D&B/TALK
OUR DIVERSITY STORY
Diversity & Inclusion Is A Team Effort By Larry Midler
WHEN I JOINED CBRE AS GENERAL COUNSEL IN APRIL 2004, OUR LEGAL TEAM WAS ALMOST ENTIRELY U.S.-BASED AND, LIKE THE COMPANY ITSELF, SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER THAN IT IS TODAY. BUT IT HAD STRONG
FEMALE ATTORNEYS IN LEADERSHIP ROLES, INCLUDING THE GCS OF TWO OF OUR LARGEST MARKETS – NEW YORK AND LONDON. That said, we saw an opportunity as we grew to create a more diverse legal team. And when I am asked how we did it, I tell the truth — we always sought the best legal talent and actively promoted our best people to positions of leadership. We never had to sacrifice or compromise on experience, talent, work ethic or any other quality. We always hired and promoted attorneys who have shared interests but diverse perspectives. We value people who embrace innovative strategies, value great client outcomes over mere effort and want a collaborative workplace culture. It is no coincidence that many of the most senior leadership positions on our 120lawyer team are held by diverse attorneys. Our spectrum of diversity is broad. We employ lawyers in dozens of countries and view diversity beyond just gender and race. We have done a terrific job of attracting and retaining women at all stages of their careers. Today, nearly 70 percent of attorneys in the global legal department are women (60% in the U.S.), and approximately 35 percent of attorneys in the United States are people of color. Globally, our attorneys represent a diverse range of nationalities, languages spoken, and cultures. But diversity alone is not enough. Women might be 70 percent of our global population, but they make up approximately 65 percent 64
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of the team’s leadership— including two of our three deputy general counsels, the legal heads of three major global geographies and our Chief of Staff. Women of color are also overrepresented in the leadership ranks compared with their numbers overall. Thus, attorneys at every stage of their careers can look at their legal leadership team and see a reflection of themselves. Diversity is important, but inclusion and belonging are what truly signals to everyone that their potential here is unlimited. The first time I met Bobby Griffin, CBRE’s head of Diversity & Inclusion, he shared a simple metaphor to illustrate the difference between the two key elements of his title. His sage words have stuck with me. “Diversity is being invited to the dance,” he stated. “Inclusion is being asked to dance.” But, what Bobby said next was most striking and inspiring to me. “Truly belonging is being taught the dance.” The next time I saw Bobby at a conference for CBRE’s African American Network Group (AANG), I had the opportunity to see his words come to life. Following the keynote address after dinner, a band kicked up the beat to get the evening activities started. I looked on, even tapped my feet to the rhythm, but stayed safely on the sidelines. Given my lack of experience or training on the dance floor—you’d never mistake