The first Black woman CEO in the Fortune 500 believes that being a minority can provide a career advantage.

The Behind the Desk series by CNBC Make It features personal interviews with successful business executives, revealing their journeys, motivations, and daily routines.

Ursula Burns didn't consider her appointment as CEO of Xerox in 2009 to be a significant event.

A number of notable figures, including President Bill Clinton, NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, and Al Sharpton, contacted Burns to congratulate her on becoming the first Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Burns held this position until 2016.

Burns, 63, exclaimed, "Wow, this is a huge deal," to CNBC Make It.

Burns was unfamiliar with the job as Xerox, a century-old technology giant, struggled to remain competitive. She discovered that she lacked knowledge to effectively lead the company.

She says that she had an intense work ethic and was used to thriving in corporate settings as an outsider, being both Black and female. "My natural comfort is being the only or the few in a room," she says. "I became very good at playing in that space."

Burns states that she never found it problematic being the only Black woman in any room, as she perceived it as an advantage. In meetings, she was frequently called upon, and her uniqueness made her stand out, especially in open spaces.

Burns talks about her upbringing in a poor single-parent family, her climb up the professional ladder, and her strong belief in "not being too nice."

My mother made it clear that she desired our success despite growing up poor.

As a middle child from a single-parent household, I possess the typical characteristics of a middle child, including independence, introversion, and compliance. I was generally well-behaved and didn't create much trouble for my mother or at school.

I was raised in poverty by my immigrant mother from Panama, who came to the US with my father but left when I was two. She supported us through welfare and bartering skills, cleaning offices for food and doing childcare work as part of a government program for poorer families.

My mother made it clear that she considered her three children to be her greatest assets. One of her well-known sayings was, "You have to happen to the world, not the other way around."

In the 1960s, when Blacks were still being fundamentally marginalized, she believed that we would be something by actively going out and making things happen rather than waiting for things to come to us.

One of her other statements was, "Where you are is not who you are." Despite growing up in a bad neighborhood filled with drunks and drug addicts, that statement was incredibly insightful for me.

Being the only or few in a room is my natural comfort when climbing the corporate ladder.

I never anticipated being as financially or business-wise successful as I am now, but I always believed I would succeed.

I have always been the minority in the room. I selected a career path that was predominantly male-dominated, and if my classmates or coworkers were Black, they were all male. My entire life, except for high school, has been spent surrounded by very few people who looked like me.

I've been trying to find a way to describe my upbringing without sounding clichéd, but all I can say is that I feel most at ease in my natural environment. My natural comfort zone is being the only or one of a few in a room - I've always been a bit of a loner, so it never bothered me. I've become very skilled at thriving in that space.

Her minority status proved to be an advantage in becoming CEO.

I worked really hard and eventually chose a career that was perfect for me. It was a highly analytical field, which allowed me to work independently and focus on solving problems on my own.

Whenever someone needed help with a problem, I always agreed to assist them without any prior negotiation. My response was always, "What do you need done?"

Having a little bit of confidence and knowing what you're talking about as a minority turned out to be an advantage more than a disadvantage in the early parts of my career.

Raising my hand in any meeting would likely result in it being called on. If I had an idea, people would listen, even if they may not always understand or agree. Being the minority, however, has proven to be an advantage, as seen at Xerox.

Many women, Black people, and people of color may still find it difficult to blend in with others in open spaces due to their unique differences.

As the first Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, I realized that I was not as knowledgeable as I thought I was.

I realized that I lacked knowledge to run a company effectively, so I required a team of experts to assist me.

Building a perfect human requires a team of people. It's impossible to do it alone. This may be a gender issue, but I had no problem asking for help. I needed feedback and wanted to give feedback.

I believe in being assertive and not always being too nice.

Original: The cat sat on the windowsill and watched the birds outside. Rewritten: The feline perched on the ledge and observed the avian activity beyond. Good.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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