Troy is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Michigan: one in five residents is an immigrant. The city is also home to many different religious groups, including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Bahá'ís.

Padma Kuppa, a Hindu resident of Troy who was born in India and raised in the United States, offered to help organize a National Day of Prayer (NDP) event for the city but was refused. She learned soon afterwards that the program was restricted to the Judeo-Christian faiths; no other religions were invited.

Determined to make the prayer event more inclusive, Padma contacted various Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Buddhists she knew, and suggested they organize a joint event. She thought that a more open interfaith event would help forge bonds between the different residents of Troy.

The group got to work immediately, with Padma taking a leadership role. After what turned out to be a very successful interfaith event that included an address by a Jewish rabbi, a Muslim call to prayer, and a prayer for peace led by a Hindu priest, Padma saw the need to go even further and build a bridge between the original Judeo-Christian group and the larger interfaith group she had helped to found. But soon Padma began noticing that her partners were less excited than she was about this plan. Her enthusiasm only seemed to make some of the other members nervous.

Unlike many in the interfaith group, Padma had grown up in a multicultural environment, where she was exposed to, and learned to accept, many faiths and traditions. While the religious leaders working with her were open-minded, they still needed time to adjust to the idea of starting a dialogue with others not in their group, whose religions they did not completely comprehend. They were still in the Neutral Zone. Padma realized that she needed to slow down if she wanted the group to stick with her till they reached their own New Beginning.

People leading a change have usually already gone through their transitions and are ready to hit the ground running as soon as the change is announced. Others, however, are either just entering the Neutral Zone, or have not even made it through their Endings. They need time to arrive at their New Beginnings. Change leaders need to give them that time for adjustment and guide them through their transition rather than wonder why it's taking so long.

Similarly, at a community level, there may be one group who has already gone through their Endings, who may be frustrated with what they see as the "slower pace" of the folks at the back who are still in an earlier stage. This difference, on a grand scale, can cause conflicts that significantly impact the ability of the community to move forward as one.