I have been sojourning in the land of cancer since November 2024. I’ve moved through surgery/recovery and radiation/recovery. I’m now four weeks into a year of chemotherapy. And I am learning a lot of lessons that I could apply to my leadership. Here are a few.
- Lesson: I am not in control. Speaking as someone who has served in various leadership roles since the 1990s (and who too often can default to thinking that leadership requires some level of control), I’m regularly reminded that I am not in control. That’s always a useful reminder, because the best leaders are those who invite others into the decision-making, and who provide opportunities for others to lead. Control is overrated, in my opinion; it’s limiting and counter-productive. The best work of a leader is the work that brings in multiple voices, voices which make decisions stronger. In other words, the best work of a leader is to relinquish control and support collaborative work.
- Lesson: Don’t assume that you know best (a variation of the first Lesson above). To quote a friend, “I’m not that kind of doctor”. I have had to learn to listen to and defer to the expertise of others on this cancer journey. Most especially, the expertise of my radiation oncologist and my surgeon and my oncologist. But don’t forget the nurses and the radiation techs and the volunteers and the other staff. Just as I recognize expertise in all whom I encounter with Texas Oncology, I also am reminded to recognize – and listen to – the expertise of my colleagues across ACC.
- Lesson: Don’t be a hero. Our chancellor gave me this advice, and I ignored it. I went to the office on a day when I was feeling the effects of chemotherapy, and I regretted it. I went home after three hours, realizing that no one needed me to be heroic or to try to work when I was feeling so poorly. It’s better to acknowledge your humanness and take care of yourself. Work will wait. And people will understand.
- Lesson: You’re not irreplaceable. Not only am I not irreplaceable, I am confident that I’ve built a strong leadership team, and everything will be okay. I have a great (and I do mean great) leadership team. They balance each other out with their varying strengths and perspectives, they have fun together, and they collaborate in important ways that make me joyful. I am not irreplaceable, and I know that the great and good work of instructional leadership will march on even if I’m occasionally or temporarily not part of it.
I expect that my cancer journey will continue to offer lessons that I need or reminders of what I’ve already learned. No doubt there will be a Part II to this blog post in the coming weeks. Cancer’s relentless that way, but it’s helping me learn to be a better leader.