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

Sorry, but this post really is all about me. Some stuff I want to share… resources: Building an Inclusive Culture, a free webinar Tuesday August 6th, 12:00-1:00 pm (CST). Register here. videos I have recently released a couple of videos with discussion guides. The first is focused on authenticity, here are links to the video   [Read More…]

I think that we have done ourselves a great disservice with this idea of authenticity. We have turned it into a buzzword and we throw it around very casually as if it were a safe, simple and common thing. I do not think that authenticity is safe and simple, I think that it is actually   [Read More…]

“Men are alike in their promises. It is only in their deeds that they differ.” – Moliere I continue to wrestle with this tension between principles and compromise. I think it is a false dichotomy as compromise itself is a principle, but I think that there is some good conversation to be had around the   [Read More…]

Be good to each other.

“I want to know if you are prepared to live in the world with its harsh need to change you.” -David Whyte You are a border war. On the one hand there is what lies inside. Your genetic hand-me-downs. Your personality. Your gift. Your hopes and aspirations and values and priorities. That which moves you.   [Read More…]

Do you work in an organization that demands your physical presence yet resists your emotional presence? You can maybe be fired from your job for not being physically present … and also punished (implicitly or explicitly) for being too emotionally present? Interesting. And costly. Emotions fuel motivation and behavior. We talk all day long about   [Read More…]

You have no idea. A lot of my work around authenticity is focused on self-awareness. To consistently be true to who you are, you need to first know who you are and what you are capable of. Makes sense, right? Having some real clarity around what your values and beliefs and gifts and aspirations are   [Read More…]

Once upon a time… I facilitated a half day workshop for the leadership team of a large urban school district; there was about 100 people involved.  A couple of weeks prior to this workshop I had asked them to evaluate themselves regarding how inclusive they were of people that were of different genders, race, ethnicity,   [Read More…]

The human body is composed of a variety of systems.  Each of them has a unique role and they all depend on each other.  Bones, muscles…digestive, cardiovascular, nervous systems, etc.  Similarly, an organization is an integration of intermingling and overlapping systems.  Organizations generally have some physical infrastructure.  There is also the workforce, the organizational chart,   [Read More…]