Breaking Through with Sally Susman

Your Working Life with Caroline Dowd-Higgins

BREAKING THROUGH

Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts, and Change the World

“The world was depending on us. But vaccine skepticism, suspicion around Big Pharma’s motives, economic insecurity, political polarization, civil unrest, and just plain fear were challenges we had to recognize and respect. We had to address those challenges in a way that didn’t alienate people but, instead, brought them into the conversation. Was I up to the task? I’d have to be,” declares Sally Susman, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer. In 2020, she found herself at the helm of one of the most urgent, high-stakes public dialogues of our times. Based on her flash of insight, she and her team found ways to break through the noise and fear and persuade millions to change their assumptions about Big Pharma, make complex science accessible, and build confidence in the lifesaving technology.

In BREAKING THROUGH, Susman shares hard-earned lessons not only from the pandemic but from her life and distinguished career, from growing up in St. Louis, to the steps of Capitol Hill, to the corridors of corporate America, including senior positions at American Express and Estée Lauder. The vivid stories, from her own and other high-profile successes and missteps, provide a masterclass for communicating with authority and authenticity. As she explains:

· Communications is not a soft skill. It’s a rock-hard competency. A communications skill set is as crucial as sales, manufacturing, technology - or any other discipline - to business success.

· Brilliant communications begin with a clear intention. What do you want to convey? Why are you talking? How do you want the listener to feel? Answering these questions and sharpening your focus is essential to delivering your message with clarity and impact.

· Being a powerful communicator is the first step to being a great leader. Having worked with nine chief executive officers across three companies, Susman has seen that only exceptional communicators can inspire people, create momentum, and drive meaningful change.

· It’s harder today to break through the static and noise. However, anyone can be an outstanding communicator, Susman declares. Her ten simple principles provide the tools to break through the cacophony to feel both heard and understood.

· Seeking Harmony is more important than ever. In our highly divided, often acrimonious world, we don’t all see things the same way. Rather than argue, she says, let’s commit to disagree agreeably, to co-exist with varying views, and to demonstrate respect.

In BREAKING THROUGH, Susman demonstrates that, at every level, communications and leadership are no longer merely entwined, but inseparable. Her guidance is for anyone who needs to be heard and understood above the noise and confusion of the modern world.

Sally Susman is Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer. She is also Vice Chair of the Pfizer Foundation. Sally leads engagement with all of Pfizer’s external stakeholders, overseeing communications, corporate responsibility, global policy, government relations, investor relations, and patient advocacy. Before joining Pfizer in 2007, she held several senior communications and government relations roles at Estée Lauder Companies and the American Express Company.