? Because Joe
believes in bringing the same passion to get people to rally around
becoming champions for diversity and inclusion. He explains the
lessons he learned in the Marines and how he’s applied them to his
current endeavors.
- After he worked in a sales job – a very dark time in his life –
Joe became part of a non-profit for AIDS. He had long since left
his homophobic beliefs behind, but he didn’t leave behind the need
for purpose like he felt in the military. Joe shares the shocking
revelations he had while working for the non-profit that reshaped
the way he looked at the world and his place in it.
- The next stop in Joe’s journey landed him as the Diversity
Director at a healthcare facility, where he built the diversity
program from the ground up. Neither the company nor Joe had a clear
idea of what he should be doing, and Joe reveals the worst thing
the company did when it came to its attitude about diversity and
inclusion: they considered themselves ‘good people.’
- After that last work experience, Joe finally found his purpose,
and he decided to work for himself. But the way it happened wasn’t
what he expected, nor did he expect to be as such peace about it.
Joe had some rough times as he stepped out as a speaker and
consultant, and he shares one of the most pivotal moments in his
early days of self-employment. From that experience, Joe gained the
confidence to have a Fortune 500 client within months. Joe didn’t
always make enough to pay the bills in the beginning, but he shares
how he leverages social media, the Internet, his network, and even
local Chambers of Commerce to grow his speaking career. He also
shares one of the biggest mistake new speaker make with their plans
and dreams.
- You might wonder what kind of reception a straight white guy
from Omaha gets when his topic is diversity and inclusion when he
doesn’t necessarily have the same insights as others. Surprisingly,
Joe only dealt with a little of that early on, and here’s why: Joe
will be the first to admit that he still benefits from gender and
racial privilege. He explains what it’s like working from a place
of privilege in a field like diversity and inclusion.
- What makes Joe’s diversity and inclusion message different? For
one, his message is jarring. It’s not ‘kumbaya.’ He talks about how
the corporate culture has taken control of the words and made them
mean something else, and Joe explains why that keeps us ‘behind the
times.’ He shares what diversity and inclusion really mean, and
it’s not the number of different people you have in a department.
Joe likens diversity to gravity: it exists. Will you work with it
or against it?
Want a little help creating your personal
brand?
Jennifer has a free resource for you. The
Personal Brand Workbook will help you figure out what your
personal brand is today and what you want to be known for in the
future, as well as how you want to impact the world. Download
it today!
Where To Find Joe:
Joe Gerstandt
Website
Joe Gerstandt
LinkedIn
Joe Gerstandt
Twitter
Written by Joe Gerstandt:
Social Gravity: Harnessing the
Natural Laws of Relationships by Joe Gerstandt & Jason
Lauritsen
Joe
Gerstandt Medium blog post – I Am 21 A by Joe Gerstandt
Joe Gerstandt Videos:
Joe
Gerstandt YouTube
Inclusion. You Keep Using
That Word. I Don’t Think It Means What You Think It Means. | Joe
Gerstandt | DisruptHR Talks [video]
Joe
Gerstandt: freak flag-flying (what, why and how) [video]
Other Resources:
Joe Gerstandt & Jason Lauritsen – Talent Anarchy
Jason Lauritsen