Advice from a mushroom -
Be down to earth
Keep a low profile
Know when to show up
Start from the ground up
Be a fun guy! - YourTrueNature.com
My son has been digging for gold the past two weeks
spending time in the woods searching for treasure and dragging his older
brother along. We are fortunate to have acreage and there are rumors that there
is treasure on the land going way back to the Indians. Sadly, the gold he is
looking for is mushrooms! Morel mushrooms to be exact. Now, as a non-mushroom
eater I just don’t get it. To me eating a mushroom is a little bit like eating
a worm.
I never knew that Morel mushrooms are such a hot
commodity. People search for them as if they are truly gold. They spend hours
just to find a handful of pitted looking little creatures. Once enthusiasts
find some Morels they keep the location secret and protect it with their life
so that they can go back the next year. My boys trudged into the wet woods
creeping around decaying trees and looking under debris for mushrooms. Their
find was a handful of mushrooms which they promptly decided to dehydrate to eat
later. I decided it was time to see what is so special about an unsightly
mushroom.
We have shady woods, spring moisture, and a lot of
decaying trees. I discovered that Morels often grow near particular trees such
as Sycamore, Hickory, Ash, and Elm. In the Mid-West they pop up in the late
spring seemingly overnight and love warmer air, wet soil, and they are heavily dependent
on the right weather conditions. These ugly little buggers are indeed a fungus
and spread by spores. In fact, my son collected his in a mesh bad so that as he
walked the spores could still be released to grow future generations. Morels
are such a find because they cannot be commercially grown. Only Mother Nature
can successfully grow them and hence, gold! Morel Mushrooms
Surprisingly mushrooms are very interesting, um, plants.
They are indeed fungi and can only reproduce by spores – trillions of them.
They are simple looking with just a stem and cap however, they are actually
rather self-sufficient. They aren’t greedy about needing sunlight like other
plants and thrive in the deep shade or dark. They only ask for moisture and
love rainy days. In fact, mushrooms are made up of about 90% water. As ugly as
they are, mushrooms have a ton of vitamins and they even have their own
specialized immune system. Mushrooms love dead stuff and they spring quickly
from decomposing matter. You could almost think of them as plant zombies rising
from underground. Not all mushrooms are
ugly little fungi; some have beautiful coloration, glow in the dark, and come
in a variety of shapes and sizes. I was surprised how firm and strong the Morel
mushroom felt when I had the courage to handle one. Mushroom
facts
After my own mushroom information hunt I will admit that
I have a better appreciation for mushrooms. They are rather fascinating and I
can see why looking for Morel mushrooms is a quest because of how scarce they
are. My boys came back from the woods with about 20 Morels and you would think
that they found gold coins. As I examined a fat Morel in my palm I smiled as I
thought about a coworker that I worked with early on in my banking days. Mary was a stout woman and was referred to as
“the mushroom”. She liked to rule the office and didn’t realize just how the “spores”
she threw out impacted everyone around her.
“If you treat your employees like mushrooms
(keep them in the dark and regularly throw crap on them) it’s entirely likely
that you will get precisely the work you deserve in return” – Seth Godin
I have had the pleasure of working with several different
organizations and have been blessed with so many learning opportunities and experiences.
Conversely, I have met some interesting and even toxic characters along the
way. Whereas the Morel mushroom is a treasure, some of the “mushrooms” that you
may have worked belong in the dark and hidden out of reach!
How
to identify a mushroom in your midst
·
The shroom in the cubicle near you enjoys keeping
everyone in the dark. No genuine team player here. This person is sneaky and
navigates underground and behind the scenes to get her way.
·
Surprising, most of the mushroom is actually
below the ground. The roots are deep and go unnoticed. Watch out for those with
hidden “roots”. They have their own agenda.
·
Morels know that they are rare, the best, and a
catch. Sadly, a Morel in the cube has the same thoughts.
·
Know someone who hoards information and keeps
people out of his territory? He thrives on power and hides data under things.
·
Mushrooms thrive off the debris of others. Every
office has that one person who loves to see others take the blame or relishes
in the mistakes or failures of others. It gives them power.
·
Morels love moisture and it feeds their growth.
Your tears and misery are food and give strength to the office mushroom.
·
Some mushrooms are toxic – literally. They are
poisonous for others to be around and their bad attitude spits out like
trillions of tiny spores. Stay clear!
·
Your office mushroom is always hard to find. No
one is ever sure where she went or what she is doing and a search finds
nothing.
·
Many mushrooms smell - your adversary smells of
trouble. Walk away quickly!
·
Mushrooms like Morels grow quickly given the
right environment. Your old buddy the mushroom grows big and ugly overnight. He
rises out of nowhere with a clear purpose.
Hopefully you work in a bright and positive environment
that fosters growth and team cohesiveness. It wouldn’t hurt every now and then to
open your eyes and go on a slow walk around to see if there are any “mushrooms”
thriving in your midst that could drag you under into the dark…….
