I was sitting in a negotiation some time ago keeping quiet as the discussion was being led by a colleague who was presenting, minding my own business, when I suddenly realised I was missing out on a great opportunity to observe the other side. To see who looked positive, who was grumpy, were they attentive of board. I am not an expert on body language, but it was fascinating to observe how differently individuals were reacting to the same presentation.
 
One thing I noticed was one individual putting their right hand and then their left hand to their face over their mouth as they listened and responded. This article on When we are Judging or Trying to Deceive suggests that “when we see, speak and hear lies or deceit, we are likely to attempt to cover our mouth, hands or ears with our hands”  - monkeys do the same thing - on the basis of Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. I didn’t think about it at the time, but the presentation was not going spectacularly well!
 
However, this is a complex subject and the same article suggests that “Evaluation is shown by a closed hand resting on the chin or cheek, often with the index finger pointing upwards. When the person begins to lose interest but still wants to appear interested for courtesy’s sake, the position will alter so that the heel of the palm supports the head as boredom sets in.”  So maybe the person on the other side of the table was just bored, which is not good either come to think of it.
 
This Mail Online article has some interesting extracts from a book The Body Language Bible by Judi James commenting that in face-to-face communication your words account for as little as seven per cent of the perceived impact of your message. Your vocal tone is about 38 per cent, but your body language takes the lion’s share with around 55 per cent.
 
On a more academic note this Harvard Law School article on Using Body Language in Negotiation makes some interesting observations including the value in this context of actual face to face meetings as opposed to Skype calls - As convenient as electronic media may be, they lack the visual cues offered by body language in negotiation help convey valuable information and forge connections in face-to-face talks.
 
We can always try to manage our body language – sitting still, not leaning forward of back, but it is really difficult do truly deceive a careful observer. As Ralph Waldo Emerson says “When the eyes say one thing, and the tongue another, a practiced man relies on the language of the first.”
 
One thing I do however firmly believe is that positive, enthusiastic and approachable body language when negotiating or presenting or networking really helps. See this article on Positive Body Language which comments Positive body language helps people to be liked by other people in an organization or community and is therefore must for people across disciplines and ethnicities, as it plays a pivotal role in shaping our discussions and relationships with other people in our daily life. This applies at least as much in adversity as when things are going well.
 
As Samuel Taylor Coleridge says Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm and this can be expressed at least as much in body language as verbally.

I have been doing a lot of driving recently, mostly on motorways. One of things I remember learning just after passing my driving test was to always check in the car’s blind spot. If you are changing lanes on a motorway it is not enough to just to look in the wing mirror – you also need to glance quickly to the right or left as the case may be to make sure there is no car in the one spot you can’t see it. I almost did not do this once and only just stopped myself pulling into the path of an overtaking car.
 
In professional life we can also have blind spots – taking something for granted, underestimating someone, not doublechecking something or maybe being another weak spot in our armoury. A weak spot can be defined as a place of especial vulnerability. soft spot, weak part. weakness - the property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain.
 
This Forbes article What are your Blind Spots? eloquently describes how blind spots can represent leadership challenges citing some famous statements that with the benefit of hindsight were spectacularly wrong such as:

IBM’s market position could never be threatened by an upstart company started in somebody’s garage.
 
It can be a particular challenge in an interview where you are asked “Well tell me about what you are not so good about” – see this article 3 Ways to Answer “What’s your Biggest Weakness?”
 
And that’s the thing about this, recognising what your blind spots may be and dealing with them – always remembering to look behind in my driving example. Here is a short article on Actions for Improving Weaknesses with some good and simple suggestions for doing this commenting You cannot improve if you do not accept your skill set may be subpar. Reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, and then move forward with a strategic improvement plan.
 
This article on Techniques for Turning Weaknesses into Strengths has some really good quotes on this subject:
 
In his book Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter Robert Bruce Shaw tells us that blindspots may come from a variety of factors including gaps in our experience, emotional biases, misaligned incentives, and other factors that have caused us to not understand the importance of something.
 
