INSTANT MBA: 'Success Is Not About Money. It's Not About Power. It's About Leaving.'

"Success is not about money. It's not about power. It's about leaving. [My mother] would always say that you have to leave the place — any place you are — a little bit better than you came in."

Burns recounted her mother's advice in this article because she says her mother was a huge influence in her life and was desperate to make sure her three kids were well-educated. Burns started at Xerox as an engineering intern in 1980 and spent 20 years there before she almost decided to leave the company to go to Dell.

In the end, she decided to stay with Xerox, helped the company reach new heights and left it a better place — just like her mom advised her.

"And the third thing [my mother] always said is that there are a lot of things that can happen to you, but there are a whole bunch of things that you can happen to. So make sure that you happen to the right things."

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