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b"Mike Wood chats with Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) consultant and speaker, Joe Gerstandt, in this week\\u2019s show. Joe helps organizations understand what inclusion is and then put processes and behaviors in place to make it a reality in their companies.\\xa0\\n\\nHow He Came to This Work\\nThere aren\\u2019t many straight white males in the D&I space. One of the things Joe is doing more of now, is sharing his story and the lessons he learned through his journey. He believes that this work is his calling, but 25 years ago, he would have rolled his eyes at the idea. He says that a lot of personal change occurred along the way to bring him to where he is today. His first job in the US Marine Corps taught him about racial diversity. His years in college educated him about gender. His years in sales changed his view of the world and how we interact.\\xa0\\n\\nPrivilege\\nOnce in a while, Joe encounters a situation where someone doubts his credibility or expertise on this issue because of who he is. For the most part, though, he says that he still benefits from a tremendous amount of privilege. When he speaks about D&I issues in front of audiences, he generally is given the benefit of the doubt. That\\u2019s where it usually shows up, he says, who gets the benefit of the doubt and who is really listened to. For example, one time he delivered a D&I presentation to an all-male senior executive team who said that it was the best presentation that they had ever heard on the topic, and it finally made sense. Afterwards, the VP of HR, an African American woman and the one who had invited him, thanked him and commented that what he said was the same things she had been saying to them! She had hired him because she felt that they would listen to him more than they listened to her. Mike comments that many\\xa0 women have that same experience and it\\u2019s got to be quite frustrating, not to mention a waste of money!\\n\\nMaking Inclusion a Reality\\nInclusion can be a reality if those of us who care about it speak up. Once we see the issues, we should point them out and have conversations about it. We also need to design against it, Joe says. We can\\u2019t just rely on our good intentions for things to change, we have to actually put practices and rules in place to push back against negative behavior.\\xa0\\n\\nGet to Know People\\nJoe says that meeting people is one of the most valuable tools for change that we have. It\\u2019s easy to mistrust or hate people that you don\\u2019t know. Once to get to know someone, however, that quickly changes. We absorb ideas about different groups from our culture, as well as how they are portrayed in the media. However, many of our ideas are under-informed. When we enter relationships with expectations that are rooted in racial stereotypes, that\\u2019s how bias usually shows up, Joe remarks. Once he met different people, his views changed and he became more proactive in bringing more diversity into his network of relationships. Mike implores listeners to broaden their horizons, to get to know people on a human level, and we\\u2019ll realize that we\\u2019re not as different as we think we are. Joe adds that if you have an actual relationship with them, you\\u2019ll find that you've got a lot in common as well.\\n\\nResources\\nJoeGerstandt.com\\xa0\\nJoe on Twitter | LinkedIn\\xa0\\n\\nGet your ticket for Workhuman Live 2020"