Ep 169 – How to Handle a Crisis and Keep Calm with Sue Musson

Today’s guest Sue Musson has handled many a crisis in her career, including leading one of the largest NHS Trusts through the pandemic.  In this episode she shares what she’s learnt about keeping calm in a crisis. 

We discuss: 

• Sue’s overall philosophy for coping with a crisis 

• How to calm yourself down from the initial state of panic 

• How to keep your team calm in a crisis too 

• The importance of taking personal responsibility as a leader 

• What to do when you don’t know what the right decision is 

• The keys to successful communication when managing a crisis 

Sue shares some great stories from her own leadership experience, as well as her 6 step crisis management framework from her book Firecracker Leadership. 

My name’s Carla Miller, leadership coach, author, trainer and founder of Women Leading, the community that helps women lead without overwhelm.  I’m on a mission to empower women leaders in the workplace and make leading less lonely.   

And this is the Influence & Impact podcast for women leaders, helping you confidently navigate the ups and downs of leadership and feel less alone on your journey as a leader.  In fortnightly episodes I share practical tools and insights from myself and my brilliant guests that will help you succeed in your career. 

About Sue Musson: 

Sue Musson achieved her first board-level leadership role at the age of twenty-seven. She is keen to share what she has learned to help other women build their confidence and impact. 

For 30 years, Sue has led numerous organisations including her own successful businesses under the Firecracker brand. She recently completed her term as Chairman of Liverpool University Hospitals, one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, with 14,000 staff and a turnover of £1.2Bn.  Sue led the trust through a merger, the pandemic and the opening of a new hospital by the Prince and Princess of Wales.  

Her experience of leadership spans the full gamut of highs and lows, which she recounts with honesty, insight and humour in her new book, Firecracker Leadership.  

The book achieved number one bestseller status in three categories on Amazon and became a top ten bestseller in the USA. Firecracker Leadership is endorsed by the Mindvalley Book Club: “We are happy to endorse Firecracker Leadership (which) is a wonderfully written and structured book. It is packed with great ideas and quote-worthy wisdoms…It is a wonderful book that we are happy we got our hands on.” 

Concepts from the book have been featured in publications like Forbes, European Business Review, Elite Business, She Can Code, HR News, Startups Magazine, Training Journal and The HRDirector.  

Having served for fifteen years as a non-executive director and chair of five of the UK’s most significant healthcare organisations, Sue continues her public service by chairing panels to appoint UK judges in addition to running her own businesses. 

Sue’s website - https://www.suemusson.com/   

Sue on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-musson-a0119416  

FREE RESOURCE - How To Say No Challenge: 

If you struggle to say ‘no’ then this free 5 day challenge is for you.  You’ll receive a short email each day containing a short video taking you through the 5 steps of my How To Say No framework. We’ll get you happily saying no in just 5 days! 

Access it at carlamillertraining.com/sayno 

Influence & Impact: 

Join the September cohort of Influence & Impact to learn how to tackle self-doubt, increase your impact and become brilliant at influencing.  It’s a small cohort working closely with me and includes 6 workshops and 2 peer coaching sessions. 

Find out more at https://carlamiller.co.uk/influence 

Women Leading: 

My Women Leading community gives you the support you need to: 

⭐ Set boundaries and expectations 

⭐ Prioritise your wellbeing 

⭐ Coach your hybrid team effectively 

⭐ Stop people pleasing  

⭐ Lead under pressure 

You can read more and sign up here: https://www.carlamillertraining.com/womenleading