The two runners must adjust their speeds long enough to pass the baton , but not for so long that it causes the next runner to lose a step as he or she gains speed . So the runner who is about to hand off the baton to their teammate needs to start slowing down , while the runner who is about to grab the baton and run the next leg needs to speed up . Ideally , their speeds match for the brief moment that the baton changes hands , and then the new runner continues to increase speed as he or she runs the next segment of the race .
Any time one person is slowing down and another is speeding up , there is the potential for them to miss each other completely and mess up the baton handoff .
Just like in a relay race , you and your spouse are often faced with situations where one of you needs to speed up before making a decision , and one of you needs to slow down before making a decision . When your speeds don ’ t match , it ’ s easy not only to get frustrated at each other but to drop the baton completely .
Before moving on , let ’ s look at how your individual personalities might affect how you and your spouse make decisions .
At StrongFamilies , we use a personality assessment that connects personality types with four different animals — animals that exhibit traits that are easy to recognize and identify with . You can take the assessment by
55