A South African way of work

Angela Ho, Chief Marketing Officer at Obsidian Systems writes ...

South Africa’s relay teams made headlines this month with their outstanding performance at the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou. From smooth baton passes to well-timed surges, they secured multiple victories and qualifications for the World Championships in Tokyo.

My family and I watched with bated breath. Yes, because it was a national moment of pride but also because we personally knew someone on the team. We’ve followed their journey on social media for nearly six years. But in that moment, it wasn’t just about one runner. It was about what they achieved together. The synchronisation, the trust, the strategy, everything clicked.

It got me thinking: what if we brought the same level of teamwork, agility and discipline into our companies? What if we ran our businesses more like our national relay teams?

Flawless baton exchanges

You don’t need to be a coach to understand the stakes of a baton handover. Just watch the tension in the final stretch of any relay race. A fumbled exchange, a second lost, or a step over the line, and it could all be over.

In business, our "baton" is information, responsibility, and accountability. And too often, we drop it. A missed email. An unclear task. A deadline that wasn’t communicated or followed up. These aren’t just admin mishaps, they’re time losses, budget overruns and reputational hits. They could mean missing the client’s expectations, losing the bid, or launching too late.

Smooth handovers between teams, departments, and individuals are non-negotiable. And they shouldn’t be left to chance. Like relay teams, we need intentional practice, clear protocols and absolute trust in our colleagues.

Strategic runner placement

Ask any coach where you place your strongest runner matters. So does when. In athletics, it’s a matter of seconds. In business, it could be the difference between stagnation and scale.

For managers and HR leaders, the modern workplace is far more complex. Hybrid teams. Remote contributors. Gig workers. Legacy processes. In this mix, strategic placement isn’t just about roles. Rather, it’s about visibility. It’s about knowing who is best suited to anchor a project, take the first leg, or step in mid-way to drive momentum.

Without the right tools and insights, it becomes guesswork. But when we align people to purpose, when we build teams based on strength, not just availability, we unlock performance that sticks.

Pacing and split times

Relay races aren’t just about speed, they’re about rhythm. It’s knowing when to push and when to hold back. When to conserve energy and when to unleash it. That’s what pacing is.

In our organisations, we often push all the time. We demand urgency without clarity. We applaud speed over sustainability. But in reality, performance is about balance. It’s about managing workload, planning cycles and recognising when teams need recovery or reinforcement.

Observability is key. We need systems that allow leaders to see what’s happening in real time, to respond early, and to adapt as conditions change. That’s how you avoid burnout. That’s how you deliver excellence, consistently.

Trust in the system

At its core, a relay is built on trust. One runner believes the next will be there, ready, at full stride. The handover isn’t a pause but part of the flow. That level of trust only comes from practice. From culture. From shared goals.

Our workplaces could learn a lot from that. Whether in a startup or an enterprise, we need to foster environments where trust is built through transparency, accountability, and shared ambition. We must normalise iteration, feedback, and even a few stumbles because it’s in those repetitions that excellence is forged.

The South African advantage

Perhaps the most beautiful part of this analogy is that it is inherently South African. Our athletes have shown the world what’s possible with the right mix of individual brilliance and collective intent.

So, what if we ran our companies the same way? What if we led with trust, planned with precision, and created workplaces that moved like a well-drilled relay team?

The truth is, we can. The baton is in our hands.

Angela Ho, Chief Marketing Officer at Obsidian Systems.