The executive vice president of Pfizer has a new book documenting how strong communication leadership helped lead her company through the challenges of the pandemic.
The Problem
Pfizer became the public face of the vaccination effort in the past two years, pushing advertising heavily and working with the Biden administration to encourage vaccination, but also gaining negative attention from vaccine-hesitant individuals who remain skeptical of the corporation’s effectiveness and intentions.
In a time of high political tensions and low trust in public information, Pfizer’s public outreach contributed to 81% of the U.S. public being partially or completely vaccinated against COVID-19.
In her new book Breaking Through: Communicating To Open Minds, Move Hearts, and Change the World, Sally Susman argues that her time as the communications leader at Pfizer offers a model for how to win the “hearts and minds” of the public.
Notable Quotes
“I wrote Breaking Through to equip current and aspiring leaders so they can discover and hone their clear and credible voice. I want to help people strengthen their communications skillset and be able to establish, engage, and build respectful relationships based on trust across their organizations, communities, and stakeholders,” writes Susman.
“She shows how clarifying and channeling your intention is an essential first step: What are you trying to say? She illustrates how leaders need to muster the courage to be candid in order to be effective and how, in order to connect, they must both disarm with humility and delight with humor,” says the publisher.