I was in a meeting recently that had some quiet tension to it, at least two different sides represented and everyone waiting to see if it would be quietly worked through or would turn into a thing. Out of nowhere as I’m thinking about the situation I thought of the old Battle Chess program and somehow mapped that to the meeting. Was mildly amusing to try to figure out who was which piece and then to picture the stylized combat from the game. Maybe more than mildly amusing!

Thinking about it more as I write, it’s not a bad way to measure the dynamics of a meeting. Understanding who has decision making authority, who influences that and how much – both are key elements in trying to drive to the resolution you want.