Okay, you've opened up all the opportunity doors and everybody is welcome to enter. You've done your job well. But it's ultimately up to the individuals themselves to walk through these open doors, and sometimes this involves taking risks. There are various lessons that you can impart to those diverse members of your staff who might otherwise feel intimidated in moving into uncharted territories.

Many people in the workplace are averse to taking genuine risks, particularly women and minorities who have been shut out from reaching certain levels. Indeed, it's human nature to allow cautiousness to take over when boldness is called for. The fear of striking out, which cuts a wide swath in the workplace — men, women, all races, all nationalities — often precludes many home runs from being hit.

Speaking of home runs, in baseball, to avoid striking out, a batter will sometimes choke up on the bat. This gives him more bat control and a quicker response time to swing at the ball. But it also cuts down on his power, because the shorter swing is calculated to hit the pitch and make contact.

A bigger swing, on the other hand, is more likely to miss a pitch, but is also more likely, when contact is made, to send the baseball flying greater distances. The baseball player's choice is to play it safe or to go for it.

The same choices apply to moving up in the business world. Choking up on the job amounts to being cautious, which, in some circumstances, is a wise posture to take. Caution embraces thoughtful and deliberate thinking and a strong attention to detail. These are admirable traits and work effectively in certain jobs — but caution can also hold people back.

Sometimes boldness, or risk taking, is required to reach the highest levels of management in an organization. Risk taking is something you as a coach should always welcome, and you need to pass this principle on to your employees, particularly those who will be charting areas where their gender, race, or ethnicity is underrepresented. Trailblazing in any area involves throwing caution to the wind in many situations and moments.