Ben Myers, director of sustainability at Boston Properties (NYSE: BXP), participated in a video interview at Nareit’s ESG Forum 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Florida.
Myers, who was recently awarded Nareit’s Leader in the Light Leadership Personified Award, compared effective ESG leadership to good sportsmanship: “Know the rules, respect your teammates, and play hard.”
Myers said an effective leader is someone who has a healthy balance of humility and confidence. “The humility to question their own assumptions [and listen] to facts; and the confidence to execute on good ideas by persuading others around them and taking responsibility,” Myers said.
He added that the greatest challenge for ESG professionals is to quantify the benefits of ESG initiatives for all of their stakeholders.
Myers said he is proud of several of Boston Properties’ recent ESG efforts, including its billion-dollar green bond, commitment to renewable power, and recognition for its development of Salesforce Tower in San Francisco.
“The execution of our sustainability strategy [earned us] the highest rating for any tower in the state of California under the LEED Version 3 rating system,” Myers said.