Shows
Working with IndiaEpisode 13: Craig Storti
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:
Why being an expat doesn’t qualify you fo...
2015-11-2436 minWorking with IndiaEpisode 12: Carissa Hickling
“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:
The benefits and limits to being a foreigner in India
How to take 5 years to remove money from a Provident Fund
Why ‘suggesting’ something be done doesn’t usually cut it in India
When it’s ok to blu...
2015-09-2837 minWorking with IndiaEpisode 11: Patrick De Ridder
“Calling me on a Sunday is a sign of…”
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...
2015-08-2437 minWorking with IndiaEpisode 10: Sven and Charlotta
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:
Why comparing cultures is terrible for your cultural adjustment
What Charlotta means wh...
2015-07-2141 min
Cultural Differences & Cultural Diversity in International Business033: Cultural Differences in India with Neil MillerCultural Differences in India
About This Week's Guest
Neil Miller
Neil moved to Chennai in January 2010 with his wife and four suitcases.
In this podcast, he talks about Cultural Differences in India.
He prepared by reading a lot of good books and meeting a lot of knowledgeable people.
However, nothing could have prepared him for what he experienced trying to start his own business and then working with a mid-sized family-owned Indian company.
Every time that he thought India would finally get the best of him, he was able to add a layer to his understanding of India. His goal...
2015-06-0942 minWorking with IndiaEpisode 9: Amar Vyas
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 be...
2015-06-0846 minWorking with IndiaEpisode 8: David Peace
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 Worki...
2015-05-0435 minWorking with IndiaEpisode 7: Gunjan Bagla, The India Expert
“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.”
2015-04-0646 minWorking with IndiaEpisode 6: Jessica Kumar
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 t...
2015-03-0234 minWorking with IndiaEpisode 5: Robert Stephens
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...
2015-02-0235 minWorking with IndiaEpisode 4: Arjun Buxi
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...
2015-01-0540 min