HBR IdeaCast CEO Series: Ursula Burns on Leading with Authenticity at Xerox
May 27, 2021
Ursula Burns, former CEO of Xerox and the first Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company, shares her transformative journey from humble beginnings to corporate leadership. She discusses the necessity of promoting economic and racial equality within organizations, weaving in experiences from her memoir. Burns emphasizes the importance of authenticity in leadership, reflects on her challenges as a Black woman in a predominantly white corporate landscape, and advocates for systemic changes in corporate pay structures.
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Barney's Incident
- Ursula Burns faced daily racism and sexism outside of Xerox, particularly as a senior executive.
- One example is an incident at Barney's with her son, where she experienced typical discriminatory treatment.
Normalized Bias
- Burns argues that Black people and women have normalized biased and negative assumptions.
- She emphasizes the need to re-educate ourselves about what constitutes normal behavior.
Exceptionalism as a Barrier
- Burns noticed colleagues justifying her success by calling her "freakishly gifted" rather than acknowledging systemic issues.
- This exceptionalizing, she argues, prevents recognizing other talented Black individuals.
