Potter advises women to push for transparency in compensation. When no one knows what anyone makes it's easier to maintain inequalities in pay.

The professor highlights another point. “We have a lot of really high achieving women in all professions and real estate is one of them. But having one woman who is chair of the board or three women at the top of a corporation does not mean things are better for all women,” she says. “Frequently, they can be seen as exceptions to the rule.”

She praised Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg noting she is an enormously accomplished businesswoman. However, with Sandberg's best-selling book Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, Potter took exception to its unstated message. The book is basically saying, “If you're not making it, you're not doing the right things. You're not competing the way you should. You're not tooting your own horn the way you should,” comments Potter.

There are realities with work environments apart from a woman's individual behavior that define a meritocracy. Similar to in politics, she asserts gender biases affect perceptions of meritocracies. As a case in point Potter states, “We don't give advice like that to men. There are not books written for men saying, 'Stop sexually harassing women at the office.'”

Potter recommends that people in the workplace take actions against incidents of gender discrimination or sexual harassment. One step would be going to the Human Resources office because treating women fairly is the law.

Second, Potter states people in the office should practice aggressive self-defense. If employees, both men and women, see sexual harassment, they should directly confront perpetrators about their behavior. “I don't think whispering networks are very helpful,” she says. That's when everyone knows someone is engaging in inappropriate behavior and talks about it behind closed doors. Yet there's a reluctance to take action to stop it.

Finally, Potter says when people experience discrimination at the workplace, they often are so shocked that they just freeze. Later, at night they go home and think of 10 things they should have said. She advises people to think ahead and ask themselves, “OK, if this happens to me, what will I do? What will I say?” As people prepare with fire drills or active shooter drills, they should be prepared for sexual harassment and discrimination. They can write down scripts and make a list of what they'll say so they can be prepared to professionally and effectively respond to and confront gender discrimination or sexual harassment.

Look for additional insights on the #MeToo movement in commercial real estate in our upcoming July/August 2019 issue of Real Estate Forum.

➤➤ Join the GlobeSt.com Women of Influence 2019 conference July 10^th and 11^th in Broomfield, CO, which celebrates the women who drive the commercial real estate industry forward. The event will address the critical role of women in the CRE business. Click here to register and view the agenda.