• General surgeon Ian Reight on what healthcare leaders need to know about trust, teamwork, and staying calm under pressure.

How did you learn that communication matters in medicine?

Maine, USA, Sep 15, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — “I learned very early that people remember how calm you are when things get difficult. In emergency situations, panic spreads fast. Leadership matters most when everyone else is uncertain,” Reight says.

He grew up in Maryland as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic. Those experiences exposed him to high-pressure situations where clear communication and calm decision-making made the difference. That foundation shaped how he leads surgical teams and talks with patients.

“Medicine is not only technical. You are dealing with people who are scared, stressed, and vulnerable. Communication matters just as much as skill.”

What do patients need most when they are under stress?

Patients want to understand what is happening. When someone is facing surgery or a serious diagnosis, they need more than technical expertise. They need trust.

“Medicine is about more than procedures and diagnoses. People need trust and communication, especially during stressful situations. Patients want to understand what is happening, and healthcare teams need to be able to work together effectively,” Reight explains.

He reviews patient information before the day starts. That routine gives him time to prepare not just for the procedure, but for the conversation. When patients feel heard, they have more confidence in the care they receive.

How do you bring different teams together in a hospital?

Reight has served as chief of surgery, medical staff president, and medical director of a breast center and wound care and hyperbaric medicine. Each role required coordinating different departments with different priorities.

“Every department has its own challenges. The key is learning how to bring people together around one goal, which is patient care,” he says.

He studied psychology at the University of Maryland College Park before earning his Doctor of Medicine degree from Medical University of the Americas. That background helped him understand how people respond under pressure and what motivates teams to collaborate.

“You cannot lead effectively if you only understand your own role. You have to understand how every team works together. Healthcare is a team effort.”

What did you learn from adopting robotic surgery?

When robotic surgery started gaining attention, many people questioned whether it would become the standard. Reight was one of the early adopters and became a lead surgeon in the field.

“When robotic surgery first started gaining attention, there was a learning curve for everyone. You had to stay open-minded and willing to adapt,” he says.

The technology offered new possibilities, but it also required surgeons to rethink how they worked. Reight emphasizes that technology alone does not solve problems. Judgment still matters.

“The technology is important, but technology alone does not solve problems. Judgment matters.”

How do you stay focused when decisions need to be made quickly?

In emergency situations, there is not always time for perfect decisions. Leaders have to stay focused and move forward.

“I learned early that people look for leadership when situations become chaotic. You do not always have time for perfect decisions. You have to stay focused and move forward,” Reight says.

He focuses on one task at a time instead of thinking about everything at once. That habit helps him stay clear-headed when the pressure is high. At the end of the day, he decompresses by cooking or spending time with his dogs.

“Technical skill is essential, but medicine is also about trust. Patients want to feel heard, and teams want leaders who stay calm under pressure.”

What advice do you have for healthcare professionals today?

Reight believes the future of healthcare depends on leaders who understand that medicine is about people as much as science.

“Healthcare is about people. Technical skill matters, but communication and trust matter just as much,” he says.

He encourages healthcare professionals to think beyond their own responsibilities and understand how every part of the hospital works together.

“You cannot only think like a surgeon. You also have to think about how every part of the hospital works together.”

If you do nothing else

Here are seven actions you can take today:

1. Review patient information before your day starts so you are prepared for conversations, not just procedures.

2. Practice staying calm when situations become chaotic, because people look for leadership in those moments.

3. Ask patients what they understand about their care and make sure they feel heard.

4. Learn how different teams in your organization work together and what their challenges are.

5. Focus on one task at a time instead of trying to think about everything at once.

6. Stay open-minded when new technologies or methods are introduced, even if they require a learning curve.

7. Build trust by communicating clearly, not just by demonstrating technical skill.

Share this Q&A with a healthcare leader or team member who would benefit from rethinking how communication and trust shape patient care.

About Ian Reight

Ian Reight is a general surgeon based in Maryland City, Maryland. He has served as chief of surgery, medical staff president, medical director of a breast center, medical director of wound care and hyperbaric medicine, and lead surgeon in robotic surgery. A former volunteer firefighter and paramedic in Maryland, Reight studied psychology at the University of Maryland College Park before earning his Doctor of Medicine degree from Medical University of the Americas. His career focuses on surgical leadership, patient-centered care, and helping healthcare teams work effectively together.

