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The Leading in a Crisis Podcast
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The Leading in a Crisis Podcast

Author: Tom

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Interviews, stories and lessons learned from experienced crisis leaders. Email the show at Tom@leadinginacrisis.com. 

Being an effective leader in a corporate or public crisis situation requires knowledge, tenacity, and influencing skills. Unfortunately, most of us don't get much training or real experience dealing with crisis situations. On this podcast, we will talk with people who have lived through major crisis events and we will tap their experience and stories from the front lines of crisis management.

Your host, Tom Mueller, is a veteran crisis manager and trainer with more than 30 years in the corporate communications and crisis fields. Tom currently works as an executive coach and crisis trainer with WPNT Communications, and as a contract public information officer and trainer through his personal company, Tom Mueller Communications LLC.

Your co-host, Marc Mullen, has over 20 years of experience as a communication strategist. He provides subject matter expertise in a number of communication specializations, including crisis communication plan development, response and recovery communications, emergency notifications and communications, organizational reviews, and after-action reports. He blogs at Blog | Marc Mullen 

Our goal is to help you  grow your knowledge and awareness so you can be better prepared to lead should a major crisis threaten your organization.

Music credit: Special thanks to Nick Longoria from  Austin, Texas for creating the theme music for the podcast.

46 Episodes
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Send us a text On this episode Marc and Tom are joined again by Destin Singleton and we discuss the value - and surprises - that can come from a periodic refresh of your crisis plan. We call it spring cleaning. And a spruced up plan smells so much nicer, don't you think? Company reorganizations, personnel changes in your team or in other departments can all impact your crisis plans. New people often need training, or a refresh of training, for roles they may fill in your response plan. ...
Send us a text On January 29, an American Airlines commuter plane collided with an Army Blackhawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport. All aboard both aircraft were killed, in what is our nation's worst airline incident in 11 years. How did American Airlines manage early communications around this horrific incident, a worst case scenario for any airline? We walk through the company's initial communications response to understand how they chose to speak to families of those who were ...
Send us a textIn part 2 of our conversation about PTSD in the crisis management realm, we continue our conversation with Sara McKeown White, executive director of the Mental Health Coalition of Teton Valley. Sara shares tips for avoiding PTSD and other mental health issues when living and working in highly stressful situations.We'd love to hear from you. Email the show at Tom@leadinginacrisis.com.
Send us a text PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder is most often associated with combat veterans returning home after a lengthy, risk-filled deployment in battlefield conditions. But PTSD can also affect team members who deploy out to a major crisis incident response. They are often dealing with situations that threaten people and communities, where emotions are running high and responder stress levels are as well. These conditions can wear us down and create mental health issues - the mo...
Send us a text One of the key tenets of crisis planning is having a surge capacity that allows you to scale up your available resources when a crisis strikes. Most companies struggle with this over time, as it can be costly to keep a PR firm or other resources on retainer. Budget cycles make this expense hard to justify, especially if your firm hasn't suffered a major crisis. In this episode, we delve into the very public failures of one company - Centerpoint Energy - to maintain...
Send us a text How do you keep your team going when every second counts and the stakes couldn't be higher? Join us as Amanda Coleman, a press officer with the Greater Manchester Police at the time the incident occurred, shares her gripping experience managing the aftermath of the Manchester Arena terrorist attack. Amanda opens up about the initial misjudgment of staffing needs, the rapid burnout of her team, and the critical lessons learned from the delay in requesting help. She provides a vi...
Send us a text On today's episode we take you back to a terrorist bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England in 2017. A suicide bomber detonated a backpack bomb loaded with nails just after the concert ended, killing 22 concertgoers and injuring hundreds more. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Our guest today, Amanda Coleman, served as the lead press officer for the Greater Manchester Police during that incident. That agency managed the in...
Send us a text Ever wondered how coordinated disaster response efforts come together in the face of devastating wildfires? Join us on this week's Leading in a Crisis as we sit down with Michael, who has firsthand experience on the ground during the Lahaina wildfires in Hawaii. Discover the intricate role the US Army Corps of Engineers played in uniting federal, state, and local agencies, and how crucial it was to integrate local knowledge and resources. Michael elaborates on the EPA's mission...
