As I continue to dwell in the land of cancer, I continue to learn life lessons that are also leadership lessons. Here are the latest things I’ve learned, either for the first time or for the umpteenth time.
- Lesson: Expect the unexpected. My cancer journey was initially going to be pretty straightforward based on the biopsy: surgery, radiation, done. But of course the pathology after surgery showed a more complicated picture (requiring a second surgery), and additional pathology complicated things even more – thus my year of chemotherapy. Cancer reminds me that I should expect the unexpected, and that’s true of my leadership role as well. Things change, the world turns, new laws get passed, new funding systems are developed, new ideas are adopted. That’s life, and that’s the context for effective leadership – you must be prepared for the unexpected.
- Lesson: You must be adaptable. This is obviously related to the lesson above. A year of chemo means missing work and dealing with varying side effects. Last week my hair started falling out in clumps – endless, unceasing clumps. So yesterday I got all my hair cut off and now I have what’s called a “pixie” cut. If you know me at all, you know my gray/blonde curls. You know you can pick me out of a crowd (as my friends often do) by my hair. I have never had short hair, much less a pixie cut. But, now I have super short hair. And it’s a great cut (thanks to my stylist MC), but it’s just not me. Nonetheless, it made sense to me to make this choice. I didn’t want to deal with weeks and weeks of pulling clumps of hair out (because I have a lot of hair), so I decided to adapt and skip to the end where I have very little hair. Leadership also requires being adaptable. As a leader you may have to adapt to new leaders, or new initiatives, or new colleagues, or new ways of thinking, or new contexts. That’s part of the fun of leadership – things are always changing, and adapting is always required,
- Lesson: Always be kind. While I have been pretty transparent about my cancer journey, I have colleagues who are also dealing with cancer and doing so privately. That is their choice and I respect that choice. My oncologist, radiation oncologist, surgeon, radiation techs, and chemo nurses are all remarkably kind. I appreciate their kindness and I hope I return it. We don’t know what someone else is going through, so I hope that I always choose kindness. It doesn’t cost anything to be kind, and, frankly, kindness is in my DNA – I learned it from my lovely, gracious, friendly, kind mother. The world is currently distressingly unkind and often downright mean. So let’s all choose kindness as much as we can.
There may be more lessons for me, especially since my chemo won’t end until June of 2026. Life is always reminding us that we can learn anew. Life also reminds us that we can remember what we’ve already learned, we can adapt, and we can pivot as needed. Here’s to always learning.