What Ursula Burn's rise to power can teach us about mentorship

The first black women to lead a company the size of Xerox, Burn's journey from the projects to CEO shows us the value of the right mentors.


Not all mentors are created equal.

In the wake of Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In, a tsunami of leadership programs swept through businesses as mentorship was deemed the cure-all to the inequality issue.

But not all ordained or self-appointed mentors are going to help you. Some of the best leaders today already knew this secret and purposely sought out specific mentors who would take them to the next level and beyond.

Ursula Burns was raised by her single mother in the New York City housing projects. Though the odds were stacked against her chances of success, Burns understood the power of strategic mentorship, what it truly takes to become a successful leader.

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