What the Workplace Needs Now – Sharing
This column was first published in the Reading Eagle on August 23, 2026.
Time for the fourth installment in our series “What the Workplace Needs Now – Sharing.”
A sharing neophyte
I never liked to share. Growing up as an only child, I really didn’t have to. And, I really liked that. Everything I got was mine, all mine. I didn’t have to share my toys, my clothes or my parents. Life was great! I know, what a brat!
Then, I went to college — and reality smacked me in the face. The sharing gods proclaimed: “Let the sharing begin!” To start, I had to share a room, a very tiny room at that, 24/7 with another human. I had to share a bathroom and showers with a score of other humans — gross! Probably one of the most difficult shares was sharing a grade with a group of students working on a “team” project — aka, I do all the work, you get all the credit. It didn’t happen much, but even once was infuriating.
But, then, something wonderful happened — besides me finally growing up! My job at school was student coordinator of the student volunteer program in the Social Actions Office at Villanova University. My mentor, the late Dr. Edward L. Collymore, gave me the encouragement and freedom to grow the program. I developed relationships with various organizations and institutions that served kids. I had this idea of having a recreation day on campus. I called it Sunshine Day. It was a one-day event where student volunteers would be matched with guests from orphanages and children’ s homes. There were games and food and lots of fun. Not just for our guests, but for the students who volunteered.
I soon realized that the only way this idea would actually happen is if I shared. I would need to share the vision, the responsibilities, the power and the credit. It was hard for this sharing neophyte. I didn’t know what to do — how to let people in, how to get their support and how to deal with not being the only person running the show.
Besides my impotence at sharing, I also didn’t want to share. My perception was sharing was risky business — when you share with other people there’s a chance they won’t do it your way; or, even if they do, it won’t be done as well as what you would do. There’s a chance that when you share, you’ll have to share the spotlight. For a lonely kid who did adult things like coordinate volunteer programs at 18, that was the only place I felt self-esteem — when I was in charge, that would be a huge loss to risk.
I knew it would take a lot of work, more than I could do myself. I knew others would need to be given responsibility and power to feel enough a part of the program to engage and participate. And, I knew they would need (and deserved) recognition and appreciation for their contributions.
Fortunately, my love for helping others was stronger than my fear of sharing. I started the whole sharing thing with something I was good at by that time — my passion for helping people. It was that passion that enabled me to talk to strangers, to get out of my comfort zone as an “only”.
I really believed in the vision I saw: bringing kids who were neglected or ignored by society to campus and matching them with student volunteers for a day that could turn into more than a day. And, it did. Many of the volunteers started visiting their “kid” back at their institution. Years later, I brought Sunshine Day to Reading and to Philadelphia. All of this became possible because I learned to share.
Sharing at work
We have seen workplaces where sharing is not encouraged or part of the culture. Sales people who won’t share data with people in their organization or even on their own team because of their warped sense of competitiveness; project or team leaders who won’t share credit with the colleagues who make the success happen because of their insecurity or inflated ego. It’s not a great place to feel like a valued contributor. It is a great place to dehumanize spirit and fosters disengagement.
Hopefully, we have more often seen a sharing workplace. A place where we can count on leaders to share what they can in challenging times. A place where individual contributions build collective contributions because the tools to succeed — like power, information and support — were shared. These are the places where not only good work is created but good relationships are nurtured and unwavering commitment drives the culture.
I’m much better at sharing these days, but it can still be a challenge for me. So, if we go to a movie together, don’t expect me to share my popcorn — I won’t. It’s mine, all mine!