“Managing blindspots is learning to accept them as inevitable and…positive because they force you to remain vigilant.” — Robert Bruce Shaw, Leadership Blindspots.
 
For the last word let’s turn to sport and Michael Jordan “My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.”

I attended a relay good facilitated session this week given by Ali Hall an Associate Fellow at Oxford Said Business School about Navigating the generational divide which illustrated the different behaviour we can expect to find in the workplace as different generations arrive and make their mark.
 
I don’t think I had as clearly appreciated the different characteristics of professional people born in different era’s, although now I do, some behaviour I have experienced makes more sense. The current working generations have been generally categorised as follows.
 
GenZ or iGen (18 to 22) – these are the young people who grew up with ubiquitous mobile communication – see this article. They are well described in Jean M. Twenge’s book iGen.
 
Millenials or Gen Y (23-37) – they grew up in an increasingly online and socially-networked world – see this article.
 
Gen X(38-53) – this was the “latch-key” generation letting themselves into their houses because their parents were too busy working or splitting up! This is the generation that is quickly occupying the majority of business leadership roles– see this CNBC article.
 
Baby boomers (54-71) – they rejected or redefined traditional values and experienced great U.S. political and social upheaval – they are now reaching retirement age if there is such a thing anymore.
 
The silent generation or traditionalists (72+) – young who in America under the McArthy era felt it was dangerous to speak out. 
 
Each of these generations has brought something different to the workforce and are often to be found working together – and sometimes not understanding why they have such different approaches. For the first time these 5 generations are having to find ways and means of working together in say a professional practice. Here is a short article with some tips on how best to do this - and another one discussing how to understand and avoid a generational divide among your employees.
 
This all really matters. As Abraham Lincoln said The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.
 
I personally think it is inspiring to have the opportunity to work with and learn from different generations, each of which has something to offer so we can all make a positive mark on business life - in the words of William Blake The generations of men run on in the tide of time, but leave their destined lineaments permanent for ever and ever. 

Last weekend winter started in earnest in the UK with the return of cold weather and frost at night. So I went out and bought coal, a barrowful of logs and kindling to start a fire in the multi fuel wood burning stove we installed a few years ago in our living room. We had had the chimney swept as well so all was set for a comfortable evening in front of a warming fire.
 
Well not quite. When I removed the fireguard I noticed to my dismay that the glass in the door was broken – so not only no fire but a seemingly intractable problem which could ultimately mean investing in an expensive new stove. However, after some initial moments of frustration and annoyance I calmed down, went online, Googled how to fix the glass in a stove door, ​and discovered that the manufacturer Dimplex sold replacement glass which I ordered. I then found out – eventually - how to take the broken door off and struggled to remove the glass because the screws on the retaining parts were rusted solid. Then this week when the new glass arrived I managed, not without some difficulty, to fit it into place. So as I write this it is in front of a blazing fire and I have learnt yet more about the art of the possible in DIY.
 
My point is that the harder a problem may appear, whether in do it yourself repairs or professional working life, the more there is an opportunity to learn and to fix the challenge. It just takes the right attitude to stop being annoyed or even apprehensive and start looking for a solution.
 
This Harvard Business Review article has some interesting views on solving complex problem and aptly quotes Albert Einstein “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
 
Looking into the topic it seems that the best advice is firstly as it says on the front screen of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy “Don’t Panic”, then assess the problem, consider your options and seek and implement a solution. An interesting dilemma in this sort of situation is the extent you engage your team to help and how much as a leader you are prepared to genuinely seek help as opposed to imposing your views in the crisis. See another Harvard Business Review Article which discusses this issue commenting The right blend of conviction and openness sets the stage for others to participate in surfacing an untested solution that builds on the leader’s best thinking, but refines it with the inputs of others.
 
For me the whole thing of problem solving is having the right attitude to look for a solution. Franklin D Roosevelt counselled "One thing is sure. We have to do something. We have to do the best we know how at the moment . . . ; If it doesn't turn out right, we can modify it as we go along."
 
And ultimately as Winston Churchill said Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.