Suzanne Rich Folsom: Qualities Essential to Managing a Crisis

Suzanne Rich Folsom has not only handled, managed, and mitigated serious organizational crises for much of her career; she has thrived in the role of crisis manager, earning the reputation as a proficient, exceptional crisis management professional and invaluable organizational leader along the way.

A transformative CCO and General Counsel, Folsom has been looked upon on multiple occasions as a source of calm, confidence, and leadership during periods of serious, consequential upheaval; and has provided the presence and peace-of-mind needed to restore order and implement the change necessary to guide the organization through a successful transformation.

As Folsom knows, there are number of intangible qualities essential to successfully managing a crisis, regardless of magnitude. Such qualities include:

Skil: Good crisis managers aren’t born; they’re made. Effective crisis management tends to come more often from those who have been there, who have seen and experienced different approaches to managing a crisis, and who have learned what not to do during times of upheaval.

Judgment: A strong crisis manager possesses the good judgment needed to make the best decisions at the right times, to know which personnel to trust and place in charge, and to avoid mistakes that can worsen the problem.

Resolve: To be an effective crisis manger, one must have the resolve not just to make the hard decisions, but to stand behind them in spite of pushback. 

Visit https://medium.com/@suzannefolsom/suzanne-rich-folsom-support-of-veterans-456f7e34ab75 to know more about her.

Suzanne Rich Folsom: Noted Business Leader and Women’s Advancement Advocate

Accomplished General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer Suzanne Rich Folsom has been consistently recognized by leaders in business, politics and throughout the legal profession for her work not only in rooting out corruption; but for providing the adept, transformative, and courageous leadership needed to deliver measurable results to an organization’s bottom line.

As someone who has made an indelible, undeniable imprint on the legal profession, as well as the position of general counsel, Suzanne Rich Folsom has utilized her professional prominence to champion the advancement of women, particularly throughout the legal community. This is something that has not only earned her accolades from colleagues and peers throughout the legal profession, but that has garnered the opportunity to speak and advocate for women’s rights and empowerment at numerous speaking events around the country.

A public proponent of female advancement and leadership in corporate America, Folsom has also made her mark in the areas of mentorship and sponsorship. She continues not only to serve as an inspiration to female professionals making their way up the corporate ladder but to provide the tangible support and encouragement they need to take their rightful place in boardrooms across the country.

Suzanne Folsom: An Attorney Who Matters

Suzanne Folsom has been a force for positive change throughout her career. A seasoned general counsel, chief compliance officer and accomplished change agent, Folsom has been at the forefront of much-needed transformation, as well as a pillar of integrity, for numerous public and private corporations; someone who has demonstrated the ethical backbone and resolve needed to fight corruption, pursue accountability, and do what’s right, even in the face of intense public scrutiny and attention.

Most recently a Senior Vice President, General Counsel and CCO for the United States Steel Corporation, Folsom isn’t afraid to tackle problems at the highest organizational levels, nor to face the consequences of doing what is needed to ensure the maintenance of integrity and accountability within a prominent national or multilateral enterprise. 

A valued U.S. Steel executive and asset for four years, Folsom provided composed, committed leadership and service throughout her tenure, managing crises and implementing strategies that put her company on the best path to success.

It was her work for U.S. Steel, as well as her longstanding reputation for impactful, ethical executive leadership, that garnered Folsom recognition as one of Ethisphere Magazine’s 2017 Attorneys Who Matter.   

Suzanne Rich Folsom: The Acceleration of Opportunity

Suzanne Rich Folsom always understood the role of general counsel to require an in-depth knowledge of the company’s business in order to provide sage legal guidance. It was the rapidly-growing opportunity to become an impactful and influential business leader within the organization, however, that may have been most surprising, particularly over the last 10 years.

“We’ve gone from the general perception of the legal department as the place where ideas go to die, and businesses suffer the dreaded ‘slow no,’” says Folsom, “to legal departments being a valued and general counsels being valuable business leaders who play key roles in driving the company forward.”

Most recently General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at U.S. Steel, Suzanne Rich Folsom has been rewarded by the chance not only to serve at the helm of a large corporate organization’s legal operation but to be an important and influential part of the firm’s high-level decision-making process.

“…along with being General Counsel and an advisor to the Board,” says Folsom of her role at U.S. Steel, “I (oversaw) the company’s real estate department/portfolio and (headed) our Government Affairs team, my role (was) to look for – and navigate around –potential pitfalls, including mitigating against business with asymmetrical risk, carefully vet partners and affiliates, and drive proactive legislative and regulatory policy that will advantage the entire company.”

