It has been my great honor to serve more than thirty years as a trusted counselor, coach, and consultant for a wide socio-economic spectrum of students, staff, administrators, and community members who live and work in multi-cultural settings. A few common threads that have surfaced in my interactions have been that of:
(1) An individual coming to me for assistance in dealing with a complex situation that is discriminatory in nature.
(2) Individuals seeking restoration after having led or participated in biased behavior toward others at some point in their lives.
(3) Bewildered executive leadership inquiring about my insight into growing discontent within organizational ranks and ideas about how to mitigate the problem.
Having repeatedly listened to heartbreaking stories, I began to discern pitfalls and steppingstones that are common in many of these experiences. Pitfalls are those decision traps where wrong decisions or actions can lead to an individual or an organization's demise. In contrast, steppingstones are opportunities to behave or govern in ways that lead to increase and elevation. After discerning that systemic bigotry presents one with both pitfalls and steppingstones, I labored diligently to devise appropriate illustrations and paradigms for use in helping confused individuals, as well as organizational leaders, comprehend and overcome discriminatory situations. Individuals of all backgrounds have this common experience of encountering unreasonable and disadvantageous circumstances. Therefore, I offer this report and analysis in hopes that consideration, discussion, and relevant application can be customized to each unique individual and community situation.