Small Things As Leading Indicators

In exercise physiology, pain is considered to be a possible leading indicator of poor mechanics. If you are on a run, for example, and you notice a slight pain in your knee, this can mean that you are not moving with proper form. A lagging indicator of poor mechanics can be a torn ACL or another debilitating injury. 

Another familiar example of a leading indicator is our check-engine light. The check engine light signals that there may be some part of your car that needs attention. A lagging indicator could be a blown up engine or a faulty brake. 

Leading indicators signal a call to action before things become catastrophic failures. As with sports and cars, our lives are full of small things that we can use as leading indicators. Here are a few from my life: 

• Laying out the next day’s clothes at night. 

• Staying in touch with my family weekly.

• Being on time for meetings. 

When I am unable to do any of the above, it is a signal to me that something in my life is not working the way I would like it to. I can get away with not doing these things once, or maybe even more than once, but if I repeatedly ignore feedback from these leading indicators, greater failures can follow as lagging indicators of poor performance. 

Not having a clean dress shirt isn’t typically a huge problem, but it can be if I also happen to have an important meeting that day. And the potential negative consequence is not really the point. What matters is that I’ve tolerated my life working in a way that resulted in me not keeping this commitment. Laying out my clothes, staying in touch with my family, and being on time for meetings—all of these serve as check-engine lights that tell me it’s time to look under the hood.

This week, I invite you to consider the following questions: 

Over the last year, where in my life have there been lagging indicators of low performance (big or small negative outcomes that I was in some way responsible for)? In these areas, what were potential leading indicators that I could have noticed to have created a better outcome instead? What small things will I commit to watching as leading indicators going forward? 

God bless,
Dan