Where You Are Is Not Who You Are : A Memoir
Author(s): Ursula Burns
The first Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company looks back at her life and her career at Xerox, sharing unique insights on American business and corporate life, the workers she has always valued, racial and economic justice, how greed is threatening democracy, and the obstacles she’s conquered being Black and a woman.
“I am a black woman, I do not play golf, I do not belong to or go to country clubs, I do not like NASCAR, I do not listen to country music, and I have a masters degree in engineering. I, like a typical New Yorker, speak very fast, with an accent and vernacular that is definitely New York City, definitely Black. So when someone says I’m going to introduce you to the next CEO of Xerox, and the options are lined up against a wall, I would be the first one voted off the island.”
In 2009, when she was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the Xerox Corporation, Ursula Burns shattered the glass ceiling and made headlines. But the media missed the real story, she insists. “It should have been ‘how did this happen? How did Xerox Corporation produce the first African American woman CEO?’ Not this spectacular story titled, “Oh, my God, a Black woman making it.”
In this smart, no-nonsense book, part memoir and part cultural critique, Burns writes movingly about her journey from tenement housing on Manhattan’s Lower East Side to the highest echelons of the corporate world. She credits her success to her poor single Panamanian mother, Olga Racquel Burns—a licensed child-care provider whose highest annual income was $4,400—who set no limits on what her children could achieve. Ursula recounts her own dedication to education and hard work, and how she took advantage of the opportunities and social programs created by the Civil Rights and Women’s movements to pursue engineering at Polytechnic Institute of New York.
Burns writes about overcoming the barriers she faced, as well as the challenges and realities of the corporate world. Her classmates and colleagues—almost all white males—“couldn’t comprehend how a Black girl could be as smart, and in some cases, smarter than they were. They made a developed category for me. Unique. Amazing. Spectacular. That way they could accept me.” Her thirty-five-year career at Xerox was all about fixing things, from cutting millions to save the company from bankruptcy to a daring $6 billion acquisition to secure its future. Ursula also worked closely with President Barack Obama as a lead on his STEM initiative and Chair of his Export council, where she traveled with him on an official trade mission to Cuba, and became one of his greatest admirers.
Candid and outspoken, Ursula offers a remarkable look inside the c-suites of corporate America through the eyes of a Black woman—someone who puts humanity over greed and justice over power. She compares the impact of the pandemic to the financial crisis of 2007, condemns how corporate culture is destroying the spirit of democracy, and worries about the workers whose lives are being upended by technology. Empathetic and dedicated, idealistic and pragmatic, Ursula demonstrates that, no matter your circumstances, hard work, grit and a bit of help along the way can change your life—and the world.
Review(s):
"Run, don’t walk, to buy this book about the amazing life and career of Ursula Burns, who rose to lead and help save the Fortune 500 company, Xerox. If you’re looking for life and business lessons about how to navigate both as a black woman, this book is for you. If you’re wondering why girls should study STEM subjects and become engineers in our changing economy, you’ll understand why. And if you’re ready to be inspired during this difficult time in America, Ursula’s story of being a poor immigrant’s daughter delivers.”
“Ursula Burns’ journey toward becoming the first Black woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company is fascinating and surprising. And, her views of the corporate landscape as it relates to our personal lives is priceless. Wish I’d had this enlightening memoir at the start of my business career. It’s perfect for any person who dreams big and wants more for the world in terms of greater human compassion.”
“Often, when we think of big business we think money, power, and product. But, when Ursula Burns speaks of the corporate world she celebrates and brings to light the people—the human component—that makes all things possible. This book is a wonderful tribute to the American worker.”
“With its focus on business and leadership, Burns' writing is refreshingly lucid, crisp, and jargon-free, making readers feel as if in conversation with the author, hearing about her time at Xerox and other fascinating stories, such as her meetings with former President Obama. Readers will find this business memoir through the lens of a Black woman to be both engrossing and eye-opening.”
ISBN: 9780062879295