Ursula Burns: 'This Is a Make or Break Moment for Companies'

Ursula Burns is not afraid to speak her mind. And she has lots to say in this episode of Leadership Next. 

As the CEO of Xerox, Burns was the first and only Black woman to run a Fortune 500 company.  She stepped down from that position in 2016 and has refocused her energy on a new goal: diversifying corporate boards. She’s doing so through a new group, The Board Diversity Action Alliance.   

But calling this “a make or break moment for companies,” Burns says the challenges facing business extend beyond racial justice.  She tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt "we're poisoning the world.” She mourns the treatment of essential workers during the pandemic – putting people in harm’s way yet paying them minimum wage. And she has a strong message for fellow CEOs who may choose to vote with an eye on their bottom lines, not their communities. 

“We have a responsibility to leave behind a world that's better than it is when we inhabited it,” Burns said. At the moment, she believes business is failing to live up to that responsibility. 

Also in this episode: Fortune's Kristen Bellstrom sheds some light on the dismal diversity numbers driving Burns' new project.