How to Share Passwords

Rarely is anyone thanked for the work they did to prevent the disaster that didn’t happen” – Mikko Hypponen

A few weeks ago I was carpooling with another family to the kids’ camp for the week. I was responsible for dropping the kids off in the morning. When I got all four kids there on the first day, the counselors asked me for a password that would need to be given at pickup time.

I set the password and then immediately communicated it to the other family so they could successfully pickup all the kids. It reminded me that we think of passwords as secret, when in fact they are private – we just want only trusted individuals to know at the right time.

So in this episode of the How to Share podcast, I talk with banker, adventurer and my friend, Jill Jones, about the complexities of password sharing. We emphasize the importance of trusted access and the evolving methods of password management. We explore personal experiences, the impact of technology on security practices, and provide practical tips for navigating password storage and sharing in both personal and professional contexts.

Note: Passwords are a small piece of the overall planning that needs to happen in a crisis. The amazingly thoughtful and prepared Edward Ortiz of the Thoughts about Leadership, history, and more blog has a great post about What if The Unthinkable Happens at Home to help plan for household crisis.

Takeaways

  • Passwords are often thought of as secrets, but they are actually private.
  • It’s essential to have trusted individuals who can access passwords when needed.
  • Old methods of password storage, like writing them down, are becoming obsolete.
  • Digital vaults can provide a secure way to store important documents and passwords.
  • Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security but can complicate access.
  • Banking experiences offer valuable lessons in password security and fraud prevention.
  • Regularly changing passwords can lead to reliance on easily guessable information.
  • Technology is changing how we manage and share passwords.
  • Planning for unexpected events, like sudden death, is crucial for password access.
  • Having a system in place for sharing passwords is necessary for security.

Here’s a preview of some of the pros and cons of common password practices:

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How to Share Compassionate Stories that Inspire and Connect How To Share

In this episode of How to Share, host Wynne Leon interviews social psychologist and writer Anne Beall about her book, The Compassionate Writer. They discuss the importance of compassion in writing, exploring the four pillars: compassion for ourselves, for others, for the reader, and throughout the writing process.Anne shares her journey from academia to founding a literary journal, and how her unique perspective shapes her writing. The conversation also delves into the psychological aspects of storytelling, practical exercises for writers, and the reframing of fairy tales to uncover deeper meanings.TakeawaysCompassion is essential for effective storytelling.Understanding our own narratives requires empathy.Writers should be gentle with themselves during the process.Compassion for the reader enhances engagement.Psychological biases affect how we perceive our writing.Different learning styles require varied teaching methods.Visualizations can aid in the writing process.Fairy tales often reflect societal values and biases.Seeing stories from multiple perspectives enriches writing.The tone of writing can create a more relatable experience.Links for this episode:⁠How to Share home⁠The Compassionate Writer on ⁠Barnes & Noble⁠, and ⁠Amazon⁠ ⁠Anne Beall's website⁠⁠Anne Beall on Substack⁠⁠Chicago Story Press Literary Journal⁠From the host:Wynne's book about my beloved father: ⁠Finding My Father’s Faith⁠
  1. How to Share Compassionate Stories that Inspire and Connect
  2. How to Share Music with Nancy Shear
  3. How to Share Snapshots of the American Dream
  4. How To Share: From International Lawyer to Thriller Writer
  5. How to Share Our Luck with Gil Gillenwater

Links for this Episode:

Jill Jones on LinkedIn

How to Share Passwords transcript

(featured photo from Pexels)

(Quote comes from Rarely Is Anyone Thanked – TheEnlightenedMind622 )

Both And

Well, you can’t make old friends.” – Zadie Smith

The other day, my mom asked my daughter how her best friend, the little girl that lives next door, was feeling about having to move 1200 miles away in a month. My daughter replied that her friend was excited. And then she added, “And that makes me feel sad.”

The conversation moved on so thankfully I didn’t have to follow-up on that one right away because I find that subject to be tricky. How to be happy for others even when it means a loss for ourselves.

Years ago when I had a corporate job, I hired a former colleague to come work for me. He worked for me for about a year and I had given him some great opportunities and he had done a fantastic job. Then he announced that he’d gotten a job at Microsoft and was quitting and I felt hurt and betrayed. I don’t think I could talk to him at length for a week. Down deep I was happy for him and eventually I got there so I was happier for him up top as well, but I definitely felt the challenge of summoning my best self.

Listening to a Ten Percent Happier podcast with cognitive scientist Maya Shankar gave me some insight on why it’s so hard. She said “We don’t like change because it almost definitionally involves a loss of identity and that’s very destabilizing. I think as humans we often attach ourselves to specific identities as we move through the world because it gives us a sense of security.”

When I use that lens to apply to my work situation with my colleague, I can spot the identity I was inhabiting easily. The man that I hired was also someone I had championed previously when he was switching into the field of technology from his career in the military. I had spent a lot of time and energy helping him adjust to the change of culture and expectations and hopefully imparted some technical knowledge as well. When he quit, it challenged my sense of being a mentor.

In return, he had done the job beautifully and when I got over myself, I could appreciate that. It required me to disconnect from that specific identity to a more general sense which is that I draw a lot of satisfaction from helping other people.

In a quiet moment at the end of the day my daughter made that comment about her friend, I asked her some more questions and we talked about how she could be both/and. That is to say both sad that her friend was leaving and hopeful that her friend has an exciting new adventure when she moves. And that neither takes away from the friendship they have today.

(featured photo from Pexels)