• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Adam Kirk Smith

- A. Smith Blog - Leadership in Life

  • About Adam
  • The Bravest You
  • Blog
    • Leadership
      • Creativity
    • Communication
    • Relationships
    • Focus
  • Podcasts & Video
    • Podcast: Live Life with Purpose
    • Podcast: Ideas with Adam Smith
    • asmithvideo
  • Coaching & Consulting
  • Speaking

Glenn Brooke | February 20, 2016 | Leave a Comment

Mushrooms are Lagging Indicators

How many times have you been involved in a project and been surprised by a turn of events? “Where did that come from!?”

Many of us have looked out on a yard in the morning and spotted mushrooms that weren’t there the night before. “Wow!” we say, “they just appeared overnight.” Though absorbing moisture is a significant part of their fantastic “growth,” the mushroom was actually already there, but in a different and near invisible form. The mushroom is the fruiting body of the mycelium cells, which were growing for some time on the decaying material in your yard. All this activity was effectively invisible to you until conditions were right for the fruiting body to form.

The same happens in project work: the “mushroom” event is simply the visible, tangible effect from decisions and events that have been going on before. Cause and effect in project work are rarely close in time and space.

Remember, mushrooms are a lagging indicator of events that were going on before. When (I do not say ‘if’) you see a project mushroom, take the time to understand the earlier events that led to it. Identify leading indicators on critical early events.

Excerpted from Glenn’s book, The Unconventional Leader’s Guide to Project Oversight

Filed Under: Leadership

Glenn Brooke

Glenn considers leadership a craft which requires dedicated pursuit. The apprentice model (instruction + practice + associating with other craftsmen) is the time-tested way to foster the next generation of leaders. Real leaders never stop working on their craft; there are only new levels of mastery ahead. Learn more at leadershipcraft.com.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About

Hi, my name is Adam Smith and welcome to asmithblog.com. I am the author of the book, The Bravest You. Because of my work as an entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and speaker, I have been named a top industry influencer by American Genius. I live with my wife, Jasmine, and three children in Shenandoah, IA.

[Read More…]

Podcast: Ideas

Ideas with Adam Smith Logo

Podcast: Live Life with Purpose

Life With Purpose Podcast Icon

The Bravest You by Adam Kirk Smith

Youtube: ASmithVideo

asmithvideo icon

Latest Posts

  • FREE BOOK… for a limited time!
  • Add Value
  • Books I’m Listening To…
  • Motive Matters
  • Books and Other Stuff

Adam Smith · Leadership in Life · asmithblog.com © 2025 · Adam Kirk Smith's blog on leadership, relationships, communication, creativity, and focus.