It’s amazing how the smallest moments can make the biggest difference.

Yes, this is me, moments before going in for surgery last Wednesday.
Another step in this cancer journey.

Post-chemo (which has been a huge success, completely dissolving the tumours), this procedure was to remove the tissue where the tumour once was. The scans showed that no cancer was there, but this step is essential. They also do biopsies during surgery to guide future treatment.

And the best news: the on-site biopsies came back negative. No cancer cells present, and the four lymph nodes removed are clear.

Phew!

But what has stayed with me most wasn’t just the medical outcome. It was the humanity I felt on Wednesday.

Going into surgery is of course never easy. So much unknown, and you’re so vulnerable. Yet my all-female surgical team wrapped the entire experience in compassion.

Just after this picture was taken, I was wheeled to the surgical ward.

As I arrived, there they were. Every woman I met genuinely invested in helping me feel calm. My surgeon hugged me, looked me in the eyes, and told me everything would be absolutely fine. I felt myself well up… I really didn’t expect that level of kindness.

Then I was placed on the operating table (with a heating pad underneath it – talk about attention to detail!). And as I lay there waiting, one of them leaned over and asked:

“What music would make you feel relaxed and happy?”

Just wow.
Such a small question – but it’s stayed with me.

This wasn’t just comfort. It was intention. Attention. Humanity.

A team choosing to see the person, not just the procedure.
The kind of leadership that doesn’t need to be announced because it’s felt.

And it reminded me of something central to my book Return on Humanity and to the work we do at TIE Leadership:
Humanity isn’t the soft stuff.
It’s the transformational stuff.

In any environment; a hospital, a team, a boardroom – people don’t remember the process.

They remember how they were made to FEEL.

The tiny moments of care.
The extra thought.
Being heard.
Seeing someone as human first.

Those “little” things build trust, create safety, spark courage, and help people get through the hardest moments.

This experience made me even more certain:
When we lead with humanity, it stays with us.