As the first Black woman CEO in the Fortune 500, you don't have to attend all your children's games.
The burden of balancing careers and family is still heavier for many working mothers.
Ursula Burns, the first Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company in 2009, never believed the narrative that she had to sacrifice her family for her career. Instead, she relied on her late husband Lloyd Bean to take care of their two children while she scaled the career ladder. Burns attributes her success to this strategy.
Burns, 63, admits to CNBC Make It that he wouldn't be able to be CEO of the company if he didn't outsource the care of his children. He explains that he never believed in attending all of his children's games and finds the concept confusing.
Burns claims that her mindset sometimes received negative feedback from other parents, but it worked for her. During games, she would relax and do a crossword puzzle instead of watching every second.
I wasn't a helicopter mom," she says. "We did what we had to do.
From 2009 to 2016, Burns served as CEO of Xerox before the company split into two separate entities: Xerox and Conduent. She continued to serve as Xerox's chairman until 2017.
When Burns began climbing the corporate ladder, Bean, a research scientist at the same company, retired early to become a stay-at-home dad. Burns' sister, who lived nearby, occasionally assisted him.
"We had the village, and it took a collective effort for me to lead Xerox while managing multiple kids at home," she says.
In 2009, Burns was appointed by President Obama to lead the White House National STEM program and later served as vice chair of the President's Export Council from 2015 to 2016.
She is a member of the board of directors of several corporations, including Uber, American Express, and ExxonMobil, and was ranked 22nd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2014.
Although she missed out on after-school activities, Burns raised two "unbelievably good kids." At the same time, her rapid career advancement often left her feeling disconnected from the routine of her daily life. Her only regret is not being more present in those daily activities, from work to home.
Don’t miss:
make-it
You might also like
- One of the most Googled houses in the world, the Chicago-area house from 'Home Alone,' has just sold for $5.5 million.
- A psychologist claims that TikTok is causing harm to children on an industrial scale.
- I won't be consuming these 6 foods that can accelerate the aging process and shorten my lifespan, as advised by a plastic surgeon with 20 years of experience.
- In order to succeed in 2025, the best advice from a career coach is to be proactive.
- Fourteen colleges provide bachelor's degrees in AI, with only one Ivy League institution among them.