Future Leaders 2023: Real Estate Balance’s Bisi Brown on authenticity

Authenticity is such a powerful word. All of us want to be authentic in our actions but how much can we really be who we really are all the time?

This was the topic Real Estate Balance secretary Bisi Brown took to the stage for as one of this year’s EG Future Leaders.

“I’m here on stage today to share with you all a gap I’ve identified in our industry,” Brown told the audience.

“And no, I’m not talking about the gender pay gap or ethnicity pay gap or even the class pay gap. I’m talking about a different gap. A gap that affects some more than others, but I believe us all. And that is the authenticity gap.”

That gap is the difference between our own individual personalities and characters and how we actually behave in certain settings.

“I believe as an industry are doing our utmost best in widening the access and ensuring that we’re inviting people to the dance, but I don’t quite think we’ve hit the nail on the head on ensuring that we’re asking people to dance”

And this gap, Brown told us, can manifest as imposter syndrome and the belief that an imposter (someone not real) would be better than our own true selves.

Brown pushed the audience members to think about themselves and their own actions when it came to closing the authenticity gap.

Were they asking people to dance, or just asking people to the dance? Were they being asked to dance, or just invited to the party? Confused? Watch Brown’s talk (below) if you want real clarity.

Brown’s message was for the audience to be themselves, to back themselves and believe in themselves, because if they don’t they create their own competitive disadvantage.

“Our industry is an industry that, if we are to be diverse, then we need true, authentic representations,” said Brown.

“We know real recognises real and if we continue to invite people to the dance we must continue to make a space where they are comfortable to dance and share just who they are.”

Watch Bisi Brown’s full speech on the power of authenticity:


A key element of what makes EG Future Leaders so special is the ripple effect it has. Our Future Leaders inspire action in our audience.

This year was all about the power of turning small ideas into mighty actions and unleashing the creativity we know exists in real estate.

Head to my.walls.io/EGFutureLeaders to see some of the takeaways our audience members shared.


In partnership with:

FL partners: CBRE, Clyde & Co, Ginger, JLL, Knight Frank, Landsec, Nuveen

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Photo © Ed Telling