The Power of Perspective

The Power of Perspective by Shundrawn A. Thomas

Recently, I had the distinct privilege of giving the closing address at the Robert Toigo Foundation Gala. The Gala has become a marquee event in the financial services industry, bringing together a wide array of industry participants. Toigo’s mission is to advance more inclusive leadership within finance and beyond. Toigo advances its mission, in large part, by fostering the career advancement of highly talented diverse women and men. I am proud to be counted among the 1,700+ Toigo alumni, and I am grateful for my association with the organization over the past 25 years. Toigo’s staff, alumni, and partners are not only changing the face of finance, but more broadly, we are making an indelible impact in society.

Pivotal Time

During my address, I shared two related personal experiences from a pivotal time during my teenage years. While I will not reprise the story here, I will share the crux of the message. My address focused on the power of perspective and the divergent treatment I received from two high school instructors. One teacher chose to see me, and the context of my circumstances, as someone who was seeking a hand-out. Another teacher chose to see me, and the reality of my circumstances, as someone who needed a hand-up. The compassion I received from the latter was a defining life experience. 

While it should not matter, the compassionate teacher was an African American woman. And while our shared affinity undoubtedly informed her views, what was more essential is that she could see me. Better stated she chose to see me! She did not know me intimately. However, she did not view me through the lens of the social construct of race or the prism of my socio-economic status. She truly saw the content of my character. It taught me an enduring lesson about the power of perspective. Our perspective makes all the difference in the world. And our perspective shapes the world in which we live. If we choose to see our circumstances, those around us, and ultimately ourselves, from the proper perspective… we can change the world!

Call to Action

At the conclusion of my address, I gave a charge to my listeners that I extend to you – the reader. It is a three-part call to action to advance inclusion and to increase equity across all communities. Specifically, I am asking you to 1) use your power 2) make a sacrifice and 3) open the eyes of your heart.

1.     Use your power. Everyone holds systemic power in some areas and lacks it in others, albeit in different measure. This means we all can exert influence. Each of us has been blessed in ways, seen and unseen. Part of your blessing is the grace or unmerited favor you’ve received throughout your life. That grace has principally come in the person of people who have positively impacted your life. You have the same power to change lives through your words and deeds. Use your power! The world urgently needs more of your influence.

2.     Make a sacrifice. I trust that there are various organizations that you support. At the Gala, I made a specific plea on behalf of the Toigo Foundation. Today, I am advocating for the broad array of organizations that are committed to driving real progress as it pertains to diverse representation, equitable access to opportunities, and inclusive leadership.  Whether I consider my opportunity to attend Florida A&M University, a historically black university, my selection as a Toigo Fellow, my role as as executive sponsor to both the Latin Heritage Leadership Council and Women in Leadership, and countless other personal experiences, I have seen first hand the value of diversity. So, I am asking you to make a sacrifice and offer even more of your time, treasure, and talent to these types of organizations. And together we will make our society more equitable and inclusive.

3.     Open the eyes of your heart. I believe that each of us is made in the likeness of God… that we are God’s image bearers. I believe the fullness of God is uniquely reflected through our diversity. And that the difference diversity makes should be clear. Yet if we’re honest about the world in which we live, as well as our own human frailties, we recognize that our perspective is incomplete. Thus, my final charge is that you commit to compassionately seeing those around you. This will require you to eschew the ways you have been conditioned to see others. We must appreciate the full measure of our diversity, our humanity, and our divinity. It is only when we open the eyes of our hearts, that the true value of diversity becomes clear. And then, the world as we know it, will be irrevocably changed.