Send us a text How does one navigate the chaos of a natural disaster while ensuring cultural respect and effective communication? Join us as we dive into the compelling and heart-wrenching story of the Lahaina wildfire in Hawaii through the eyes of Michael Brogan, a seasoned public affairs expert. He recounts the sheer devastation he witnessed in Lahaina and the complex, multi-agency recovery efforts that ensued. Michael shares the challenges of communicating the EPA's mission in an environme...
Send us a text Can AI really revolutionize crisis management? Today, we're joined by Justin Snair, the brilliant mind behind Preppr.ai, to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming the landscape of emergency preparedness. From his roots in the Marine Corps to his innovative work with under-resourced organizations, Justin shares his unique journey and insights on making planning and crisis exercises more accessible and affordable. We explore how AI could help small organizations and ...
Send us a text On this episode, we continue our conversation with Will Fitzgerald and Celina Cardenas from Occidental Petroleum recounting their first time serving in leadership roles for a major crisis exercise. Ever wondered how leaders maintain composure and maneuver through the chaos of a crisis? That's exactly what we uncover with Will and Celina as they recount their experiences at the helm during a high-intensity crisis simulation. Will pulls back the curtain on the role o...
Send us a text On this episode, two first time leaders in a major oil spill response drill share their experiences, thoughts, and insights into leading during a major crisis. Occidental Petroleum tapped Will Fitzgerald and Celina Cardenas to serve as public information officer and deputy PIO for a recent drill, giving them their first taste of leading the team in a crisis. They recount for us their pulse-quickening experience in a Gulf of Mexico oil spill drill. Step into their shoes as ...
Send us a text Unlock the secrets of crisis leadership with the wisdom of corporate communication maestro, John Breed, manager of community and external affairs at ChampionX. We think John wins the award for working with most CEOs in a career, and he shares some of his tips for managing those relationships, particularly in a crisis. Our conversation traverses the essential traits that make or break leaders during turbulent times, with a particular focus on authentic empathy and comprehe...
Send us a text Emergency situations don't come with a playbook, but when they strike, it's leaders like incident commander Dan Smiley who orchestrate the chaos into coherence. In our latest episode, Dan reveals the behind-the-scenes drama when multiple agencies, such as the EPA and Coast Guard, must unite under the banner of Unified Command. He gives a gripping account of a vessel grounding off the coast of California, unraveling the complexities of authority, collaboration, and the decision-...
Send us a textPrepare to navigate the stormy seas of crisis management as we welcome the unparalleled expertise of Dan Smiley, whose storied career has taken him from the decks of the Coast Guard to the forefront of oil spill response. Now, as a consultant and podcast voice on crisis leadership, Dan steps aboard our show to chart the integration of AI into the realm of incident command. With anecdotes from the field and an insider's perspective, he brings to life the transformative impact of ...
Send us a text On this episode, Tom and Marc review the communications coming out from the various parties involved in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. This is a complex response involving numerous federal, state, and local agencies, with communications coming from several different groups. Tom and Marc parse through the communications and offer insights for crisis communicators monitoring this large scale response that has more than 20 persons staffing the joint informati...
Send us a text Steer clear of the political quagmire and keep your brand afloat during election season! Join host Tom Mueller and guest Kathy Leach from Brand Insights as we traverse the complex terrain of brand risk management amidst the uproar of political campaigns. Discover essential strategies for maintaining your company's integrity without becoming collateral damage in political warfare. We're getting down to brass tacks on staying informed and strategic with your brand's messaging, th...
Send us a text Join us for an engaging conversation around risk communication - not the same as crisis communication - with Ann Hayward Walker, a seasoned scientific advisor who has worked major incidents including Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez. Ann has spent many years exploring how people process perceived risk and how an incident management team can effectively communicate around risk issues. How does she recommend managing the difficult issue of risk communication? Hint: It isn...
Send us a text Unlock the secrets to building unshakeable trust between companies and communities with our expert guest, Mary Sue Knowles. With over two decades of expertise, Mary Sue unravels the significance of community advisory panels (CAPs) for effective crisis management and the cultivation of long-term relationships. This episode is a goldmine for anyone looking to understand the sheer power of open dialogue and genuine engagement in forging community partnerships that withstand the te...
Send us a text On this episode, we discuss the value of using live, interactive social media simulation for a realistic experience during crisis training exercises. We're joined by Geoff Paddock, a journalist-turned-communications expert based in the UK, who brings a wealth of experience in the nuclear and chemical sectors. With Geoff we dissect how digital crisis simulations provide an unparalleled level of realism and urgency that paper-based methods can't match. Our discussion takes ...
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