You Will Fail If You Ignore Diversity and Inclusion

People don’t realize there are biases in their own company. These are unconscious biases based on reflexes of what has worked in the past, panelists said.

SAN DIEGO—Everybody has a bias, but we need to overcome them if we’re hoping to find and retain good talent, Ken Bacon, managing partner of RailField Realty Partners and vice chairman of the Real Estate Executive Council, told attendees at Wednesday’s NMHC Annual Meeting. The session “An Imperative for Future Business Success: Walking the Talk on Diversity & Inclusion” revealed the reasons why having enforced policies on diversity and inclusion is the best way to make them work.

“People don’t realize that there are biases in their company—unconscious biases—that are reflexes. You go to what worked in the past,” said Laurie Baker, SVP of Camden Property Trust and immediate past president of Commercial Real Estate Women Network.