During times of uncertainty, change or anxiety, organizations and leaders can sometimes resort to the mushroom theory of leadership. The mushroom leadership theory basically has three parts:

spread the spores
shovel on the shi*t
keep them in the dark

The mushroom experts at my alma mater, The Pennsylvania State University, epicenter of mushroom agriculture, might take exception to my simple characterization, but for purposes of this article we will stick to the highlights.

If further clarification is needed for our metaphor, the “spores” are our team members, the “sh*t” are the daily tasks and chores we may begin to manage more closely in these situations, and the dark is the lack of communication and involvement of our teams in the change that will ultimately impact them.

I have witnessed mushroom farming arise when a key senior leader leaves an organization, or when the company is planning a restructure, merger, acquisition or divestiture that could impact jobs, or the daily role of our teams.

During such times, you as a leader may experience a lack of communication from your senior leadership and be at a loss on how to interact with your people. And you may, yourself, feel like a mushroom, navigating your own uncertainty and anxiety. It is easy, then, to slow the pace of communication, to become more task oriented in your interactions, and resort to management of the business rather than holding fast to leading and engaging your teams. I have felt like a mushroom before, and I have resorted to mushroom farming myself, always to the detriment of my teams and my own well-being.

If we continue our metaphor, in regular farming (the non-fungi variety) our crops still need fertilizer of some sort, but they will only thrive in light, warmth and nourishing environments. And plants grow stronger by experiencing the wind directly. Plants that don’t experience the wind (change), don’t grow to their full potential.

The most valuable skill of a leader in times of change or uncertainty is to reduce anxiety. So how can you continue to inspire and engage your teams in these situations? In my work with leaders I find these questions helpful:

If you are unable to share specific information with your teams for whatever reason, what are you able to share with them?
What questions do they have about the current environment that you can take back up to your senior leadership?
How can you keep personal lines of communication open to help mitigate fear or anxiety?
What do they need to know about your thoughts and experience that will be helpful to them?
How can you inspire and engage your team in continuing to provide greater value and innovation to the business or to customers?

No one ever said that leadership is easy; it is your job to lead your people even when you, yourself, feel like a mushroom. It’s how you choose to do it that makes a difference. Are you going to lead your teams with light, nourishment, and transparency, or are you going to keep them in the dark and shovel on the sh*t?

Are you a leader or a mushroom farmer?

Are You a Leader or Mushroom Farmer?