The morning coffee break had wrapped up and we were back at it, involved in a deep discussion. Some people were at the whiteboard, some debating one another, and some listening attentively as we batted an issue around the room.

The door to the conference room swung open and it seemed that a new member was joining the meeting. That is, until he didn’t. He entered the room, but made no eye contact with either the group leader or the facilitator. He took one of the chairs in the main circle, but immediately grabbed a mobile device from his briefcase. Physically, he was in the room. But mentally, he never joined the meeting or tackled the problem we were trying to solve.

via It’s the Leadership, Stupid – Nilofer Merchant – Harvard Business Review.