{"id":826,"date":"2026-06-23T15:54:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T07:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/walkthevision.com\/?p=826"},"modified":"2026-06-24T14:41:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T06:41:09","slug":"what-happen-if-there-is-no-baton-waiting-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/walkthevision.com\/?p=826","title":{"rendered":"What Happen if There is No Baton Waiting For You"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most leadership books talk about passing the baton.<\/span><\/p>\n

The image is familiar.\u00a0A runner completes their lap, stretches out a hand and smoothly passes the baton to the next person. The race continues. Momentum is maintained. Everyone knows their role.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a powerful analogy.<\/span><\/p>\n

After spending years working across projects, organizations and leadership roles, I have learned that reality is often very different. There is a moment I step into a new role and discover there is no baton. No transition plan. No documented lessons learned. No operating manual. No knowledge repository. No roadmap explaining why certain decisions were made.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The stadium is full.\u00a0The race is already underway.\u00a0Everyone assumes I know where to run and what to do next. Yet I standing there with an empty hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

I love the ‘passing the baton’ leadership analogy. What happens when I enter the stadium and discover something unexpected?<\/span><\/p>\n

The stadium is there.\u00a0The race is already in progress.\u00a0The expectations are high.\u00a0Yet there is no baton waiting for me.<\/span><\/p>\n

At that moment, I have two choices.\u00a0I can spend my energy complain about the runners who came before me and spend years asking why nobody prepared the baton<\/span><\/p>\n

Or<\/span><\/p>\n

I build one.\u00a0I turn scattered experiences into documented knowledge.\u00a0I transform unwritten practices into repeatable systems.\u00a0I convert confusion into clarity.\u00a0I capture lessons that would otherwise disappear when people leave.\u00a0I create processes that survive beyond individual personalities. And most importantly, I can leave behind something that the next runner can actually hold.<\/span><\/p>\n

What I have learned about this situation is that leadership is not only carrying the baton. The leadership is measured by whether I can create the first baton when none exists so that the next runner starts further ahead than I did.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you enter the stadium and discover there is no baton waiting for you, will you spend your time looking for someone to blame?\u00a0Or will you start crafting one for the next generation?<\/span><\/p>\n

#WalkTheVision #Leadership #SuccessionPlanning #KnowledgeManagement #Innovation #LeadershipDevelopment #Legacy #FutureLeaders<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most leadership books talk about passing the baton. The image is familiar.\u00a0A runner completes their lap, stretches out a hand and smoothly passes the baton to the next person. The race continues. Momentum is maintained. Everyone knows their role. It is a powerful analogy. After spending years working across projects, organizations and leadership roles, I 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