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

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…]

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 am a fan of all things Rosetta Thurman and I highly recommend that you read her and follow her and pay very close attention. Smart, funny, gifted, passionate, going places.  She recently wrote a post (Diversity is not the right word) that really resonated with me and touches on a topic that I have   [Read More…]

Ten things everyone should understand regarding diversity and inclusion… ten things View more presentations from joe gerstandt.

I have been thinking about community a lot lately.  I recently finished participating in a learning circle that was focused on community and read and re-read some wonderful books from Peter Senge, Peter Block, Margaret Wheatley and others with really wonderful perspectives on community.  I have also been struggling to clarify part of my role   [Read More…]

I got invited to a meeting once.  It seemed a little surreal at the time and it still does now, when I think about.  I was doing a lot of work with high school students and college students at the time and shortly after facilitating a summer camp for sophomores and juniors, I got a   [Read More…]

Let me cut right to the chase on this post, I have three points to share… I stole the name for this post from a great article I read recently. Harmony = Bad Conflict = Good I know, I know…as a peace lover and diversity advocate I am supposed to be all about harmony right?    [Read More…]

Perception vs. Reality, Good vs. Evil, Life vs. Indifference, Omaha, BP and Deep Thoughts for a Monday morning Every time that I hear the phrase; “perception is reality,” it chaps my ass a little.  I think that this is becoming a very dangerous idea for us.  I understand that perception matters.  I understand that in   [Read More…]

One of the books I have really enjoyed this year is Switch from the Heath brothers.  One of the ideas that has continued to bounce around in my head since I first read it is: What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. I find this to be very true, especially regarding the   [Read More…]