Anne M. Mulcahy Quotes

By the time I stepped down as Xerox's CEO in 2009 - and as chairman in January 2010 - Xerox had become the vibrant, profitable and revitalized company that it still is today. What made the difference was a strong turnaround plan, dedicated people and a firm commitment from company leaders.

You have to live the mission ... love what you do.

I got a journalism degree. I started doing journalism - I interned at 'Cosmopolitan' magazine in the 1970s, which probably wasn't the best place for me, and I spent six or nine months freelancing. Anyway, I wasn't that good at it.

There is an explosion of information happening, yet people demand quick access to relevant content that cuts through the clutter.

When I became CEO of Xerox 10 years ago, the company's situation was dire. Debt was mounting, the stock sinking and bankers were calling. People urged me to declare bankruptcy, but I felt personally responsible for tens of thousands of employees.

Boards without women - blacklist those suckers. It's 2011. They've had the time - it's significant that they don't have women.

I have zero tolerance for people who don't come completely prepared. I expect contribution, I expect attendance, and I expect directors to take trips and visit the company's programs.

If you're a global company you are going to have jobs overseas. The reality is if we start taxing those jobs at a rate that makes them noncompetitive in those markets, the reality is that we're going to lose business.

When parents are confident that their children will live, they have fewer of them. They invest more in each child's food, health and education.

We're living in a different world now in terms of employee needs, and companies have to offer alternative methods for getting the work done. Even under the most difficult circumstances you can have creative flexibility.

There's nothing quite as powerful as people feeling they can have impact and make a difference. When you've got that going for you, I think it's a very powerful way to implement change.

Get face time with the customers.

You should be accumulating really great relationships throughout your career.

The day I was announced as CEO, I think the stock dropped another 20%.

An important mark of a good leader [is] to know you don't know it all and never will.

People ask my mother whether she had any idea that I'd be CEO of a company some day, and she would say, 'Absolutely not. Totally out of the realm of possibility.' There was certainly nothing that would have been very predictable in my upbringing.

You know a good board when you see one.

I'm at the gym at 6, so I'm usually in my office by 7:15. And I try to not schedule a lot of meetings before 8. So I've got that first hour to get myself organized for the day and to make sure that I've structured what I want to do.

Sustainable development is a proven catalyst for Xerox innovation.

Educated and productive young people are needed to help lift their countries out of poverty and create a wealthier, more secure world.

I learned how to be a learner. When you get in a job, the tendency is to say, 'I've got to know it. I've got to give direction to others. I'm in this job because I'm better and smarter.' I always took a different view, that the key was to identify the people who really knew and learn from them.

Whenever an earthquake or tsunami takes thousands of innocent lives, a shocked world talks of little else.

Xerox's innovative technology and service offerings - delivered through an expanding distribution system with a lean and flexible business model - continue to solidify our market leadership, driving consistently strong earnings performance.

Good leadership is about the company's success, not your own.

Work/life benefits allow companies meaningful ways for responding to their employees' needs; they can be a powerful tool for transforming a workforce and driving a business' success.

Entire families work for Xerox.

Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person - not just an employee - are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.