You have to take the baton when it's passed to you

And you can't drop it.

It's easy to not take it, it's harder to grab onto it and do something with it. For a relay runner it's obvious what the objective is when it's your turn and you get the baton--improve your team's position and win the race. But for marketers it's much more about seeing when you have a chance to shine, when you have a chance to take on the big risky project, when you are given a chance to lead others and try something new. That's the baton being stuck out to you, waiting for you to grab it.

Run like hell when you get that stick

Like relay races where there's a zone where the baton needs to be passed on or else you are disqualified from the race, so too is the case for us marketers. If we wait too long, if we fumble the opportunity, if we don't see the baton coming, we miss our chance.

And these chances, like the baton, don't come very often--so be sure to grab onto it and run like hell!