"Trust is very hard to build up, and it takes a long time - but it can be destroyed overnight." - Ron Christianson

Most of us think of a crisis as something that happens to other people's companies. Then the media is outside the CEO's apartment, ringing the bell, and someone has to decide what gets said in the next five minutes.

That someone, for years, was Ron Christianson - and this week he tells us how he got there, what it actually feels like, and why the leaders who handle it best are usually the ones who've learned to listen first.

Ron is the founder of Credence Comms and Coaching, working across corporate affairs and leadership communication. Before going out on his own, he spent more than a decade inside McDonald's - rising from a communications role in Australia to a global position covering franchised markets across South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia - before a strategic move to lead communications for Toys R Us Asia, right as Covid hit. Along the way there's also a language degree, a year teaching English in Korea, a "kismet" story about two careers landing in Hong Kong at once, and a front-row seat to the 2019 unrest and handover-era change in the city he called home for eight years. Luella and Ron talk trust, crisis communications, coaching leaders under pressure, and what it actually takes to build a career across four continents.

00:00:53 - What Credence Comms and Coaching actually does, and why Ron sees communication as a business-critical skill, not a soft one.

00:09:42 - What it's really like when the press is at the door, the boss is calling, and there's no margin for error.

00:27:24 - Ron on the languages and teaching path he almost took, and the year abroad that told him it wasn't for him.

00:58:07 - Resilience, listening, adaptability, empathy, and why celebrating success matters more than leaders think.

01:08:45 - The risk that took him to Australia, and why he'd take it again.

All opinions are the guest's own.

New episodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion on what we've heard in the last week of the month.

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Career Stories is hosted by Dr Luella Forbes, who works with organisations on leadership, change and storytelling. To find out how she can support your leaders and teams, visit luellaforbes.com/services

More about the podcast: luellaforbes.com/career-stories

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