Mastering the Art of Passing the Baton 🏃♂️
I used to run the half-mile for a Junior Olympic relay team made up of four runners from around the state. Relay racing taught me valuable lessons about strategy and precision in handing off the baton. We practiced meticulously and left nothing to chance.
I knew the runner coming in and when to start so she wouldn’t overrun me. I knew exactly which hand to receive the baton with and when to pass it to the next runner. This seamless exchange was crucial for maintaining our speed and momentum.
Similarly, in business, the concept of handing off the baton is vital, especially in Kingdom businesses where we aim to advance Kingdom culture.
This is especially important in two key areas: customer service and leadership.
Passing the service baton
A key element of customer service is for organizations to connect interdepartmentally and smoothly transition a customer from one person to the next. Have you ever waited 30 minutes to speak with a human at a call center only to hear, “That’s not my department, I need to transfer you,” or worse, “We don’t handle that here, you need to call this number”?
That type of hand-off leads to dissatisfaction and frustration. A consumer’s experience is maximized by an organization’s ability to seamlessly serve and craft the customer experience from beginning to end. When a hand-off is necessary, it should be done professionally and in a way that makes the customer feel valued and appreciated.
Passing the leadership baton
Succession planning is a critical part of leadership. A business’s succession is most effective when the owner builds a team and knows when to hand off the baton to the next generation. This is how we preserve and advance Kingdom culture through our businesses.
We see a beautiful transition from Moses to Joshua in the Bible. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness, but he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Instead, he passed the leadership to Joshua, who successfully led the Israelites into the Promised Land.
Imagine if Moses had not prepared Joshua for this role—the Israelites might have faced even greater challenges. This example underscores the importance of preparing the next generation to carry forward our mission and values.
Our ability to build sustainable businesses and ministries hinges on investing in the next generation of leaders—let’s call them marketplace champions. When it’s our time to hand off the baton, there should be a runner ready to receive it and keep the team moving, ensuring Kingdom culture thrives in the marketplace.
In the grand scheme of things, we are all part of the human race. Just as in a relay race, the goal is to advance the baton smoothly, ensuring that progress continues, and each runner brings their unique strengths to the team.
Let’s focus on preparing the next generation, investing in their potential, teaching them to serve and to lead. When we do that, we can be confident that the human race will continue to move forward with strength and grace, all while advancing Kingdom culture in our businesses.
