Originally published on January 31, 2023, by Trey Barrineau for NAIOP E-Newsletter.
Like many industries, commercial real estate has often struggled to make progress on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). An interactive session during NAIOP’s Chapter Leadership and Legislative Retreat (CL&LR) in Washington, D.C., in late January explored the “what, why and how” of DEI and how firms in the industry can better implement it.
Rhonda Payne, CAE, the founder and CEO of Flock Theory, opened by discussing personal identity, which Psychology Today defines as “the memories, experiences, relationships and values that create one’s sense of self.” According to Payne, some aspects of each person’s identity are fixed. These include things you were born into, as well as the era in which you exist. Furthermore, there are the choices we make (such as which college to attend or what career to focus on) and the opportunities that are presented to us.
“All these things make up an individual’s identity,” Payne said. “All these contribute to the diversity within a space or team.”
Payne noted that many people have an incomplete concept of diversity, which she emphasized is best seen as a way to describe a group, not an individual.