As usual, Steve got me to think about an old thing in a new way.

We are all unique and irreplacable beings, and that's a good thing--except when you're responsible for someone else's data (ie, their business). In that situation, I can see that it's a lot more appropriate to consider myself a module, a replaceable unit. Might get hit by a bus, might get downsized, but it's a certainty I won't be here forever.

And in that context as a data handling professional, and whatever I build or implement, I need to ask myself "what can I do to make it easier for the next person to understand and manage this when I'm gone?"

I also agree 100% with Jeff Moden's Pay It Forward philosophy--I like to share what I know.

Knowledge is power only when you share it. If you don't share it, it's a bottleneck.