The View from the Back of the Room

The next time that you attend a conference or large meeting - especially if a new idea or plan will be introduced - do yourself and your organization a favor and sit at the back of the room. Then watch the other attendees carefully. Some body language is fairly obvious. Some, not so much.

• If they frequently look to the attendees seated to their left or right, it's likely that they disagree with what is being said and are looking to see if their peers agree.
• If they look at their phones... well, this one's pretty obvious.
• If they sit up straight well into the talk or meeting, they are engaged, but the engagement may be positive or negative.
• Are several of them slouching? Engagement is probably low.
• If they fidget and move around as the talk or meeting goes on, they likely feel the material covered is something that they already know and their time is being wasted.
• If there are some who look down a lot and don't appear to be on their phones, it may be due to pent-up hostility.
• If they appear to be doing a lot of writing, and the event is not a class or lecture, it is likely they are completely disengaged and are doing other work.

Eating as Behavior Encouragement

Have a team member who is absent more than you’d like? Buy lunch for everyone on the day they don’t show up, and only that day.

Repeat if necessary (it probably won’t be).

Machiavelli May Have Had a Point

Want someone to improve at a particular KPI? Walk up and thank them for it. Not when they get better - now. Don’t mention the number or whether it’s good or bad - just thank them for it.

The first thing they’ll do is run back to their desk to see what you’re talking about. If the number isn’t terrible, they’ll be sure to improve it, because everyone wants to be a hero - especially in their own eyes.

If the number IS terrible, they’ll assume you were being sarcastic, and that you are watching them like a hawk. Either way, performance will improve. If it doesn’t, they are almost certainly planning to jump ship.

Plan accordingly.