me for Travolta—I wasn’t comfortable staking the dignity of the General Counsel’s office on my two left feet. I was spying the nearest exit sign and about to leave when, out of nowhere, a colleague who I did not know took me by the hand and said, “Come on Larry, I’ll show you the Electric Slide!” Fully aware that all eyes were now on the “Compliance Corner guy,” I had no choice. It took me the first time through the paces to figure out what the heck everyone was doing. But, with some simple instruction from my new dance partner, I was able to mimic the basic steps. The second time, I awkwardly fumbled
regardless how senior or credentialed. At our meetings, we actively seek comments and questions from people who traditionally have not spoken up. We promise an inclusive workplace, and we make sure that we deliver. For example, we provide transparency in compensation and career pathing, provide a flexible work schedule and the ability to work remotely as needed, and we ensure that all positions within the legal department are posted and communicated to the entire team. We pride ourselves on being able to avoid the in-group/out-group dynamics that sometimes perpetrate global teams and create a non-inclusive environment.
WHEN YOU LOOK ACROSS CBRE’S LEGAL TEAM, YOU SEE PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND EXPERIENCES.
WHAT YOU MIGHT NOT SEE IS THAT OUR UNIQUE BLEND OF IDENTITIES, CULTURES AND, IMPORTANTLY, PERSPECTIVES RESULTS IN MORE INNOVATIVE WAYS OF THINKING, ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF OUR SERVICE AND PRODUCING GREATER OUTCOMES FOR CLIENTS.
through the pattern. The third time, I did it without messing up. By the fourth go ‘round, this guy was gaining some flow. Then, by some miracle, it clicked. By the end of the song, I was feeling the music and riffing to the moves. After the song and feeling light as a feather, I rushed directly over to Bobby Griffin and with a big smile I said, “Now, I get it.” As long as I’ve been leading our global legal team, we have always promoted and embraced “true belonging” as our desired workplace culture and values. Personally, I always strive to ensure that everyone is asked their opinion,
Liz Atlee, Deputy General Counsel – Global Litigation, Employment & IP, who joined the legal team in 2011, has explained our vision perfectly. “When you look across CBRE’s legal team, you see people with different backgrounds and experiences. What you might not see is that our unique blend of identities, cultures and, importantly, perspectives results in more innovative ways of thinking, enhancing the quality of our service and producing greater outcomes for clients.” We are proud of our diversity, but even more gratified that we have our company’s D&B MAGAZINE SUMMER ISSUE 2019 | W W W. M C C A . C O M
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