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

Todays word of the day…equifinality. We should probably find an easier way to say what this word means, but it is an important idea. I find myself talking more and more about cognitive diversity (differences in thinking styles) all the time and have started writing about it a bit as well.  I think it is   [Read More…]

Okay.  Apparently this is going to be an annual thing.  It is once again time for me ask for your support as I try to get on the SXSW agenda.  I had a lot of really good comments and support last year, but did not make the cut.  They get a lot of submissions…2346 of   [Read More…]

Just a quick post to share a bit of information… I did an interview with Stephanie Thomas Ph. D. (The Proactive Employer) and the audio file is available online here. Also have been invited to join a couple of additional conference agenda, will be at the Iowa Mosaic Diversity Conference on October 18th and at   [Read More…]

“To be creative requires divergent thinking (generating many unique ideas) and then convergent thinking (combining those ideas into the best result).” -Newsweek I do an increasing amount of speaking and presenting on cognitive diversity…what it is, why it matters, how to benefit from it, how it is linked to better decision making and innovation.  I   [Read More…]

Maybe TED will announce a new conference in 2011 focused on good intentions? There has been some really interesting conversation around the TEDWomen conference that was recently announced and if you have not yet read this and this and this from CV Harquail and this from Jamie Notter you should…very thoughtful, very well informed comments   [Read More…]

Joe is an authentic, engaging leader who has been able to leverage his exceptional facilitation skills towards delivering an understanding of diversity and inclusion within our organization. He leverages stories of past and current events to provide people with opportunities to gain a foundational and personal awareness of the impact and value of difference. He   [Read More…]

I pay a lot of attention to how business and other types of organizations (non-profits, government and educational institutions, faith communities) are functioning, evolving and interacting with their employees and those they claim to serve.  This is going to sound overly dramatic, but I think that there is a struggle for the heart and soul   [Read More…]

Just a quick note on a couple of other places you can find or listen to my ramblings… This Friday, July 30th I will on the Proactive Employer Podcast and will be talking about “Resetting the Diversity and Inclusion Conversation.” I am also going to be a regular on the Workplace Diversity Network.  I have   [Read More…]

Reverse discrimination (its in Wikipedia, it must be real), something to really get pissed off about… We have a long history of profound dysfunction regarding race and gender and orientation and a bunch of other stuff in this country and a lot of that dysfunction continues to show up in our alleged “conversations” about these   [Read More…]

I have not done a recommended reading post in a while and thought that it might be time… I have mentioned both Jamie Notter and Rosetta Thurman several times here and they continue to be highly, highly, highly recommended. Big brains, fat hearts, warm souls. Some others to read / follow / observe / politely   [Read More…]