Walker, 2014 president of NYCREW: Success of women in CRE through opportunity, influence and power

One question I'm asked regularly in both my career as a Senior Vice President at Citi Commercial Bank and as the president of the New York chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women's Network (NYCREW) is: "What is the path to success for women in commercial real estate?" It's a question with many answers, but all share one theme: become a part of a community, and work hard to belong. For many of us, that community is NYCREW. Founded as the original New York area chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women's Network, NYCREW was established in 2001 to advance the success of women in commercial real estate through opportunity, influence and power. Success isn't handed to anyone, as NYCREW members know. We create our own opportunities, through attending information-laden sessions, interacting with colleagues (and possible new business partners), and learning new skills by volunteering our time and talents to help run this volunteer organization. Our members work in all aspects of the industry, from development to finance to brokerage to marketing to design to consulting, and our events reflect that diversity. Our 2014 events have focused on the economy, lending, work/life balance, sustainability and the next generation of leadership. Our next session, "Facilities Management Today: Trends and Challenges," to be held Tuesday, November 18th, will discuss such topics as workplace innovations, operational technology, systems integration and personnel management, with the expertise of professionals from RXR Realty Trust, ABM Facility Services, SL Green Realty, Pratt Institute and EZ Building EHS. Less formal gatherings such as CREW Coffees, introduced this year, allow us to form new relationships and reinforce existing ones on a monthly basis. After all, the path to success can't be forged on your own. For those of us in the early stages of our careers, it comes through finding mentors and role models, both male and female to emulate and learn from. When we've reached a certain level of success, it's equally important to pay that forward and become a mentor, teaching, guiding and advising those who will be the future of our industry. Many of us find, however, that we mentors learn as much from the next generation as they teach us! That is why one of our most fulfilling annual events is CREW Careers day, during which we meet with high-school women to introduce them to the possibility of real estate as a career. Our 2014 day, held in conjunction with the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, offered these students an opportunity to learn about commercial real estate and what it takes to succeed, and it was a joy to watch them absorb these lessons, whether they choose our industry or not. Through these and all our interactions, NYCREW's members have all learned one lesson in growing a business: the importance of customer service and of going above and beyond to provide our clients with everything they need. "Good enough" isn't good enough today, if it ever was. Through collaboration and instruction, we learn the best and most efficient ways to deliver on our commitments to clients and our companies - and even make a few deals together along the way! And the best way to do that -- to deliver on our commitments -- learn how to serve our companies and customers, and how to collaborate rather than compete, is together. Laura Walker is a senior vice president at Citi Commercial Bank and 2014 NYCREW President, New York, N.Y.