Ursula Burns
Ursula Burns
Ursula M. Burnsserves as Chairmanand CEOof Xerox. As such, she is the first black-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company. She is also the first woman to succeed another woman as head of a Fortune 500 company, having succeeded Anne Mulcahy as CEO of Xerox. In 2014, Forbes rated her the 22nd most powerful woman in the world...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusinesswoman
Date of Birth20 September 1958
CountryUnited States of America
running appreciate levels
Admiration takes on a whole new level when you appreciate just how complex it is to run a modern business.
process xerox documents
Xerox is really good at managing documents, and we're definitely good at managing through a process.
volleyball games guilt
You don’t have to be at every volleyball game. We can’t guilt ourselves.
mother impact mentor
I've had many mentors, but the one that has the most impact was my mother.
office waiting back-when
This old notion that work is drudgery is nonsense. Most days, even back when Xerox was under siege, I could not wait to get to the office.
jobs nice home
Fresh out of college, you tend to join a company because it's a job. But, you tend to stay because it becomes a career; you start to feel at home. In the beginning of your career, you're focused on you: 'I like this place because I'm doing rewarding work; they take good care of me; the people are nice; there's runway for me,' etc.
doors people way
Crankiness is a human attribute that, when people walk in the door of Xerox, they remain human. The best way to get the best out of people is to not force them to be something other than they naturally are. Now what do they have to be? They have to be respectful. You cant be ridiculously disrespectful.
powerful practice careers
As Ive progressed in my career, Ive come to appreciate -- and really value -- the other attributes that define a companys success beyond the P&L: great leadership, long-term financial strength, ethical business practices, evolving business strategies, sound governance, powerful brands, values-based decision-making.
mother thinking work-out
My mother raised us to think that if we worked hard, and if we put our end of the bargain in, it would work out OK for us.
new-york black sides
I'm a black lady from the Lower East Side of New York. Not a lot intimidates me.
where-you-are who-you-are
Where you are is not who you are
new-york smart perspective
My perspective comes in part from being a New York black lady, in part from being an engineer. I know I'm smart and have opinions worth being heard.
son training nuclear
Find something that you love to do, and find a place that you really like to do it in. I found something I loved to do. Im a mechanical engineer by training, and I loved it. I still do. My son is a nuclear engineer at MIT, a junior, and I get the same vibe from him. Your work has to be compelling. You spend a lot of time doing it.
glasses littles break
I’m an advocate for change and eager to break a little glass when needed,