A Conversation on Leadership

Her “journey to the top” is one that “could only happen in the United States of America,” says Ursula Burns, describing her rise from New York City projects to the apex of corporate leadership at Xerox. For an eager audience of management students, Burns also highlights lessons from her early years and 30-year career. Burns’ mother, a single parent who raised three children in the Lower East Side on a meager cleaner’s salary, taught her that “where you are is not who you are.” She also forcefully conveyed the importance of a good education. So Burns leveraged her Catholic school education into first a college degree, then a career in mechanical engineering (after a mistaken detour into chemical engineering.) When Burns first joined Xerox as an engineer in 1980, there were virtually no women in the company in her field, and few black women anywhere. Burns thought she would stay only a few years. Instead, she remained for decades, due in large part to the growth she found possible at the corporation: “They said, ‘We hired you because we think you’re smart, and if you work hard, we’ll give you lots of opportunity.’ And they never went back on their commitments.” Along the way, Burns learned a few things, such as not looking for a promotion until “you’ve figured out a way to transform the current work,” and the importance of “loving change, and thinking hard before turning down a job, especially from someone senior to you.” She also figured out, “If you think you have to trade off who you are to make it, then you are going to fail.” At Xerox, she was valuable to the organization precisely because of her differences, she says. “It’s interesting how uniqueness is more of a significant advantage; it got me seen.” To be an effective leader, she advises, you must determine “your space” in the firm; develop real listening abilities; have a clear vision and take risks. Burns is a big believer in setting objectives and standards for performance. She worries that these da...

Channel: MIT World Video Length: 0s Date Found: Thu, Mar 24 2011 11:17 AM Category: Science Date Produced: Thu, Mar 24 2011 12:00 AM View Count: 5