When the leadership of a large organization asks three hundred fifty people to share their thoughts on a sensitive issue, I suppose we ought to be prepared for the possibility that some of them will actually do so. It is a risk. It's the same risk that we willingly accepted a few years ago when we conducted the Workforce Cultural Audit. It's the risk that we will be confronted with evidence that we just might not be perfect and we might not have figured out all the answers yet. However, there was no choice.
Leadership frequently involves taking judiciously chosen risks.
And it has been my experience that duty often requires us to risk personal popularity and personal convenience in order to create opportunities to build something positive and something lasting for the Coast Guard. So it is with diversity management. If we really plan to create a highly competent diverse workforce . . . If we really believe that it's important to create a positive environment based on our core values . . . If we're really serious about removing barriers that hinder progress . . .