(The above was taken from a 2017 interview with ALM)

Visit https://twitter.com/suzannerfolsom?lang=en to follow her on Twitter. 

Suzanne Folsom: Advice for Female General Counsels

Accomplished general counsel and C-Suite executive Suzanne Folsom understand the often immense challenges facing the General Counsel charged with overseeing the legal, regulatory and compliance function of a Fortune 500 company.  And she is also all too familiar with the additional obstacles that female GCs confront in these roles. 

Most recently the General Counsel, CCO and Senior VP of Government Affairs at U.S. Steel, Folsom knows how much effort is involved in the process of obtaining a strong grasp of such an enterprise’s complex business operations and related legal issues; and she also knows just how vital this process is to the provision of proper and effective high-level management of the company’s legal, regulatory and compliance operation.

To get the process moving in the right direction, Folsom recommends:

• Getting to know the enterprise inside and out. Taking the time to immerse yourself in the inner workings of the company, and really getting to know the underlying business at the granular level, will help to eliminate, or at least blunt, doubt about the capabilities and focus of the General Counsel – including the female GC. 
• Understanding the customer. Another way to gain more acceptance and peel away doubt is to devote time to meeting and getting to know the firm’s important customers; to improve understanding and build relationships with those essential to company success.
• Making your mark. The development of your own signature program, one that improves processes or that mitigates risks, can leave an indelible impression on colleagues for years to come.

Suzanne Folsom is the author of “One size does not fit all when it comes to compliance strategies,” an article appearing in InsideCounsel Magazine in 2014. 

Lessons Learned – an Interview with General Counsel Standout Suzanne Rich Folsom

Do the hard work. Be a good mentor. Know when to speak up and advocate for your viewpoint or career. Folsom-isms all. Suzanne Rich Folsom’s decades-long legal career has taken her down in the trenches and around the world, fighting the good fight, in the service of right.

Suzanne Rich Folsom shared some lessons-learned wisdom in a discussion titled “Women Leading the Law” to a room full of aspiring female GCs.

• On career, friendship and loyalty: “One female GC definitely stands out – Stasia Kelly (former Vice Chair and General Counsel at AIG), who has been a ‘mentor’ and a ‘sponsor’ for me. A mentor gives you advice; a sponsor goes the extra mile. Or more. She creates opportunities for you. And Stasia has been a great friend too!”
• On roadblocks: “The trailblazers who preceded me helped push aside a number of gender-related obstacles; then my peers and I have tackled the next-round of gender-based challenges in both the legal and corporate world. For me and many other successful women lawyers, the key to unlocking the future hasn’t been glamorous – just grueling work.  And there is still more work to be done.”
• On leadership: “The best leaders, irrespective of gender or generation, have the self-confidence to move past slights and bad behavior.”
• On competition: “A company that doesn’t value employees are destined to fall behind.”

Visit https://www.academi.com/news_room/articles to check out more articles shared by her.

Suzanne Folsom Counsels Female Attorneys on how to Achieve Success

Drive and Ambition.  You must really want to succeed and strive to get there. So advises longtime General Counsel Suzanne Folsom. You’ll often find her dispensing wisdom to audiences of up-and-coming women who seek to follow in the trailblazer’s footsteps. And two attributes – drive and ambition- rightly channeled, asserts Folsom, can help transport an individual to the top of her profession.

Folsom recently came across a letter she wrote as a very young girl. In it she expressed a desire to one day become:  1) a princess, 2) a general, or 3) president of the United States. Suzanne Rich Folsom told the audience, while she did not become either of the three, she did work for a royal family in a palace, work with a number of US military generals in more than one role, and did work directly for more than one U.S. President and White House Administration.  Underneath those early dreams, Folsom already had a sense that one’s drive and ambition should fuel a life that serves others and stands for what is right.

Reflecting on her journey she observes, “Overseas service, political and government experience, granular-level business exposure – and a healthy dose of crisis – combine to give today’s General Counsel the breadth of experience she needs to be a business partner and leader – whose subject matter expertise happens to be the law.”


Visit https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/u-s-steels-suzanne-rich-folsom-named-legal-momentum-2015-aiming-high-woman-of-excellence-honoree-300079060.html for more information about her.