For the last four years, I’ve found myself increasingly intrigued by the concept of the "baton pass"—a critical handoff from one person to the next.
As a fractional worker, I’ve initiated countless new projects, built and trained teams around workflows, and ultimately passed the baton to someone else to carry the work forward. Over time, this process has become my signature move, or what I like to call the "extreme niche" of my work style. I've also learned a lot about effective (and ineffective) org design.
Chances are, if you've been working in the same job for three or four years, you don't need to think much about what it means to pass the baton onto the next person. But as a full-time fractional worker, I start every new job knowing that there's a baton pass happening. This mindset has forced me to systematize how I document information, onboard seamlessly, and build relationships quickly.
Here are some key lessons I’ve learned about effective baton passes in fractional work.
Best Practices for Baton Passes
1. Keep your docs & files organized (and adapt to each company's workflow)
Good documentation isn't just a big deal to software developers; it's crucial for anyone in a fractional or interim role. If you don't have good habits around file and document management, your transition out of a company is going to wreak havoc on those around you. So start documenting from the day you arrive.
But be mindful to adjust to systems already in place that organization, as opposed to create your own from scratch every time (unless that's part of the job). Early on, I realized the importance of aligning with the tools and systems already in place—whether it’s Google Drive, Notion, Slack, or something else. Remember: As a transient worker, the goal is sustainability beyond your tenure. If you build too many workflows that make sense only to you, then nothing will stick around when you're gone.
2. Dig into debriefs and retrospectives
Good documentation isn’t just about filing away notes; it’s also about documenting clear synthesis and conclusions. One best practice I've seen at organizations is to make it a point to conduct team-wide debriefs or retrospectives after big events. This not only reminds the existing team what worked and didn't (trust me, we all forget things), but it also provides the next person with context they might not get from static documents.
If possible, I like to include the new person in a retrospective, which gives them a second learning lens in which to receive this information. I've found that looping the new person into not just what happened but why it happened (and how choices either validated or invalidated early hypotheses) will prevent the next person from repeating the same things all over again. It's builds organizational resiliency.
3. Stick around throughout the transition
The baton pass doesn’t end on day one. One of the things that makes the least sense to me in the corporate world is the urgency with which we usher people out the door from the moment they quit. I'd like to see more fractional quitting, or slow transitions that invite the departing person to share a bit of what they learned along the way, while making room for their next quest. This also gives the new person a temporary (and relatively objective) mentor as they get oriented.
One of my most rewarding moments last year was when I facilitated a baton pass to someone else to lead an organization that I was clearly not the right person to be at the helm of. For the next three or four weeks, even though I was no longer fractionally employed, we still had weekly calls to sort of touch base on what he was seeing versus what I had seen. This gradual transition wasn’t just cathartic and educational for me for me—it gave him the initial confidence and context he needed to succeed. I also learned a lot about how my perspective on the scenario differed from someone else who was looking at the problem in a different way.
The Long-Term Benefits of Baton Passes
Beyond the immediate benefits of a smooth baton pass, fractional work offers an opportunity to build long-term value. By approaching offboarding thoughtfully, I’ve been able to transition immersive, embedded roles into shorter-term advisory engagements, coaching relationships, or even equity stakes. Over time, this approach can help fractional workers create a portfolio of projects, ultimately generating passive revenue streams and expands professional reach.
I'd like to see the baton pass become normalized in the corporate setting, both in startups and larger organizations, particularly as the knowledge record and fractionalization of the way that we work becomes more accessible than ever. It just takes a little practice and a few reps to figure out.
