A leading indicator is a metric that moves before the result and can be influenced now, such as demos booked. A lagging indicator confirms the result after it has happened, such as revenue closed. Leading indicators tell you whether you are on track in time to act; lagging indicators tell you what already occurred.
Most dashboards over-index on lagging indicators because they are easy to measure and hard to argue with. The problem is timing: by the time revenue misses, the quarter is over. Leading indicators are noisier but actionable, which is exactly why they belong in a weekly cadence.
The practical move is to pair them. Set the lagging indicator as the target, then identify the one or two leading indicators that reliably predict it, and review those weekly so you can correct course before the lagging number lands.
Lagging: quarterly revenue. Leading: weekly qualified demos and trial-to-paid conversion, both of which move revenue four to eight weeks later.
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