A few weeks after we adopted our crested gecko, Rusty, we went on vacation. I left instructions for the pet sitter on how to feed and water him. But he texted a couple of days after we’d left saying that he didn’t think Rusty was moving. In fact, he hadn’t seen him move in the enclosure for more than a day.
Right as we were about to do a video call to take a look at Rusty, the petsitter texted back. Something like, “Never mind. Rusty just shed his skin so what I was looking at was his skin and not really him. He’s fine.”
We had a good laugh about that. But when I had a recent How to Share podcast conversation Secrets of Collaborative Leadership with IT Director John Hernandez, it sparked that memory. John said that he learned how to share at work because if he wanted to go on vacation, someone else needed to know what he did.
It was an a-ha moment for me – one of the fundamental reasons we share. Whether it’s personally or professionally, we have to share our knowledge in order to have someone do what we do – whether it’s with the house-sitter, babysitter, professional colleagues, or team managing elder care.
I’m passionate about sharing because I think it’s a core human value. But values aren’t very effective if we don’t have specific ways we put them into action. Here are three things about sharing I learned from going on vacation.
- To tell others what I do and how I do it so that I can share my load.
- It’s nice not only to get a break but let others walk in my shoes.
- I get a better view of what things I do that I could leave behind.
Oh, there’s a fourth thing I learned specific to this story – geckos shed their skin. We won’t be forgetting that anytime soon either.
(featured photo from Pexels)
I’m the host of the How to Share podcast – because sharing leads to success at work and at home.
I also co-host Sharing the Heart of the Matter – an author and storytelling podcast. I’m a parent of two young children. I help companies achieve organizational efficiency through collaboration, and speak about creativity and AI through the Chicago Writer’s Association.
You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon