Passing Is a Power Move

I was never interested in team sports, but I loved track. I was confident in my speed and agility, and that made me a star on my high school team. This was always part of my personality: I am an individual; I do things my way. But one day at a track meet, I was competing in the 4-by-100-meter relay, which requires runners to pass a baton between each other three times. We were winning—until I fumbled the pass. The baton fell to the ground. We lost.

- by KK Hart

→ LETTING GO A high school baton is a reminder of when to hand off work to someone else.

I was devastated, so my coach pulled me aside. He handed me the baton. “This,” he said, “isn’t just about speed. It’s about precision, trust, and knowing exactly when to give and when to take. Sometimes, the most powerful move isn’t running faster, but passing smarter.”

Those words rebalanced me. I came to realize: My individual strength means nothing if I cannot run in sync with others.