Working with India

As you can tell if you listen to this podcast, I was really excited to get to have a personal conversation with Craig Storti. It was only after reading his book, Speaking of India, that I was first able to pinpoint some of the unique challenges that face anyone working with India.

Craig, who started out as a US Peace Corps volunteer, is extremely down-to-earth, and shares a lot of the wisdom he has gained over his many years.

Here are some highlights:

We reference a few articles in this conversation that you can find here:

You can find Craig’s website here, and all of his books on Amazon here.

The post Episode 13: Craig Storti appeared first on Learning India.

“Bureaucracy is a lot of little people trying to follow the rules as they interpret it.”

Meet Carissa Hickling, Mumbai’s own Whisky Lady, and the 12th guest on the Working With India podcast. Carissa runs her own consulting firm, and has been in India for over 20 years.

In this episode you will hear:

You can reach Carissa on

You can listen to the show in this player, or through iTunes.

The post Episode 12: Carissa Hickling appeared first on Learning India.

Your first answer might be rudeness, unprepared thinking, or an invasion of privacy.

But add 17 years onto your India journey and you end this sentence with “respect”.

Meet Patrick De Ridder, a student of Indian business and philosophy, and the next guest on Working with India. He came to India in 1997 and has stayed on, starting a business consulting company in 2006 for French, Belgian, and Dutch companies entering India.

Patrick was destined to be a “librarian writing books on philosophy” before India captured his imagination.

…the best introduction ever to Indian philosophy for people who have no desire to read think books.

As you can see, Patrick made a lot of great points in this short conversation and you don’t want to miss it!

Patrick uses a few Indian terms you may not be familiar with:

Why not check out all the other Indianisms we have on the site?

You can contact Patrick through his company website, his LinkedIn page, and his Twitter handle.

The post Episode 11: Patrick De Ridder appeared first on Learning India.

Some paths in India are straight, others are squiggly.

Sven Brandelik and Charlotta Osterberg-Mohandas both started their journeys in India with internships through AIESEC in 2007. Eight years later, Sven helps German-speaking companies create the right strategy for deeper engagement with India and Charlotta teaches yoga to individuals and corporations. Both of them have great stories of how they got to this point and open up on this episode of Working with India.

In this episode, you will hear:

You can contact Sven on his LinkedIn page, and also check out his website, Nimble Networker where he created a complete training course for how to build relationships in India. (Only a German could create such a precise science out of something so intangible!)

Check out Charlotta’s pages under the brand name YogYug: Blog, Instagram, Facebook.

The post Episode 10: Sven and Charlotta appeared first on Learning India.

Sometimes it’s nice to know you aren’t the only one…

When you come to India for the first time, you may wonder if you are the only one who notices the massive differences: the cows on the road, the work culture, the late night dinners. Is it ok to point them out? Can you laugh about them or is that taboo?

It’s always nice when someone else confirms that things are different, hard, and great.

Today’s Working With India podcast is with Amar Vyas. His name has been on a few of the latest posts (NRI: Now Returned to India and the Oterap Principle) and this is a chance to hear more from him.

I really enjoyed this conversation because it comes from someone who understands the inside and the outside.

Amar will share about:

Here are some of the links mentioned in the podcast:

The post Episode 9: Amar Vyas appeared first on Learning India.

There are many types of expats in India, but knowing which ones to trust for advice can be hard.

Ideally, you are looking for someone who has been living here for more than five years, has good business experience, a decent level of cultural knowledge, and isn’t prone to overreaction.

David Peace has lived in Delhi since 2001, has run his own company here for 14 years, teaches cross-cultural knowledge, and might be the most level-headed person I know. So he’s basically ideal in every way.

In this month’s Working With India Podcast, I interview David Peace, the founder of Shanti Consulting and an all-around great guy.

David and I talk about a lot of great things, but here are the ones you won’t want to miss:

A big apology for the audio in this program. David sounds great, but there was apparently some trouble with my microphone I did not realize. Still, there are a lot of insights to get out of this.

Here’s where you can find out more about David:

The post Episode 8: David Peace appeared first on Learning India.

“If you come back from India thinking that all is well, then you haven’t learned a thing.”

That’s the advice from Gunjan Bagla, the Indian Expert, in this episode of the Working with India Podcast. This is one of my favorite episodes so far, as we covered a wide variety of topics in great depth. Here’s another great quote:

“Don’t assume it’s always ok to call your Indian counterpart in the middle of the American day just because they took the first four calls and didn’t complain.”

Just a few of the things you should listen out for:

Here are some links to find out more about Gunjan:

You can listen in the player below, or subscribe on iTunes.

The post Episode 7: Gunjan Bagla, The India Expert appeared first on Learning India.

Starting points are pretty varied in India.

You are a man in your 50s who is coming in as the CEO of a new division.

You are a retired woman in your 60s who is ready to start a new adventure.

You are a young married couple getting some international exposure in your roles.

Each starting place comes with its own challenges; you must learn where you fit in Indian society and what rules apply to you. It takes time to learn these and some are easier than others.

Everything is leveraged against her. Indian management is still dominated by men (although this is slowly changing). Socially, most people are more concerned if she is going to get married soon than if she is capable of doing a good job. Because she is young and female, it is an uphill battle in nearly every relationship for her to get respect from people reporting to her without coming across as extremely rude and conceited.

So, I’m always amazed when I hear of a woman who made it work.

This month’s Working With India podcast features Jessica Kumar. She came to work in northern India as a young woman in her early 20s. She worked as a team-lead in several functions and got deeply involved in the culture and work life of India.

Here was my favorite quote from the show: “If you pick a particular role or way people see you, it generally sticks for life.” Listen now to understand what she means.

You can listen in the player below, or subscribe on iTunes.

(A quick note on the audio – we had to switch to a phone about 10 minutes into our conversation, so you will notice that the sound quality changes all of a sudden.)

Here’s where you can find more from Jessica:

The post Episode 6: Jessica Kumar appeared first on Learning India.

I’m constantly amazed at the paths people take to India.

Some people get called into an office one day and find themselves in an Indian airport the next week. Others come here trying to start their own business and capitalize on the Indian market. Others come to live out a sense of adventure.

Then there’s Robert.

Robert’s story in coming to India is unlike any other you’ve probably encountered. As an architectural student in the US, he had limitless opportunities ahead of him. Yet he single-mindedly sought out one specific architectural firm in one city in India, got his visa, and has spent the last 8 years here.

This month’s Working With India Podcast with Robert Stephens will expose you to someone who has chosen to dive very deep into Indian culture – both from a business and social perspective.

In this episode, Robert shares his thoughts on:

Here are some additional links:

Listen to the podcast in the player below, or subscribe on iTunes!

The post Episode 5: Robert Stephens appeared first on Learning India.

You have identified an ideal partner for your business in India: strong financials, common interests, and experience in the field. The company is an older family-run business. You soon realize that the key to sealing an agreement is a meeting with the patriarch, an older man who doesn’t come to the office much anymore. His blessing is essential, but you are having a lot of trouble getting his attention. What do you do?

In this episode of Working With India, I talk with Arjun Buxi. Arjun is a native Indian who grew up in a Punjabi family business, and is now a Communication Consultant and Educator in the San Francisco area. Arjun is a true expert in the field of Indian business culture, especially when it comes to how family dynamics affect things. His knowledge is both experiential and scholarly.

Here are a few of my favorite moments in this show:

Here are some of the links mentioned in the show:

Listen to the player below, or subscribe via iTunes!

The post Episode 4: Arjun Buxi appeared first on Learning India.