Weekend Interview: JLL's Global Head Of DEI On What Makes A Bulletproof Inclusive Strategy

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In just a few years, the environment around diversity, equity and inclusion in corporate America has changed. After the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action last year, DEI teams started to run into trouble enacting their programs.

After a surge in DEI hiring in 2020 and 2021, the number of job posts fell 63% in 2023. Companies are slashing their DEI teams in layoffs — some by 50%, some altogether. 

Some DEI execs in CRE worry the backlash might spark a downward trend in inclusionary efforts. 

JLL's global head of DEI, Nashunda Williams, sees it differently. 

The extra focus on DEI is a positive, she said, because it means people — employees and leaders alike — are interested in the subject matter and how it is affecting their companies. And while some may disagree with the term, what is at the heart of DEI is something she said everyone can agree on. 

"Almost all of the CRE firms that I'm connected with value inclusion, value belonging," she said. "And I don't think that that will be going away anytime soon."

With her feet on the ground running DEI efforts for one of the country's largest brokerages, with 100,000 employees in 80 different countries, Williams is responsible for making sure JLL's DEI strategy is one that thrives — even when the larger conversations surrounding the subject turns sour.

She said making DEI policies that stick comes down to a rock-solid framework. The strategy has to be stable enough to weather any storm, including business changes, reorganizations or public backlash. 

Williams joined JLL in 2015 and founded and led its technology division’s inclusion, culture and belonging efforts for the next six years. She led the company's business resource groups, a nine-group program that comprises 7,500 employees across 200 locations. 

Under her leadership, the company has seen 85% of American employees are more likely to stay at the brokerage after attending a BRG event.

"We've tried really hard to make sure that our group events are shared knowledge that could be used on their day-to-day job to enhance the employees' ability to connect with others at the firm. And I think we've been successful in doing that," she said. 

It all starts, she said, with the people. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Bisnow: First, I wanted to know how you got into real estate. 

Williams: For years, I worked in leadership within the technology division at Allstate. As part of that job, I was appointed to the culture committee, and I was tasked with helping the company navigate a massive transformation in fostering a healthy culture of engagement. 

So my passion is kind of centered around technology, employee engagement, inclusion, and then my career path eventually led me to JLL, where I started into the IT division, and similarly, doing a lot of the cultural work within JLL. And then years later, I got an opportunity to lead the DEI efforts.

Bisnow: How has your role changed since you started? Have you seen any ways that DEI has evolved in corporate America as a whole since you started your role?

Williams: I think that the role has evolved to one where — which is actually a positive — the amount of people that are interested in learning about this space and interested in wanting to become part of it has increased. 

From an employee standpoint, I think that people, and especially leaders, really understand that if you want to get the best out of your employee and teams, and you really want to innovate, you have to create an environment where every employee on your team wants to bring those great ideas and wants to work towards a vision. And they know that in order to do that, you have to increase employee engagement and you have to create an environment where everybody wants to thrive.

I have, since I started, seen DEI evolve to more leaders and more employees really wanting to understand and to champion and look into how they can make the best inclusive workplace so that everyone can thrive.

Bisnow: DEI has become increasingly controversial, and there's backlash happening from different parts of the political spectrum. Why do you think this backlash is happening?

Williams: More people that are aware of DEI, and there's many opinions about what DEI is. For me, DEI is about honoring everyone's lived experience and making sure every voice is heard and respected and everybody has an opportunity to thrive. It's to get to the best innovation and the results you want. It requires high-level engagement. And I think it's just awareness that's causing more people to try to understand what this space is.

Bisnow: Has the backlash or the increased conversations impacted your role in any way?

Williams: I think, at JLL, we've continued to be committed to our five-year strategy and plan. And so within that, we have been consistent in our activity and what we do. 

Bisnow: How did you create a strategy for DEI?

Williams: In order to create a strategy, we had to have an inclusive process. You have to lead by example. So we did focus groups from all around the world, and we did focus groups with all levels of the organization. 

We shared that feedback with our business resource groups, with our executive leadership, and we also worked with an outside consulting firm to gather all that feedback, look at what's working, look at what's not working and put together an inclusive strategy for the company.

Bisnow: When you first started in your role, what were some things that you wanted to change, or what were your big goals? 

Williams: I wanted to ensure that we had a strong foundation for the future. When businesses create strategies, those strategies should stand on their own. 

Different leaders can come and go, but the foundation of what you're working on should be solid enough to withstand that. And so one of my primary goals was to make sure that we had a solid foundation of a strategy that would withstand leadership changes or reorgs, something that was visionary, something that people could be excited about, that we had a new path forward.

Bisnow: How do you measure success? Are there any metrics that you have to hit?

Williams: For me, we typically have our people survey, and we look at the results of those people surveys and we take that as a measurement of success. Are we trending up or down, depending on specific questions that center around inclusion? We also look at our workforce. 

Our engagement of our employees — are they participating in some of the events that we have? And then lastly, learning and development programs. Are those successful? Do people feel like they're getting the growth and development needs within the firm, which is another aspect of engagement.

Bisnow: Can you give me an example of some of the questions that you might ask?

Williams: I'll give you one question that we ask in our people survey: We ask if your manager displays inclusive leadership through their actions and communications. And so with that, we do want inclusive leaders, where everybody on that team should feel that they have opportunities to be successful and thrive. 

Bisnow: How has diversity increased at JLL, or has it increased since you took over the role?

Williams: I think diversity can be measured in many different ways, and so yes, it has increased, and it's increased at the management level since I've taken the role and in our workforce as well.

Bisnow: How have the BRGs changed since you took over?

Williams: When I first took on the role, it was important that we had grounded the BRGs into a strategy and a framework where, one, they felt like we were partners as far as the DEI team and the business resource groups coming together, and we also wanted to make sure that we supported the business resource groups. 

So we provide some of the business resource groups' leads with coaching opportunities to enhance their own leadership development. We give them training. We're going through a three-part series right now on leadership development for all of our BRGs globally. We try to connect them and have them partner with different BRGs to enhance their community at JLL, and then also that intersectionality component. 

Bisnow: If a real estate company wanted to implement a DEI program, where should they start, and what should they keep in mind? 

Williams: It starts with the people. You know, taking a diverse group of people from all various backgrounds, all various experiences, and asking a couple of key strategic questions on what kind of environment would bring about the best ideas and innovations to take the organization or that team to the next level. 

And so when you start with the people, it really helps because you're co-creating. And I always believe in this space, it's about co-creation. It's about, you know, talking to people. It's about dialogue and conversation. And so I would always start with the employee base and asking questions to really get an understanding of what would be the best environment for them to thrive.

Bisnow: What's something unique about DEI and real estate that you've noticed?

Williams: Our service can actually disrupt and transform lives in ways that we can't imagine, and with those bold advancements in technology and automation, I think it will create a stronger need for human connection, and I think the ability to make people feel heard and respected through this next global transformation is going to be huge. 

Bisnow: The things AI can do blow my mind. It seems like something new comes out every month. What do you think the next six months will bring?

Williams: I just heard about the AI agents, where you can specifically have different tasks that these AI agents learn and grow over time and in one specific area. My hope for the future is that with using those technologies, it frees up time for us to have a little bit more connection and dialogue. Because I'm really passionate that that's the core of the human experience, right?

Bisnow: What's your favorite weekend activity?

Williams: I really enjoy on the weekends going to Lifetime and going swimming in the pool. There's just something about being in the water that's very freeing and relaxing, and it's almost like when I'm underwater, I just feel refreshed and relaxed. And so that's one of my favorite things to do on the weekend — and be with my family.