Between the lines: What football pros can teach managers

The secret of a winning team is more than just skill on the pitch: it’s team cohesion, rapport and crucially, the ability to read and understand non-verbal cues. 

Qatar 2022 has been notable for a number of instances of players and fans transmitting messages without using words – take the German football team’s silent protest or a fan coming on to the pitch with a rainbow flag. 

But body language isn’t always that loud. 

That’s why it’s useful for managers to be able to pick up on the more subtle, nuanced signals that they themselves and their team members are sending, explains sports psychologist and business coach Martin Robert Hall, an expert on body language both on and off the pitch. Non-verbal cues, he says, can have a big impact on people’s emotions and subsequent behaviour for the simple reason that humans are sensitive beings.

“Just the way a former boss parked his car each morning would tell us his current mood,” says Martin. “Has he parked within the lines or come in at an angle? Did he screech in at speed, or was he driving more cautiously? The whispers would go around the office each morning and peoples’ behaviour would change based on that.”

How you walk into the office each morning, whether you smile or make eye contact, it all matters. “It’s entirely possible to upset or offend someone before you’ve even opened your mouth,” Martin adds.