The Art of the Hand-off

How Well Do You Pass the Baton?

I saw the above picture and the euphemism immediately came to mind--"You go, girl--go!"  In all the relay races, the hand-off was absolutely critical to running the race.  The British team was stunned when their second place silver was disqualified because they crossed the line in making the hand-off. They were fast.  They still lost.  I wonder how many of us are in race, making countless hand-offs, and end up disqualified because of the way we did it?  You can take this one to the bank: it matters less on winning and  more about how we make the hand-off, connect with people, and who we become as a result of it.

Let's  rephrase this question to ask:  Who are you as you pass the baton? Are you aware of a relationship as you make the hand-off---in business, in pleasure, from family and friends? We make countless hand-offs, don't we?  But I wager that what others recall is who gave them the baton.  When I survey the Harvard Business Review articles, the essence of leaders, entrepeneurs, HR execs, and even "the art of the deal" comes down to relationships.  Get this through our heads.  What we hand off is first and foremost ourselves and not the order, the standing operating procedure or the commodity--it's YOU.  

Let me switch to the meta-meaning.  In the Jewish and Christian Religions, the heart of both is not a system of belief.  It is the personal relationship that God gives to us. God is the Good Shepherd in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the Gospels.  God call us by name and enters into covenant with us.  God gives himself to us.  Then we are called to hand it off, pass it on to others.  My favorite biblical passage is this one:

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. ⁶For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; ⁷for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.     2 Timothy 1:5-7

Life does not have to be a race.  Nobody wins with record-times.  Life is a gift that we can only hand-off by the gift of who we offer ourselves to others.  Are we aware and do we give thanks for what has been handed off to us.

A quick formula for making the hand-off:

First--connect with people, build rapport
Second--engage with people, make the hand-off 
Third--affirm people.  Say the magic words "thank you." 

Connect, Engage, Affirm! 

Remember this formula:  connect, engage, affirm.