The author is chief executive of Barclays and writes in a personal capacity for World Cancer Day
I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the blood, in November 2022, around the time of my first anniversary as chief executive of Barclays, a global bank. My first reaction was to understand the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, worry about the new burden on the family and manage the medical care. Then, as chief executive, I have to consider public disclosure and manage my duties through care.
Disclosure is the easy part – with the doctor’s advice, I can give you a diagnosis and outlook. The response from LinkedIn was overwhelming.
The doctor said I could handle most of the treatment. This raised two uncomfortably clarifying questions: how should I spend my time and where will I add the most value?
But when I thought about it, I made my first mistake. In this article, I would like to share what I have learned from my experience with cancer, both professionally and personally.
Be prepared to explain your options
Surprisingly, a significant minority among the many messages of support questioned my choice to work during treatment. He wondered if this was a form of privilege, with my role offering flexibility denied to others. Some even question whether it’s CEO swagger or, worse, “negative virtue signaling,” suggesting that others are taking extended medical leave to treat themselves. Others feel that their unwillingness to “let it go” becomes a problem.
Cancer is definitely a broad disease, and treatments vary. Mining has manageable demands on time and energy. With other treatments, my decision might have been different. I want to work because I like it. I quickly explained that the decision to work was mine alone, and Barclays or I would not expect anyone else to do the same if they were not willing, or could not. My choices are not a model or a requirement for others, and even if they are right for me, I wish I had been more sensitive in the beginning about this perception.
Draw a line quickly
Barclays is a large organisation, employing around 90,000 people worldwide, processing millions of customer transactions every day, large and small. The truth is that all this happened without my direct involvement and I could have left it just fine. On the other hand, I have to implement important operational and business decisions, including investments that keep the transaction running smoothly. However, there are many things in between, and I find it useful to quickly lay down some principles about what is important today.
Use absences to make your management team stronger
You need to let go and have total trust in your colleagues to handle the responsibilities you temporarily leave behind. The senior executive team consists of high-achieving and opinionated leaders – that’s what we get. The management bookshelf offers advice on building a cohesive team that works perfectly together, with a shared vision. In fact, teamwork always works. If it were that easy to do in practice, these books wouldn’t exist.
However, the human condition and unexpected hardships – delightfully – tend to shorten that cohesion. I am confident, having worked with colleagues for several years, that they will step into any gap and I will feel rewarded by increased ownership of business strategy and execution.
Keep the personal touch
During the months of treatment, I had to stay out of the office, unable to stop by the branch, visit regional locations, wander the trading floor, chat with colleagues in the cafeteria, lobby and elevator, or attend client meetings. I always know I will miss the constant contact and try to stay accessible and responsive on email, and I don’t stop calling my colleagues and clients. All this may not be necessary but I like it: it is important not only to do what you need but also what you like.
Less ‘doing time’ is not a cost
This is the area where I have struggled the most. It has become a habit during my working life to take a very frequent pulse on the market, business activities and progress in many projects. By doing so, I took a lot of information and expected to sift the signal from the noise. Now, with fewer opportunities to investigate my friends, I have to decide what questions are important — and when I should engage. It’s a habit I should have cultivated more carefully before.
More ‘thinking time’ is beneficial
The advantage of the relatively light schedule and relative confinement is that I can think more about my role. I think the comparative advantage for the company is to be a more strategic and deliberative leader, participate less often but think more, and rely more on my colleagues.
Seeking mental well-being and normality
As anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer will know, there are so many powerful personal and emotional aspects to the disease that they always outweigh the professional issues. In essence, cancer treatment is a struggle between short-term suffering and long-term health expectations. Our emotional well-being, physical well-being and friendships are affected by the disease, treatment and social restrictions due to weakened health and immunity. These human qualities, however, are what we need to help us endure treatment.
Promoting mental well-being is a recognized part of modern cancer care. Even in perfect health, our equanimity is taxed by endless stress. The chemotherapy regimen, which creates a euphoric high followed by melancholic, does not help. Fortunately, the prices are short and predictable. Both the swings and the deeper malaise, I find, are best dealt with by resuming activities that naturally bring pleasure and relaxation, such as sleep, yoga and TV.
Even if you don’t feel well, physical activity is important to make you feel normal. The temporary energy lift reminds us of what was, and what will be. A tip that many others have given me, and I follow, is to talk to the nurses and clinical staff about how to manage your treatment – reducing the side effects on your body brings great joy!
Our source of support and human connection usually comes from those closest to us: family, friends and colleagues. There is nothing more beneficial and indeed, as Shakespeare said, “It blesses both the giver and the taker”.
I was also blessed with encouragement from some unexpected sources: two chief executives with families and personal experiences of lymphoma; the sister of a colleague who, while daring to endure his own struggle, has formed a refreshingly original and positive view of life; the most inspirational, the notes of his colleague’s young son, who recently beat medulloblastoma after harsh treatment in five years.
Individuals who receive a cancer diagnosis must decide for themselves whether they are able and willing to work during treatment – and must be able to change their mind. Whatever they choose, they may find that cancer also offers one opportunity: to build resilience, gain empathy, strengthen old friends and make new ones, and most importantly, increase self-awareness.
For this hope and choice, we should all be very grateful to the scientific and medical community.