• Michelle Kam is formalizing a pledge to expand her practice beyond pre-construction condos into homes and commercial sales, with a set of concrete client-facing commitments starting this year and building toward what growth in the 2027 market will take.

A pledge, not just a plan

Ontario, Canada, Sep 15, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Michelle Kam has spent most of her career known for pre-construction condos, lofts, and townhomes in Toronto. That work is not going away. But Kam is now putting a formal pledge behind something she has been building toward for a while: a wider practice that includes homes and commercial properties.

This is a commitment with specifics attached, not a vague plan to “grow the business.”

The three commitments

Kam is naming three things she will do differently starting now.

First, every buyer meeting will include a homes and commercial conversation, not just a condo one. Kam says too many buyers assume she only handles condos because that has been her public focus for years. Going forward, her intake process will ask about business space and freehold homes as a matter of course, not as an afterthought.

Second, she is committing to publish market commentary that covers homes and commercial sales alongside condos. For years, her public writing leaned almost entirely on the pre-construction and urban condo market. Kam is pledging to keep a running commentary on what is happening in Toronto’s broader housing market, including how policy shifts and cross-border economic pressure show up in local pricing and demand as the market moves toward 2027.

Third, Kam is committing to bring her high-volume sales background to bear on commercial transactions. She built her reputation working with Concord Alex and Baker Real Estate on high-volume, pre-sale deals. She is pledging to apply that same discipline (tight timelines, careful paperwork, clear buyer communication) to commercial clients who are used to slower, less structured service.

Why now

Kam points to conditions that make this the right moment rather than a random pivot.

“Buyers who came to me for a condo five years ago are now looking at homes, or they’re running a business and need commercial space,” Kam says. “It would be strange for me to only be able to help with one part of that.”

She also points to broader market conditions heading into 2027. Changes coming out of the new US administration have added uncertainty to interest rates, cross-border investment, and material costs, all of which touch commercial real estate directly. Kam says growth in that kind of market takes patience, since financing and permitting timelines are slower to react than a condo presale cycle. She wants to be someone her clients can call about any of it, not just condos.

“I don’t think buyers should have to find a different agent every time their needs change,” Kam says. “I’d rather be the person who can walk them through a condo purchase this year and a commercial lease a few years later.”

What growth in 2027 will take

Kam says real growth in a market like this will not come from a single announcement. It will come from small, practical steps taken consistently over the next couple of years.

That means clients start seeing homes and commercial listings included in the same market updates that used to focus only on condos. It means buyer consultations run slightly longer, since they now cover more ground. And it means Kam is personally taking on a small number of commercial files herself this year, rather than routing them elsewhere, so she understands the deal structures before she claims expertise in them.

“I want to actually do the work before I claim to be an expert at it,” Kam says. “That’s always been how I approach anything new.”

Kam adds that the 2027 market will likely reward agents who can move between property types without losing their footing, since buyers themselves are moving between them. “People aren’t staying in one lane anymore,” she says. “Their agent shouldn’t either.”

A pledge tied to a track record

Kam built her practice from a smaller footing into a full-service business over more than a decade. That history, growing by adding capability rather than replacing what came before, is the model Kam says she is following again.

“I didn’t stop doing resale when I moved into pre-construction,” Kam says. “I added to what I already knew. This is the same idea, just applied to homes and commercial space.”

Kam says she expects the commercial side of her business to take longer to build than condos did, since the buyer relationships and deal structures are different. She is not promising a fast turnaround. She is promising to show up for it consistently, year over year, through 2027 and beyond.

About Michelle Kam

Michelle Kam is a real estate broker based in Toronto, Ontario, and broker/owner at Re/Max City Accord Realty Inc. She graduated with honours from York University and built her career in Toronto’s condo, loft, and pre-construction market before opening her own brokerage, City Accord Realty Inc., which she ran for over a decade prior to joining the Re/Max brand in 2016.