Ladies of Delight Blog

Hi lovelies! Something amazing I bring your way today, it's what I call

This is a medium of appreciating, celebrating and learning from people who have made landmark achievements in their fields around the world. This is going to be a once in a while ''thing''. I hope you enjoy and learn!

The CPOTM for today is Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox.

Ursula was raised by a wonderful mother in the rough and tumble public housing projects on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Many people told her she had 3 strikes against her: she was black, she was a girl, she was poor. Her mom didn't see it that way. She rather consistently reminded her that ''Where I was didn't define who I was''. 

Her mom knew that education was her way up and out. On a modest salary, she managed to send Ursula to good Catholic schools. 

Ursula began to dream of becoming an engineer. Brooklyn Polytechnic offered her a spot in the freshman class and she panicked. She feared the students would surely be smarter than her.

It would have been so simple to let go of her dreams but for the courage and confidence that her mother and the Cathedral High School gave her, she was able to lean in. She then ever so slowly regained her footings.

Her rise to the top started at the bottom of the Xerox ladder as an intern. A few years later, her mother's admonition to always speak up brought Burns to the attention of the Xerox senior executive, Wayland, when she challenged him over the role of women and minorities in the company. By 1990, she was Wayland's top assistant.

In 2009, at age 51, almost 3 decades after joining the company and consistently rising in ranks, she was named CEO.

As CEO, she pulled the trigger on a major acquisition which has transformed Xerox from a copy and printing company to a technology and service enterprise. How did she get the job? You might want to ask, she says, she chose to work.

In 2014, the Forbes Magazine rated her the 22nd most powerful woman in the world.

''Dreams come true but not without the help of others, a good education, a strong work ethic and the courage to lean in'', says Ursula Burns.

Information Source: Diary of a Naija Girl,Forbes Magazine.

I really hope this has inspired someone there who feels like giving up or who feels he or she is not worth the position he is. I encourage you to keep working and giving your best, you are closer to your dream realization than you've ever thought.

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#theworldawaitsyoursuccessstory