Joe Gerstandt | keynote speaker, freedom fighter, freak-flag flier

The topic is straight white guys…well, three of them at least.

I don’t have anything against straight white guys.  I happen to be one myself.  But I do on occasion shake my fist at the status quo here, and in our current system, the status quo is still pretty strongly correlated with straight, white and guy.

And because you deserve a pitcher, not a belly-itcher, I am going to give credit where credit is due and show some love to  some fellas that are doing stuff that is good.  I think that would make a nice tagline on a trophy- “doing stuff that is good” …just a thought.

Just so you know, this is yet another self serving post, these are all friends of mine that have found a way to include my work in their work.

I have tried to consistently make the point that inclusion is activist.  It is proactive.  It is forward leaning.  It is deliberate.  It is not about what you are “not doing.”  Not discriminating does not make you inclusive as an individual or an organization, it simply means that you do not discriminate (allegedly).  Just like following the speed limit does not mean that you are a good or safe driver…it simply means that you are following the law and observing the speed limit.

Inclusion is activist; it requires that you are seeking out difference and bringing it into your community, your organization, or your network.  A few examples…

Steve Browne

Steve is a very cool guy, a rock and roller, and an inspiring HR guy.  He deserves a fair amount of love for that stuff, but he also goes out of his way on diversity and inclusion.  Steve was actively involved in the planning of the 2010 Ohio SHRM conference and he brought me in to deliver a couple of sessions on diversity and inclusion.  I see a lot of SHRM state conferences that do not include any real diversity and inclusion sessions on their agenda (…not talking about EEO/Affirmative Action/Legal/Compliance stuff ), and I see some SHRM state conferences that include diversity and inclusion, but are having the same tired conversation about it that they were 20 years ago.  Steve did something different and I appreciate that.  Granted, it involved me, and I appreciate that as well, but I had time with about 300 HR folks and they left with some new perspectives, new tools and new energy regarding diversity and inclusion…and  I was not the only person on the agenda talking about diversity and inclusion.  Steve is a good example for us.  He has done more than simply what was mandatory, he made diversity and inclusion a priority because he understands the importance and the value.  AND…Steve is chairing the 2011 Ohio SHRM Conference, so hmmm….maybe we can get bumped up into one of those keynote slots?  Thanks Steve.

Ben Stone

Ben is another cool guy and he chairs the CI SHRM Diversity Committee.  Ben has done a lot of work around diversity issues and takes the work of the Diversity Committee pretty seriously.  In January, he invited me to conduct a 3.5 hour workshop for about 150 SHRM folks in Des Moines, which was very well received.  He has now roped me into doing a couple of webinars for their members as part of a series of webinars that he is putting together focusing on different diversity and inclusion issues.  Another guy that has made it a priority.  Ben does not have to do any of that stuff.  CI SHRM was not doing diversity and inclusion workshops or webinars for their folks a year ago, and for that matter the vast majority of SHRM chapters do not.  Some SHRM Chapters do not even have active diversity committees, some SHRM Chapters have diversity committees that are in limbo or that have done the same, tired annual event forever.  Ben is driving things forward.  Ben understands the importance and value of this stuff and he knows that we need to do more and that we need to do better…so he makes it happen.  Thanks Ben.

Jason Lauritsen

Also, a cool guy and a longtime friend, Jason is the HR boss for a bank, but he also tends to be up to a bunch of other stuff.  One of the things that he has cooked up is the supercool  HR Reinvention Experiment which will be bringing HR leaders together in a unique setting and unique format to rub their brains together around a few strategic issues…one of them being diversity and inclusion.  So, Jason is another example of someone making diversity and inclusion a priority…when they could have gotten away with doing something different. That is what leadership looks like. Every HR leader under the sun (well almost every HR leader under the sun) says happy and shiny things about diversity and inclusion.  And most of them do nothing or right next to nothing…they do not make it a priority, they do not invest real resources, they do not make real commitments,and they do not take any risks…which is kind of the opposite of leadership. Jason is making it a priority.  Thanks Jason.

And, don’t get me wrong there are others out there “doing stuff that is good,” these are just three to know right now.

And, just to clarify, you don’t have to involve me to be “doing stuff that is good,” though you know where to find me if need be. Wink.

Be good to each other.