Ursula Burns Leadership Essay
What Do People Do When They Are Leading: Ursula Burns, Xerox CEO
Strayer University
Leadership and Organization Bus 520171VA016-1142-001
Dr. Cecily Anthony
March 09, 2014
What Do People Do When They Are Leading: Ursula Burns, Xerox CEO
Ursula Burns was the first black woman CEO to take over a major US company and transition to that role from another woman (Byrnes & Crockett, 2009). Ms. Burns started as an intern with Xerox in 1980 and has worked with the company permanently since 1981. Her path required a transition from her engineering roots with involvement in the organizations major transitions to color copying, reducing the workforce by 40%, Xerox’s transition from manufacturing, and its growth in managerial diversity. Since …show more content…
Burns are her adaptability, her intellectual horsepower, and her commitment to Xerox Corporation. Ms. Burns did not make an easy choice in her academic studies. Her early catholic school guidance counselors gave her three choices for her future nursing, teaching, or a nunnery (Burns, Xerox 's Ursula Burns on Her Career Path and Changing Company Strategy, 2013). In a time when women, particularly those of color, were not studying sciences, Ms. Burns did her undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering at New York University and followed up with a Master’s Degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University. However, she didn’t just confine herself to …show more content…
She is consistently aware of the fact that she is an African American woman from New York City raised in less than ideal circumstances. She remembers her mother’s advice about forward thinking and appropriate behavior. “Where you are is not who you are… Don’t act like you’re from the gutter because you live in a place that’s really close to the gutter”. She has chosen to stay true to herself and her NYC lingo including speed and some colloquialism. “What I realized was I have to know my content and know what I want to say, and be significantly less concerned about how I say it…I can’t try to say it in somebody else’s voice. I have to say it in my voice” (Bryant,
Strayer University
Leadership and Organization Bus 520171VA016-1142-001
Dr. Cecily Anthony
March 09, 2014
What Do People Do When They Are Leading: Ursula Burns, Xerox CEO
Ursula Burns was the first black woman CEO to take over a major US company and transition to that role from another woman (Byrnes & Crockett, 2009). Ms. Burns started as an intern with Xerox in 1980 and has worked with the company permanently since 1981. Her path required a transition from her engineering roots with involvement in the organizations major transitions to color copying, reducing the workforce by 40%, Xerox’s transition from manufacturing, and its growth in managerial diversity. Since …show more content…
Burns are her adaptability, her intellectual horsepower, and her commitment to Xerox Corporation. Ms. Burns did not make an easy choice in her academic studies. Her early catholic school guidance counselors gave her three choices for her future nursing, teaching, or a nunnery (Burns, Xerox 's Ursula Burns on Her Career Path and Changing Company Strategy, 2013). In a time when women, particularly those of color, were not studying sciences, Ms. Burns did her undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering at New York University and followed up with a Master’s Degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University. However, she didn’t just confine herself to …show more content…
She is consistently aware of the fact that she is an African American woman from New York City raised in less than ideal circumstances. She remembers her mother’s advice about forward thinking and appropriate behavior. “Where you are is not who you are… Don’t act like you’re from the gutter because you live in a place that’s really close to the gutter”. She has chosen to stay true to herself and her NYC lingo including speed and some colloquialism. “What I realized was I have to know my content and know what I want to say, and be significantly less concerned about how I say it…I can’t try to say it in somebody else’s voice. I have to say it in my voice” (Bryant,